Earth Day - Top 25 “Green” Companies

Posted on | April 22, 2010 |

By Robert Passikoff

Forty years after the first Earth Day, greater pressure is being applied to brands to address environmental problems along with the problems of dirty clothes, financial services, technology, and convenient, quick- serve meals.

Yes, more consumers hear the phrases “fuel-efficient,” “organic,” “energy-efficient,” “natural,” “green,” and “sustainable” more these days, consumers are on to all that. They want brands to walk-the-talk, and “green” has become the cost-of-entry in many categories, making larger and larger contributions to brand engagement and loyalty.

Driving “Green” Growth

A review of category loyalty drivers in our Customer Loyalty Engagement Index shows that how consumers define “green” varies significantly from category-to-category. And as more people become more aware of the dangers of ignoring the environment, and as brands have actually sought to establish standards, the definitions and expectations applied to brands have evolved.

Any/all these questions can be applied to virtually any category: What is it made from? How is it made? How is it packaged? How I it consumed? How do I dispose of it? Those are the questions consumers are asking brands to answer.

As such the value of such environmental initiatives, extend beyond the aspects of social responsibility, and even further beyond simple advertising tag lines, and present a competitive opportunity for both top and bottom line growth, brand differentiation and - given consumer expectations - increased profitability.

As noted, the categories vary in their “green” aspects and expectations, but here (alphabetically) are the Top-25 Green Brands from this year’s Brand Keys Loyalty Engagement Index:

1. American Express
2. Apple
3. Avon
4. BP
5. Coke
6. Coors
7. Dell
8. Ford
9. Honda
10. HP
11. Johnson & Johnson
12. Kellogg’s
13. Kohl’s
14. Marriott
15. McDonalds
16. Microsoft
17. Nike
18. Pepsi
19. Samsung
20. Seventh Generation
21. Staples
22. Starbucks
23. Tom’s of Maine
24. UPS
25. Wells Fargo

Green

Forty years ago it must have seemed a quixotic idea to set aside a single day to focus on the fragility of our planet. But in the 21st century, after years of raising awareness about environmental issues, many Americans try to celebrate Earth Day every day of the year and seek out brands to help them.

But that said, today might be a good one to pass along this advice: Don’t blow it - good planets are hard to find!
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Robert Passikoff is founder of Brand Keys Inc. (New York), a brand and customer loyalty consultancy. He can be reached at 212-532-6028, x12, or robertp@brandkeys.com.