It’s Getting Hot In Here

A recent report by Corporate Knights in Newsweek reveals the Top 100 Companies that are making efforts to help minimize their environmental impact. The companies here are the 100 most adaptable in the world, based on an analysis of 1,800 companies by business-ethics magazine Corporate Knights and research firm Innovest Strategic Value Advisors. These corporations, which come from 16 countries and sectors ranging from oil and gas to telecommunications, were ranked exclusively for NEWSWEEK on how effectively they manage environmental risks and opportunities relative to their industry peers.

The Top 10 are as follows:

1. Royal Bank Of Canada
2. Lafarge Construction
3. Grupo Ferrovial SA
4. Westpac Banking Corp.
5. Yell Group PLC Advertising
6. Denso Corp.
7. Toppan Printing Company
8. Hewlett-Packard Company
9. Adidas Salomon Agency
10. Vestas Windsystems A/S

See the report here.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A GREEN COMPANY?

WHILE SOME BANKS INVEST IN BUILDING COAL AND NUCLEAR PLANTS, RBC - THE #1 “GREENEST” COMPANY IN THE WORLD INVESTS IN WIND & ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has had a stellar social- and environmental-standing since its inception. Factors driving RBC’s top score by Corporate Knights and Newsweek include their long-standing environmental policies and risk-management practices, which include evaluating the climate change risks of industries such as tourism, agriculture and natural resources; assessing the risks and opportunities of international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocal; and incorporating “carbon risk” into the assessment of borrowers in high-impact sectos such as mining, oil and gas and heavy manufacturing.

RBC is among 60 companies worldwide that have been recognized as leaders in understanding and addressing climate change issues (as ranked by the Carbon Disclosure Project). It was the first Canadian signatory to the Equator Principles and the lead investor in the Global Environmentl Fund (GEF) Clean Technology Fund, L.P. The GEF is a new private equity investment fund that seeks to identify and finance companies that create technologies to help traditional industrial companies reduce energy consumption, material waste and the discharge of pollutants. RBC has also recently signed up to the Alternative Energy Venture Fund, introduced to them by their newly acquired socially-responsible investment (SRI) team.

The company also finances 26 wind farms in North America, U.K., France and the Republic of Ireland. Two years ago, RBC acted as financial advisor to a number of significant green energy business transactions that generated more than 1 gigawatt worth of power in Europe. This included a wind development business in the U.K., a renewable energy company with an international portfolio of wind assets, and a landfill gas generation business.

The buildings they operate in are also “green.” Through the Building Energy Performance Index Challenge, RBC identified the least energy-efficient branches across Canada annually and prioritized them for action. Since 2002, they have supported Green Power generation and have purchased close to 5,000 megawatt-hours - from wind and low-impact hydro sources. Their new construction standards now require the installation of occupancy sensors to switch lights off when no one’s around; corporate-standard room temperature settings; and low-impact textiles.

Lastly, RBC is listed on the 2007 Dow Jones Sustainability Index, recognizing the world’s financial, social and environmental corporate leaders, as well as the Jantzi Social Index and the FTSE4Good Index.