Companies turn up the green
— -- In the greening of Corporate America, U.S. companies have made progress but still face a long trek to improve environmental practices, says a report Wednesday.
"There's a green business revolution taking place, but it's just getting started," says Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, a website and research firm that has studied business and the environment since long before it became trendy.
Beyond the hype, according to the firm's "State of Green Business 2008" report, obstacles include:
•Toxic emissions. While total emissions into the air, land and water have declined since 2001, several U.S. industries — led by the metal mining, electric utility and chemical sectors — still spew out lead, mercury and toxic materials that could be reduced substantially by current technology.
•No standards. No widespread U.S. or global standards or reliable data exist yet to define or measure all of the business practices that make a company green. At times, it's hard to tell whether individual companies are moving forward or backward on environmental issues, the report found.
•Misleading claims. Various market-research studies indicate that many companies make unfounded or misleading claims that their products are "green," and some skeptical consumers don't want to pay higher prices for the goods.
The good news, according to GreenBiz? A rising number of corporations deserve praise for their environmental efforts in energy efficiency, reduction of toxic emissions, paper use and recycling, clean-technology investments and patents and other practices.
Nor is it all public-relations window dressing, Makower says. More businesses truly believe that green practices will improve their operations, attract customers and boost revenue.
