Top 7 Green Corporations of 2010

Cutting up the credit cards is probably the greenest thing anyone could do but sometimes, buying new stuff—or patronizing a favorite restaurant—is necessary. When those times come, there’s no reason to feel guilty—especially when choosing a company that respects the environment as much as the bottom line.

Last year, Greenopia ran through dozens of companies in a variety of categories to compile a trusty list of the greenest corporations, by category, of 2010. Of course, it’s already 2011, but in the coming months these will be the places to go for shopping needs—and the model for any up-and-coming top green corporation.

Check out what companies took the top spot in their category in 2010:

Ikea

With over $28 billion in annual sales, Ikea proves you can be a large chain and pursue sustainability in an aggressive way.
71% of all IKEA products are recyclable, made from recycled materials, or both. The company recycles 84% of the waste generated in its stores while almost half of Ikea’s energy comes from renewable sources.

Patagonia

Patagonia, the environmentally and socially responsible clothing manufacturer, is often cited as one of the greenest companies in the US.

Their products are made with recycled and low-impact materials and they’ve greened their offices and distribution network. Patagonia has even gone as far as to provide life cycle analysis for several of its products.

Pizza Fusion

Lovers of green pizza rejoice. Pizza Fusion not only offers all organic pizzas but have implemented green measures across the board.

Many of their spaces are LEED certified, employees wear organic cotton uniforms, deliveries are made by hybrid vehicles and best of all Pizza Fusion has a cool return incentive — return a used pizza box and get a discount next time.

Honest Tea

Honest Tea is natural, organic, and fair trade. Greenopia calls them greenest large beverage company around.

Here’s why:

From efficient production to energy usage offsets, green building design to the lightweight plastic bottles free of hazardous chemicals, Honest Tea sets the bar for green beverages everywhere.

Honda

The winner of the “drive” category was producing hybrids way before the Prius, Honda led the way for mainstream hybrids with the release of the Insight in 1999.

With an average fleet mileage of 25.81 miles per gallon, that’s right Honda has one best overall scores a of any car company with 10 or more models. This complements their Civic hybrid and Honda Insight and many more hybrids in the works.

Virgin

With Richard Branson at its helm, it’s not surprising Virgin gets top honors as the greenest airline in Greenopia’s guide.

Virgin’s modern fleet of planes are very efficient in emissions and their specially designed winglets lead to better fuel efficiency. Virgin has tested several planes powered solely by biofuels and its headquarters is LEED certified.

Dell

Dell is one of the largest computer companies in the world and it’s making efforts to become the greenest.
Dell has a large number of EPEAT certified products and considers the products’ life cycle during production. Dell also has a comprehensive take-back program—recycling its own products for free and accepting other brands for a small fee.

Source: treehugger

Consumers play a big role in convincing businesses to go green.  This is being recognized by numerous corporations and there is much advertising that incorporates some sort of environmentally friendly message about a product/service.  Green sells so beware of greenwashing and do some investigation before believing a company’s green claims.

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