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Going Green: It’s Not Just for Tree-Huggers Anymore.............................

No doubt about it, global warming is changing the earth and with it, the way

companies conduct their business. Nicholas Stern, an adviser to the British

government and the former head of the World Bank, has predicted that if

greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the ensuing climate change could

rip off 20 percent of the global GDP by 2050.

Every single business today, large or small, should be in the process of going

green. A whole bunch of carrots are available for those who do: The payoffs

can be very rewarding. On the other hand, there are plenty of big ugly sticks

poised to smack those who remain stubbornly entrenched in their old,

“brown” ways, and probably the biggest stick of all is the negative impact on

a company’s brand.

Chapter 9: Making Your Company Environmentally Friendly 161

Ten green giants

The following companies have been named by

Fortunemagazine as world leaders in the cur-

rent green rush for having gone above and

beyond what’s required by law:

Company Revenue Country Employees

Honda Japan $84.2 billion 145,000

Continental Airlines U.S. 13.1 billion 44,000

Suncor Canada $13.6 billion 5,500

Tesco Britain $71 billion 380,000

Alcan Canada $23.6 billion 68,000

PG&E U.S. $12.5 billion 20,000

SC Johnson U.S. $7 billion 12,000

Goldman Sachs U.S. $69.4 billion 24,000

Swiss Re Switzerland $24 billion 10,500

Hewlett-Packard U.S. $91.7 billion 156,000