SB20: The World's Top Sustainable Business Stocks
Company Snapshots
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Accsys Technologies Plc
England-based Accsys has developed a unique, important process that gives softwoods the same quality and durability prized in hardwoods - partly the cause for the destruction of the world's forests. Replacing hardwoods with Accsys's Accoya Wood enables windows, doors and many other construction materials and furnishings to be made from easily available, cheaper sources instead of from endangered, primary forests. The company's decentralized business model is based on licensing the technology to local operators.
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Apogee Enterprises, Inc.
Energy efficient windows and glass aren't new for Apogee, but the company is growing in leaps and bounds along with the trend toward green building and energy efficient construction. You can see its silk-screened glass on some of the greenest buildings in the U.S., including our first LEED-platinum high rise under construction in New York.
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Asahi Pretec
This Japan-based precious metals recycler started collecting and recycling metals way before it was popular or particularly profitable. It collects scraps from fragmented, smaller sources like dental labs and jewelry manufacturers. Now that precious metals are becoming increasingly rare and expensive, Asahi Pretec's business has become quite profitable and is expanding throughout Asia and into recycling scraps from products such as electronics and appliances.
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Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc.
Canadian Hydro has owned and operated small hydropower and wind plants since the late 1980s, fueled by their founders' passion to produce clean, non-polluting energy. All their energy is certified under Environment Canada's EcoLogo Program. KHD has consistently developed profitable projects across Canada and is expanding into biomass along with many more wind projects.
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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Chipotle, a chain of 730 restaurants in the U.S., is revolutionizing the fast food industry by sourcing from organic farms. It serves 100% free-range chicken and pork, about 60% beef, rBGH-free dairy products, and organic produce and beans. The goal is to offer a completely sustainable menu as soon as they can build the supply chain to meet their demand.
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Climate Exchange Plc
Carbon Exchange, based in England, leads a brand new industry - the world's carbon emissions exchanges. It owns the major carbon exchanges in the U.S. and Europe, and will benefit mightily if the U.S. passes a national cap-and-trade program, which is widely expected in the next two years. Since the industry is so young, it's impossible know how it will sort out, but CLE has the lead at least for the next few years.
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First Solar, Inc.
First Solar is bringing thin-film solar into the mainstream. It produces the highest efficiency and lowest cost modules in the industry by far, which is no small feat. And it is steadily progressing toward its goal of making solar PV competitive with conventional electricity sources by 2012.
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Google Inc.
As in their search engine business, Google leaves no stone unturned on their green initiatives. Over the past year they've been more active than most firms are in a decade. Their efforts include Renewable Energy Cleaner than Coal, RechargeIT, Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and going Carbon Neutral. They're incorporating green elements into Google's tools for Internet users.
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Hewlett-Packard Company
HP made major commitments this year that cut across many areas relevant to green business practices. They're making their computers and printers significantly more efficient and from high levels of recycled materials, while steadily increasing recycling of outdated equipment. Their new paper policy sets guidelines for the entire lifecycle of paper and applies to all the paper HP buys, uses and sells. They are the top supplier of inkjet photo paper, all of which will be sourced from certified forests by the end of 2009. Importantly, the paper policy addresses the connection between forests and climate change, by recognizing deforestation and logging as major sources of greenhouse gas emissions and by encouraging cleaner paper manufacturing.
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Interface, Inc.
Interface, the world's largest producer of modular carpet, has been leading the sustainability charge since 1994, when Chairman Ray Anderson had his epiphany. Since then, they've been showing the world how to climb "Mount Sustainability" and are now reaping the profits of their long term, sincere efforts as a key green building company. Interface replaces and recycles carpet tiles when they wear out, instead of the entire carpet; carpets made from bio-based materials and post-consumer waste now account for 25% of sales. Its pioneering closed-loop manufacturing process eliminates waste and emissions.
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International Business Machines Corp.
IBM is focused on greening its own and customers' data centers, which can be 100 times as energy intensive as the average office building. They're designing technologies to reduce energy use at these facilities by 50% by 2010, while increasing computer capacity by a factor of 10. The technologies will eliminate the need for air conditioning and the need for additional data centers. In the future, a "zero-emission" data center would literally embed water into a chip - once captured there it could be re-routed to supply heat or hot water for the building.
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Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
Philips, which created the compact fluorescent bulb in 1980, recently restructured to focus on "energy efficiency and innovative healthcare solutions that make a positive impact on society." The world leader in lighting and medical diagnostic equipment, they have been steadily increasing the energy efficiency of internal operations, its products and supply chain - green products account for 20% of total revenues, on their way to 30% in the next four years. As long term leaders in lifecycle analysis, they are also active in eliminating or reducing toxic chemicals in their products, which also applies to supplier purchase agreements.
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Lindsay Corporation
Lindsay is one of two leading manufacturers of irrigation equipment in the US. and is actively diversifying globally. Its systems achieve up to 94% efficiency and allow farmers to control irrigation remotely - they can turn off the water when it rains and modify water use based on weather conditions. The world water crisis and higher commodity prices for crops mean strong growth for Lindsay.
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Natura Cosmeticos SA
Natura is the largest Brazilian-owned cosmetics company, with about 20% of the market, and is expanding throughout Latin America, Europe and the U.S. It's been a model for green business in the personal care industry using only natural ingredients in its products and for its work with indigenous communities. In 2007, Natura implemented a complete ban on animal testing in the entire supply chain for all products, a first for the personal care industry.
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Ormat Technologies, Inc.
Ormat is an Israeli-US company and the world leader in geothermal energy. Besides building geothermal plants in geothermally active regions of the world - which are often in developing countries - it provides services to recover waste heat from energy intensive operations like cement production. The geothermal market is just taking off with great boundless potential for Ormat.
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Solar Millennium AG
Germany-based Solar Millennium is the world's first solar utility, specializing in designing, building and operating large-scale solar thermal power plants around the world. Each of three 50 MW plants under construction in Spain - the largest in the world so far - will supply solar electricity to 200,000 people. They are also commercializing solar chimney plant technology and hybrid solar thermal/ biomass plants - all of which can operate around the clock.
Germany-based Solar Millennium is the world's first solar utility, specializing in designing, building and operating large-scale solar thermal power plants around the world. Each of three 50 MW plants under construction in Spain - the largest in the world so far - will supply solar electricity to 200,000 people. They are also commercializing solar chimney plant technology and hybrid solar thermal/ biomass plants - all of which can operate around the clock.
Germany-based Solar Millennium is the world's first solar utility, specializ
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Staples, Inc.
Since 2002, Staples has steadily incorporated green business practices. It's become a center for recycling used electronics and accessories like cell phones and toner cartridges, and all its paper contains an average of 30% post consumer waste, with a goal of 50% by 2010. They sell 2900 recycled-content products and are the leading supplier of FSC-certified paper.
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Suzlon Energy Ltd.
India-based Suzlon has quickly risen to be the world's fifth leading wind turbine manufacturer, with a 10.5% market share in 2007. By acquiring some of the best technology and component manufacturers in the field, it's achieved a high level of vertical integration, which has been critical for its 70%-plus annual growth, over twice the industry average. Its unique wind farm project development model combines smaller turbine orders into large collective wind farms, achieving economies of scale and enabling power companies to buy wind energy from a central source. On the social side, Suzlon sets up medical clinics for employees and under-privileged people that live near its wind farms and manufacturing facilities.
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TNT N.V.
Netherlands-based TNT, is the world's only publicly traded postal system operator, and is also a leader in express delivery services. They launched the very ambitious initiative of becoming a zero-emissions transport company by measuring and reducing its carbon footprint as well as that of its suppliers and employees. Besides increasing the use of green energy and creating green vehicle fleets, they've taken the bold step of including carbon among the principal criteria in budget and investment decisions. They are even informing customers of the emissions generated by their shipments and helping them offset them, and helping employees reduce emissions at home by offering services like energy audits.
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WaterFurnace Renewable Energy, Inc.
WaterFurnace is North America's leading manufacturer of geothermal and water source heat pumps, enabling residential, commercial and institutional customers to save up to 70% on heating, cooling, and hot water costs. The company is just starting to hit its stride, having signed important partnerships to enter Europe, China and Korea.
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