Environmental Leader

The 2007 Sustainable Business 20 List, comprised of the 20 most innovative companies that are having an important impact on creating an environmentally sustainable society, has been released by SustainableBusiness.com.

Energy efficiency took center stage, with Comverge, Royal Philips Electronics, Fuel Tech and Novozymes making the list. Comverge sells energy-management technologies which automatically turn power on and off when demand exceeds supply on the grid. Philips has been snapping up market share in LED lighting as it advocates for and prepares to stop producing  incandescents. Fuel Tech’s technology cleans up fossil fuel plants, and green chemical company Novozymes is reducing energy use and toxics by replacing synthetic ingredients in a host of industries with biological enzymes.

In renewable energy, SustainableBusiness says REC is the most vertically integrated solar company in the world and First Solar is the first public company to integrate thin film technology into high volume, low cost production. Vestas has maintained its leadership position despite heavy competition. Ormat is a leader in geothermal energy, and Schmack Biogas a leading biogas plant manufacturer.

BWT Water Technology was named to the list because of its environmentally responsible technologies. Precious Woods operates in the Brazilian and Congo rainforests.

The UK’s largest property developer and owner, Land Securities, is upgrading energy efficiency throughout its property portfolio; all new buildings meet green building standards.

Interface continues to innovate the materials and processes used to make carpet tiles. Furniture maker Herman Miller is 63 percent on its way to achieving its goal of Zero Ecological Footprint by 2020. Canon has set a target to cut C02 emissions by 50 percent per unit of sales by 2010, from a 2000 benchmark. 

Groupe Danone is converting more to organic dairy and sustainable agriculture. Whole Foods and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters are both carbon neutral. Chipotle Mexican Grill is serving free range meats and integrating organic ingredients into its menus.

The SB20 List for 2007 – Alphabetical Order

Best Water Technology (Vienna: BWT.VI) (Austria)
Canon (NYSE: CAJ) (Japan)
Comverge (Nasdaq: COMV) (USA)
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) (USA)
First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) (USA)
Fuel Tech (Nasdaq: FTEK) (USA)
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq: GMCR) (USA)
Groupe Danone (DANO.PA) Netherlands
Herman Miller (Nasdaq: MLHR) (USA)
Interface (Nasdaq: IFSIA) (USA)
Land Securities (London: Land.L) Britain
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) (USA)
Novozymes (Copenhagen: NZYM.CO) Denmark
Ormat Technologies (NYSE: ORA) (USA)
Precious Woods (Geneva: SWX: PRWN) Swizerland
Renewable Energy Corp – REC (Oslo: REC.OL) Norway
Royal Philips Electronics NV (NYSE: PHG) Netherlands
Schmack Biogas AG (Germany: SB1B.DE) Germany
Vestas (Copenhagen: VWS.CO) Denmark
Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI) (USA)