5 Sustainable Companies and What They’re Doing Right

It’s easy to depict corporate America as a bottom-line towing decimators of the environment.

However, green, sustainable companies do exist.

They are certainly the exception, not the rule, but they are out there, churning out energy-saving automation services such as water saving toilets, and a slew of other green appliances that are allowing consumers and businesses alike to reduce their energy consumption, conserve water, and use sustainable resources.

While the criteria for assessing sustainability and green business practices may vary depending on who is making the assessment, certain names consistently shine. The following is a list of fairly big companies that have made substantial efforts to minimize their environmental impact while creating sustainable business models:

Interface Inc. Helmed by founder Ray Anderson, who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer, this modular carpet manufacturer was featured in the film The Corporation as being one of the more cutting edge companies with regards to industrial ecology and sustainability. Ray ultimately wanted his company to have absolutely no negative impact on the environment, claiming that in the long run sustainable business practices pay for themselves.

Samsung. Samsung has received extremely high marks for sustainability in the last few years. In fact, it was named the most sustainable technology company in the world for 2011 and is on track to have reduced its greenhouse emissions by 50% come end of 2013.

Nokia was the Samsung of 2009, receiving the most sustainable tech company title for that year. Their focus has been on using less energy to get better results. Nokia has consistently ranked very high on lists of green, sustainable tech companies.

SunRun Inc. is a residential solar electricity provider that was founded in 2007. They provide solar electricity for homeowners who don’t want to have to purchase solar panels. This makes it possible for people to upgrade their homes to energy-efficient standards without having to spend an exorbitant amount of money. In 2010 alone, this US-based company raised $55 million in venture capital.

Wash Cycle Laundry is a laundry service that picks up your laundry and delivers it via bicycle. Using only local detergent and energy efficient cleaning machines, they adhere to a strict triple bottom line policy, which tabulates ecology, economy, and society into equal factors. This is also sometimes referred to as the ‘people, planet, profits’ business mode, which uses true cost economics to determine the actual value of products and services based on their environment impact.

From big to small, technology-based to carpet-based, the preceding list shows you a wide diversity of business entities who are working to institute sustainable and green policies and procedures into their code of ethics.

As the world’s population swells and energy demands accelerate, the fervour with which our economic engines confront climate change and ecological responsibility will become increasingly studied, understood, and judged.

What about you – any corporations you think should have made the list?