Abe Issa, CEO
We are already seeing the effects of climate change, but thankfully, society has made efforts to be equipped with the most effective tool to mitigate and adapt to it. Protecting our planet today, means a better world for future generations. Many corporations have made the shift to Eco-friendly and environmental partnerships to help leave a positive footprint on the earth. Here are just five that have done their fair share of making the world a better place!
IKEA
IKEA’s invested in sustainability and environment in its entire business operations. It starts with their supply chain, where the Swedish furniture-maker has sourced close to 50 per cent of its wood from sustainable foresters and 100 per cent of its cotton from farms that meet the Better Cotton standards. This helps reduce the use of water, energy and chemical fertilizers and pesticides on products. You can see their commitment to sustainability at the store as well. IKEA has more than 700,000 solar panels powering its stores, and plans to start selling them to customers in the UK. They make a real effort to use renewable energy. In 2012, IKEA announced its goal to be powered by 100 per cent renewables by 2020 – but just four years later, it upped the ante aiming to be a net energy exporter in the same time. With companies partnering to make the world a better place in each area, they are changing so much for our future generations.
Wipro EcoEnergy - Partnerships
Wipro EcoEnergy is doing big things in the world of green business by providing “intelligent and sustainable solutions for enterprise-wide energy operations and efficiency management.” You might have heard of them, but they are a growing force in energy. They partner with companies to help them reduce their carbon footprint and energy wastage. This partnership helps save a lot of money each year for them.
Wipro keeps clients savings numbers under wraps, but they’re much more open about how they’ve helped the environment. To date, Wipro energy management services have saved over 1.5 billion kWh, equivalent to taking over 222,600 cars off the road for a year. That is a great result and they continue to look for more energy efficiency initiatives.
Toms - One for One
While visiting Argentina in 2006, world traveler Blake Mycoskie was floored when he saw how many children were growing up without shoes, making life incredibly difficult for them and their families. Shoes is often something many of us take for granted in the USA. That’s when he had the idea to start a company that donated a pair of shoes to a child for every pair sold.
11 years later, TOMS has donated over 60 million shoes to children around the world. To increase their reach and help even more people out, TOMS has since expanded to provide clean drinking water, eye services, and safe birth kits. They hope to help communities-in-need around the globe.
In addition to supporting people, TOMS also respects our planet. All of their shoes (and even the shoe boxes) are made with sustainable, recyclable and vegan materials. They are finding where they can support the environment and people in each area of the company.
Nike
Nike hasn’t always had a perfect image when it comes to corporate sustainability, but they’ve made many changes that are doing a ton of good around the world. Nike was on Morgan Stanley’s list in 2015 of most sustainable clothing and footwear brands. The key to their success is the company’s robust disclosure about its supply chain and production practices. They’re also encourage designers to make green choices with an app that helps you compare the environmental footprint of different fabrics. Nike uses post-consumer recycled materials in some of its products, including its 2011 World Cup jerseys and shoes. It’s also redesigned its boxes to reduce packaging, committed to eliminating chemical discharges, invested in energy efficiency in its factories and more.
Additionally, Nike is also just recently partnered with NASA and other government agencies to innovate the path for chemistry to green the processing of raw materials into goods.
IBM
IBM was an early adopter of sustainability and Eco-friendly business. Corporate social responsibility and environmental stewardship has been part of the company’s mission since the 1960's. It looks different now as they tackle different environmental issues. Its first sustainability mission was published in 1990 and its data centers have received awards from the European Commission for their long-time energy efficiency successes. Today, IBM’s efforts include smart buildings that reduce resource demand, green procurement, water resource management and more for a truly comprehensive approach. We can’t wait to see what else they do in the future!
CONCLUSION
Climate change is increasingly important and should be a priority for humankind. If everyone made an intentional decision to positively impact the environment, imagine the world we could live in! It is our job as a species to come together and create the change we want to see. It starts with you and me. As a company, we are doing our fair share of partnering to make the planet a better place. Ask us what we are doing and how you can partner with us!