NEWS25 June 2014

Ford tops Interbrand’s global green brands list

Automotive News North America

US — Ford pushes Toyota off the top spot in Interbrand’s fourth annual Best Global Green Brands report.

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Toyota had held the top spot since the report launched in 2011, but it falls to second place, with Honda in third, followed by Nissan and Panasonic.

While it may seem incongruous to have automotive brands topping a green brand list, Interbrand’s report looks at the gap that exists between a brand’s environmental performance and consumers’ perception of that performance. In an era of corporate citizenship and when company claims are scrutinised across all media, companies need to be transparent in their green claims.

To identify the top 50 Best Global Green Brands each year, Interbrand starts with the 100 brands that make up its annual Best Global Brands report. It then conducts consumer research to capture public perception of the brands’ sustainable or green practices and compares that with environmental or sustainability performance data collected and analysed by Deloitte Consulting LLP.

“The report focuses on the power of participation and collective action,” said Jez Frampton, Interbrand’s global chief executive officer. “It suggests every constituency will need to be engaged and willing to collaborate in order to take corporate citizenship and sustainability initiatives to the next level.”

Other brands featuring in this report include Sony (No.7 ) and adidas (No. 8 ) which enter the top 10 for the first time, while Johnson & Johnson falls six places to No. 12 and Volkswagen falls nine places to No. 16. Among those companies climbing the most are IKEA, up 14 places to No. 19, and Zara , rising 14 places to No. 34 position.

Automotive, electronic and technology brands occupy nearly half of the overall ranking: 10 brands are from the automotive sector and 12 brands come from the electronics and technology sectors. Financial services brands have struggled to become sustainability leaders: Allianz and Citi fall off this year’s ranking, while AXA drops one place to take the No. 45 position; Santander moves up two places to No. 44. Chevrolet, Disney and Heineken all join the rankings for the first time this year.

Will Sarni, director of Deloitte Consulting LLP said: “As companies work to improve their environmental sustainability performance, it is imperative that they communicate their efforts and engage with the public and other stakeholders through reporting and disclosure.” 

The Best Global Green Brand report’s overall scores are calculated by combining the standardised performance and perception scores. A discount factor is applied in those cases where positive perceptions of the brand outweigh a company’s actual sustainability performance. The final ranking is based on companies’ overall scores relative to other companies and previous years’ results.

@RESEARCH LIVE

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