Would you be surprised to learn that some of the greenest companies are technology companies? The top U.S. companies that made the 2012 Newsweek Green Rankings report include IBM, HP, Sprint Nextel and Dell. Factors were considered such as how they manage their footprint and how transparent they are about their environmental issues and policies. Top green companies do things like reduce their paper consumption, use environmentally responsible facilities and change their manufacturing processes to reduce pollutants.

Printing for Less

Printing for Less is a green printing company located in Montana dedicated to printing responsibly, preserving the environment and offering low prices on high-quality products and services. Their green business practices include:

• Responsible Paper Sourcing – PFL gets its paper from Oji, a Japanese paper supplier that gets 60 percent of its pulp from recovered paper and the rest from its well-managed tree plantations.
• Environmentally Responsible Production Processes – PFL mills paper without dioxin in an elemental chlorine free process, uses vegetable-based inks, packages its products with biodegradable materials, offers a solvent-free UV coating to protect printing and focuses on reducing waste.
• Environmentally Responsible Facilities – PFL’s office and production facility is 10 percent wind powered, carpet-free, uses natural light and energy-saving fixtures and conforms to its community’s low water consumption and anti-light pollution guidelines.

IBM

IBM started eco-friendly corporate practices in the early 70s and has received prestigious awards for long-term environmental efforts. 40 years of environmental leadership include efforts to eliminate PCBs in their products, joining the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection and annual corporate environmental reporting. Another green initiative is the IBM Engineering Center for Environmentally Conscious Products and the prohibition of hexavalent chromium in their inks, paints, dyes and pigments.

IBM believes that sustainability practices that protect the environment are good for business and puts substantial corporate efforts into building sustainability into its core business processes. Following IBM’s example of measuring, managing and voluntarily reporting on its company’s environmental impact is not only good for the environment, it’s good for business, building in customer appreciation and loyalty and creating a competitive edge.

Walt Disney

Walt Disney’s core sustainability value initiatives include Act, Champion and Inspire. The company works to act ethically to make decisions that take people and the planet into consideration, champion happiness and well-being, and inspire people to make positive, lasting changes.

Disney’s positivity and name recognition extend their environmental sentiments worldwide. Environmental stewardship and nature conservation are integral to Disney’s operations. Large portions of Disney’s properties are dedicated to wildlife conservation and they implemented environmental goals in 2009, including:

• Minimize their footprint
• Minimize water use
• Zero waste to landfills
• Zero net direct greenhouse gas emissions and reduced indirect greenhouse gas emissions from electricity

Disney recently announced its new paper sourcing and use policy as part of a commitment to responsible forest practices and conservation. The company plans to minimize its corporate paper consumption, eliminate use of paper products with irresponsibly harvested fiber, and maximize use of paper with recycled content and fiber from certified forestry operations.

If you want to make your company greener, put some of these eco-friendly operations into practice. Examine your company’s environmental footprint. Look at your paper usage. Make your facilities more eco-friendly where possible. Investigate how to contribute to conservation efforts. And be sure to let your customers and community know about your efforts.

This blog was written by Stacy Simpson. Stacy is working toward her masters in urban sustainability. When grad school isn’t ruling her life, she likes to blog about local green initiatives.