Survey: Amazon.com, eBay rank worst of internet firms for global warming mitigation efforts
Amazon.com, eBay rank below Microsoft, Yahoo for global warming efforts
mongabay.com
June 20, 2007
Amazon.com and eBay rank at the bottom of the list of internet companies when it comes to reducing their impact on climate, reports a new analysis from Climate Counts, a nonprofit that works to promote responsible climate policy among corporations. Microsoft and Yahoo rank at the top of the five Internet and software companies rated by the group, while Google is in the middle of the pack.
The scorecard aims to make consumers aware of a company’s track record on climate change. Companies were scored on a scale from one to 100, based on 22 criteria within four benchmarks: whether they measure their carbon footprint; what efforts they have made to reduce their own climate impact; whether they support or oppose global-warming legislation; and what they disclose to the public about their work to address climate change.
The List [source ClimateCounts.org] Higher rank denotes more action on climate change
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“Global warming is real. We have 10 years to do something significant about it, and we can,” said Gary Hirshberg, chair of Climate Counts and CEO of organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm. “Business must play a significant role in stopping global warming, and we believe the key to influencing companies lies in the hands of the consumer. With the Scorecard, consumers now have the power to make good climate decisions in their everyday purchases.”
“Consumers are beginning to understand that every time they open their wallets, they affect our climate future, but taking positive action has been hard to do. Coke or Pepsi? Big Mac or Whopper? Levi’s or Gap?” said Joel Makower, chair and executive editor of Greener World Media, producer of popular Web sites GreenBiz.com and ClimateBiz.com. “The Climate Counts Company Scorecard makes this connection possible by giving consumers the information they need to make climate-conscious decisions.”
The scorecard, which is available via text message and the Internet, shows that Canon, Nike and Unilever rate the best among the 56 companies scored. Amazon.com, Wendy’s, Burger King, Jones Apparel, CBS and Darden Restaurants (owner of Red Lobster and Olive Garden) have a score of zero, while Apple Computer, eBay.com and Levi Strauss are also low flyers on the list.
“When we looked at the field, we saw that no one was grading companies on climate from the consumer point of view,” said Wood Turner, Climate Counts Project Director. “Most of the recent attention has been on what people and families can do to reduce their own climate footprint, such as buying compact fluorescent light bulbs or energy-efficient appliances. But consumers have even more power. They can motivate companies to take meaningful action to fight global warming. We’ve created this tool to help people flex their consumer muscle.”
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