IBM is now the greenest company in America, according to Newsweek’s 2011 Green Rankings — moving up from its #3 ranking last year, and #5 in 2009. It helped that IBM removed toxic chemicals like PFOs and PFAs from all of its semiconductors in 2010, and that it’s set new standards for its suppliers and joined initiatives like the Carbon Disclosure Project.
Last year’s winner, Dell, fell to #5, mainly because it hasn’t been improving as fast as its competitors. While it’s focused on reducing waste in recent years, it hasn’t transformed its manufacturing and supply-chain operations to the extent that other companies have, which has affected its environmental footprint.
Tech companies still dominate the rest of Newsweek’s third-annual list of the top 500 most sustainable companies in the U.S. We’ve highlighted the top 10:
1. IBM
2. Hewlett-Packard
3. Sprint
4. Baxter
5. Dell
6. Johnson & Johnson
7. Accenture
8. Office Depot
9. CA Technologies
10. NVIDIA
