The 2012 Sustainability Leadership Report, released last week by Brandlogic and CRD Analytics, demonstrates how the actual sustainable practices of top 100 companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Toyota measure up to the public’s perception of their sustainability.
The Brandlogic Sustainability IQ Matrix℠ 2012 (below) presents the data in a simple quadrant allowing easy comparison between the sustainable practices of competing companies. The leaders in actual sustainability appear in the top two quadrants, with those who communicate their efforts well on the right, and those whose efforts are not perceived by the public on the left. The bottom two quadrants show top companies who are “lagging” on sustainable efforts on the left, and those who successfully promote themselves as sustainable, but fall short in actual practices, on the bottom right.
Perhaps the most interesting comparison is between the well advertised “Leaders” in actual sustainability on the top-right, and the misleading “Promoters” on the bottom-right. Among the self-promoters who fall short on delivered sustainable practices are Toyota, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Yahoo. While the publicly perceived, and actual, leaders in sustainability include IBM, Dell, BMW, and Volkswagen. Notable “Laggers,” who have shown low commitment to sustainable practices, include Facebook, AT&T, McDonald’s, and Walmart.
The U.S. Green Chamber sees the 2012 Sustainability Leadership Report as significant evidence of the increasing call for third-party Green Certification. Certification of sustainable practices is becoming more and more necessary to keep green “Promoters” accountable and to reward true green leaders with credibility and visibility.
Sources: 2012 Sustainability Leadership Report, Apple, FedEx, Toyota Lead in ‘Perceived’ Sustainability
