The Sunday Times this weekend published its top 50 best green companies. It makes interesting reading, as much for who isn’t there as who is.
Top is a JC Atkinson & Son, a company you probably have never heard of. That’s because they makes coffins. An unusual choice, given their coffins are still made of wood rather than the more eco type that are made of wicker or cardboard (check out www.ecocoffins.com). But I guess it makes for better PR.
In third place is the Co-op (financial services), so no surprise there. Fourth was Pureprint, with with one other printer, Sevenprint, also getting in the top 50.
The National Magazine Company came in at 10th, making Good Housekeeping more than just a title but an ethos. Though ironically, they don’t publish one ethical title I can think of.
It’s notable that only two top brands made the top ten, the Co-op and HBOS. Overall there are very few big names, the exception being Cannon, Eurostar, Pfizer and Total (yep, an oil company actually made it in). There were also a lack of green and ethical brands, though Good Energy, Greencare H20 and Renewable Energy Systems got places.
So where were all those brands that have been spending a small fortune on telling us green they are or how much they are saving the environment? Well at least E-on sponsored it.
Not surprisingly, no agencies or agency groups made it anywhere into the list, though ?What if? did make 18. Reading the blurb, many agencies may want to follow their lead, especially in taking big gas guzzling cars away from directors and subsidising the purchase of G-Wizz electric cars and bikes.
Clear Channel Outdoor made 22 (thankfully no one asked if using electric light to illuminate posters at night was green or not).
One other media company, Pindar Set, got in and are involved with Yellow pages. Now, maybe I’m wrong here, but in an era when the majority of homes have internet and almost everyone has a mobile, is dumping 22 million copies of directories on people’s doorstep very green? I guess that isn’t a question that would be on the ST’s application form.
It may be that this is more an exercise in form filling and box ticking than actually being a really ethical company. I for one was not convinced that it was a list of the best green companies when so many really green ones were not there (especially ones that feature high in the Ethical Brand Index) like Body Shop, Boots, Ecotricity, People Tree, Terraplana and the many, many more. And where was the Carbon Neutral Company?
Sunday Times do make a point that it’s for those ‘striving to improve their environmental performance.’ That’s not the same as being green, so the ‘Best Green Companies’ is a bit of a deceptive title. It should be called, “The companies trying to get greener’ list. It’s also notable that they can’t decide if it’s a competition or list.
But one bonus of buying the Sunday Times is that you can get a free eco-bag with a Best Green Companies logo on. Except it’s not actually free as you have to pay £1.99 for postage and 8p a minute to order it. If, like me, you already have a massive collection of free eco-bags (full of free energy saving light bulbs) I can’t see any need for another. Though I’m sure they’ll find a way to recycle them next year.
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CHRIS ARNOLD
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Last login: 04 Dec 2008
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