Just about every major corporation today understands the importance of running a sustainable business. Generally speaking, this means one in which water gets conserved, energy and materials come increasingly from clean sources, and the social impact of the business is positive. The trouble is, until now there have been few ways to measure not only how brands are performing environmentally but also how the public perceives that performance. And how the public perceives a company’s greenness is becoming increasingly important. “More and more companies are looking at social purpose and corporate citizenship as part of their core offering,” says Jez Frampton, the Global CEO of Interbrand, an international brand consultancy. “Why? It helps drive purchases.”
That’s especially true of the millennial generation. In general, they prefer to buy from companies who share their worldview—especially when it comes to the environment. In the decade ahead, those companies that invest in initiatives that help people and the planet as well as their bottom line and who can communicate those efforts effectively will have a competitive edge.
With that in mind, Fortune is publishing the 50 Best Global Green Brands for 2014 in conjunction the consulting firm Deloitte and Interbrand. The list was first created in 2011. This year’s nominees were drawn from Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands report, which ranks the world’s 100 most valuable brands. The 50 companies on Best Global Green Brands list were ranked in two ways: on the strength of their sustainability initiatives and on how the public perceives those efforts.
View the 50 Best Global Green Brands for 2014 here.
