SB20: The World's Top Sustainable Business Stocks
Company Snapshots
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Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd.
In sharp contrast to the ‘too large too fail’ banking industry, Australian community bank Bendigo offers a much more sustainable model. Local communities operate Bendigo franchised branches; Bendigo shares revenue with them and provides banking support. Bendigo offers green personal and home loans at discounted interest rates when people renovate or build with green features such as solar hot water or grey water systems.
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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Chipotle, a chain of 860 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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First Solar, Inc.
First Solar is responsible for bringing thin-film solar into the mainstream. The largest thin film producer by far, it produces the highest efficiency and lowest cost modules in the industry. FSLR now manufactures modules at $0.98 per watt, edging closer to its 2012 goal of $0.70 per watt - when solar PV will be competitive with conventional electricity sources.
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Gamesa Corporacion Technologica
Gamesa is the world’s third largest wind turbine manufacturer with a 16% market share. It also develops wind parks. GAM puts a strong emphasis on corporate responsibility, with a high level corporate responsibility committee and annual Sustainability Reports.
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Google Inc.
As in their search engine business, Google leaves no stone unturned on their green initiatives. Over the past couple of years 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, Google Power Meter and going Carbon Neutral, in addition to Google Maps on renewable energy and climate change.
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Herman Miller
One of the early pioneers that launched sustainable business practices, furniture manufacturer Herman Miller has reduced is environmental footprint an astounding 79% since 1994, when “green” was far from fashionable, and designs all its products using the Cradle to Cradle design protocol..
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International Business Machines Corp.
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly core driver for IBM’s business. In addition to greening its own and customers' data centers, it has launched a suite of consulting services that help clients reduce their carbon footprint.
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Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
Philips, which created the compact fluorescent bulb in 1980, is the world leader in lighting technology. They have been steadily increasing the energy efficiency of internal operations, products and supply chain for many years, while eliminating toxic chemicals. Increasingly innovative green products account for 23% of total revenues, on their way to 30% in the next three years.
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Naturex SA
Based in France, Naturex is a small company that makes core ingredients used throughout the food and supplement industries – flavorings, colorings, preservatives – from plants extracts instead of chemicals. The company provides a sustainable alternative for these ubiquitous ingredients, which are also GMO-free and not tested on animals.
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Novo Nordisk
A corporate pioneer in the pharmaceutical industry, Novo Nordisk leads not only in diabetes care and biopharmaceuticals, but in its sharp focus on being a sustainable company. The company leads in sustainability reporting, in its initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and in using alternatives to animal testing, which sets it apart from industry peers.
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Novozymes A/S
Another core SB20 company, on the List for all the years, Novozymes is the world leader in "green chemicals," replacing synthetic ingredients across industries with environmentally benign enzymes derived from microorganisms. It is also a key player in the development of enzymes to break down cellulosic ethanol for fuel, cutting the cost to make it economically viable.
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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 boundless potential for Ormat.
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Plant Health Care plc
Plant Health Care is a development stage company focused on providing sustainable solutions for agriculture, commercial landscaping and reclamation. Its innovative biological technologies offer viable alternatives to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
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Pure Technologies, Ltd.
Canada-based Pure Technologies is a small cap stock whose acoustic technology senses real time conditions of water, wastewater pipes, pipelines and bridges. The technology prolongs the life of critical infrastructure, reduces losses in pipelines, and prevents the uncontrolled release of wastewater, chlorinated water and hydrocarbons into the environment.
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Telvent Git, SA.
Spain-based Telvent is a leader in the smart grid space, an area that is finally receiving serious attention. It develops intelligent systems that increase efficiency and lower emissions in agriculture, energy, transportation and water. The company is growing rapidly and has a corporate culture focused on sustainability.
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Timberland
This global apparel manufacturer has long been a social leader through its extensive employee volunteer programs around the world, and now has joined the ranks of environmental leaders with comprehensive efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and the materials it uses to make its products.
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United Natural Foods
United Natural is the largest wholesale natural foods distributor in the U.S. The company has been focused on reducing its own environmental footprint through a wide array of initiatives, including a new 260,000 LEED Gold- certified distribution center that runs completely on solar. It’s been expanding into foodservice operations for several years, and is now developing its own private-label and packaged food brands.
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Vestas Wind Systems AS
Vestas, which has graced the SB20 List each of its eight years, began making wind turbines in 1979 and still holds its title as the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world – with a 19.8% market share. It is instrumental in the industry's growth, pushing down the cost per kilowatt hour of electricity from wind power and setting the industry standard for efficiency and durability.
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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, while significantly lowering emissions. The company is on a strong growth trajectory with important partnerships in Europe, China and Korea.
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Westport Innovations
Westport Innovations is a development stage company whose technologies allow medium and heavy duty vehicle engines to run on natural gas or hydrogen. It provides an important alternative for fleets that typically get very low gas mileage and have high emissions.
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