Green Movement Turns ‘Mainstream’ For Corporate America

Corporate America’s embrace of the green movement is no longer just for free-spirited maverick companies. Mainstream giants in markets spanning consumer products, banking, airlines and chemicals are cutting emissions and looking for ways to get involved, USA Today reports.

Some companies see the move as a necessity as regulators consider limits on greenhouse gas emissions and consumers demand environmentally friendly products.

PHH Arval, which manages the vehicles of about one-third of Fortune 500 companies, says it’s in discussions with dozens of them about switching to more fuel-efficient models under PHH’s GreenFleet program.

“Two or three years ago, it was a little tough getting people’s attention on this,” says PHH Chief Executive George Kilroy. “Now everybody’s interested.”

DuPont typifies the evolution of many big corporations. The chemical giant’s environmental program began with cutting greenhouse gas emissions at its factories by 72 percent since 1990 – and initiative which saved $3 billion in energy costs. Now DuPont views the environmental movement as a key to increasing revenue.