The push for sustainability is a centerpiece of U.S. business culture. Companies regularly tout their green achievements and environmental goals to show how they're taking steps to make the planet more livable.
By weighing their Earth-focused accomplishments and the paths they're taking to a more sustainable future, Newsweek has compiled a ranking of America's Greenest Companies.
"These companies have committed to being good stewards of the environment working to save the Earth and its resources for future generations," Nancy Cooper, Newsweek's global editor in chief, said of the list. "We hope this ranking helps consumers identify the companies that try to live sustainably, just like many of us."
The ranking identified the top 300 companies in the U.S. based on environmental sustainability. It was compiled in partnership with market data researcher Plant A and data and analytics firm GIST Impact, and scored companies on more than 25 parameters in four categories: greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, waste generation and sustainability data disclosures and commitments.
The list was formed after an analysis of public data of the top 952 organizations in the U.S. with a market capitalization of at least $5 billion and that pass the European Union's minimum sustainability standards—viewed as the most evolved set of standards globally. They must also have had publicly disclosed sustainability data as of July 31.
The ranking took into account that the scale of a company's operations influences sustainability metrics, and it therefore used emission/consumption intensities to prevent large companies from being unfairly penalized for their absolute impacts.
Also, some industries are more polluting than others. Using that context, the ranking scored companies based on their sustainability performances relative to those of their respective industry.
The two largest companies in the top ten were electronics manufacturing behemoths: Dell Technologies and Apple.
Ranked at No. 6, Dell touted in its 2023 ESG report that 94.5 percent of the company's packaging was made from recycled or renewable material in FY23. That figure was up from the 90.2 percent of packaging that the company reported was made with such materials in FY22. The company has a goal of all packaging being made from recycled or renewable material by 2030.
Dell has also said that, in FY23, 59 percent of its electricity usage came from renewable sources, up from 55 percent in FY22. The company, which finished first in Newsweek's Most Loved Workplaces 2022, is aiming to use electricity from 100 percent renewable sources by 2040.
Apple, No. 10 in the ranking, has committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
"We're cutting the majority of emissions through innovations in materials, clean energy, and low-carbon shipping," Apple said on it website. "And we're investing in nature-based projects to offset the small amount that remains."
Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy & social initiatives, said in the company's 2023 ESG report that it has reduced emissions by 45 percent since 2015. With that accomplishment, she said, "We demonstrated that the choice between a thriving business and a thriving planet is a false one."
Apple has goals to use 100 percent recycled cobalt, tin, gold and rare earth elements in its products' key components by 2025. Jackson said in the report that about 20 percent of the materials in Apple products today are from recycled or renewable sources, but the company has a goal to reach 100 percent and "end our reliance on mining altogether."
Nasdaq, one of two financial services firms in the ranking's top ten, touted five years of carbon neutrality in its 2022 sustainability report, the most recent such report from the stock-trading venue, which ranked at No. 4 on the list.
It added that 84 percent of the company's global energy consumption is procured through pre-negotiated renewable power contracts. For the remaining 16 percent of electricity, Nasdaq purchases renewable energy certificates that provide new renewable energy to the grid equal to what has been consumed by each Nasdaq office, with high priority given to projects in operation for less than one year.
In its sustainability report, Nasdaq acknowledged that its strategy to encourage employees to return to the office after working from home during the pandemic has resulted in "an increase in employee commuting GHG emissions."
In response, the company aims to reduce these emissions via its hybrid work program and a sustainable leasing strategy that favors leasing space near public transportation sites and providing employees with benefits "designed to encourage the use of public transport."
MetLife, the other financial services firm in the top ten, ranked at No. 5. It is committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for its global operations and General Account investment portfolio by 2050, at the very latest.
The insurance, employee benefits and annuities giant says it has maintained carbon neutrality across its global corporate office portfolio, vehicle fleets and employee business travel for seven consecutive years and that its greenhouse gas emissions have decreased 49 percent since 2019.
MetLife also points to its employee-driven initiatives which work toward a more sustainable planet.
The company says that it has supported the planting of 800,000 trees since 2020, on the way to a company goal of planting 5 million trees worldwide by 2030. MetLife also has a program in which 2,700 employee volunteers spent 4,200 hours globally in 35 markets in 2022 picking up litter.
"We make and keep long-term promises that sustain individuals, families, and communities. We also make long-term investments that sustain economic prosperity," MetLife President and CEO Michel A. Khalaf said in connection with the company's 2022 sustainability report. "All of this reflects our purpose as a company: 'Always with you, building a more confident future.' A more confident future is a more sustainable future."
The top ten of the Greenest Companies ranking included:
- Advanced Micro Devices
- Hasbro
- Jones Lang LaSalle
- Nasdaq
- MetLife
- Dell Technologies
- Accenture
- Deckers Outdoor
- Ceridian HCM Holding
- Apple
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