NEW YORK: The Ford Motor Company is the best 'green' brand according to a new poll of consumers in the world's top 10 economies.
Interbrand, the brand consulting arm of the Omnicom media group, says its 'Top 50' survey examined the gap between a brand's environmental performance and consumers' perceptions. A positive gap indicates sustainability performance is actually higher than consumers perceive it to be.
A company's final score, based on Deloitte Consulting methodology, was composed of 83 metrics across governance, operations, transportation and logistics, stakeholder engagement and supply chain.
UPS was the only logistics company to make the list – rising four points to #28. Despite their public efforts to reduce carbon emissions, no airlines made the final 50.
Interbrand says the results suggest brands that commit to creating shared value continue to outperform their competitors.
For the first time Ford topped Toyota in global consumer perception due, says the consultancy, to its corporate environmental committees, improved employee engagement around sustainability, better use of water, energy and emissions, enhanced green build policies and increased waste recycling.
Ford's portfolio now includes two plug-in hybrids, two hybrids and one all electric vehicle. Recyclable material is used in 41 different fabrics across the company's products and fuel-saving, soybean-based foam cushions are used in all of its North American-made cars.
Interbrand says the automotive sector was 20 percent of its poll and produced four of the top five brands in the final result. In addition to Ford and Toyota, Honda and Nissan placed #3 and #4 respectively. Panasonic was 5th.
"This year, the report focuses on the power of participation and collective action," says Jez Frampton, Interbrand's global CEO. "[It] suggests that every constituency—businesses, consumers, employees, suppliers, governments and investors—will need to be engaged and willing to collaborate in order to take corporate citizenship and sustainability initiatives to the next level."
