Protecting Green Consumers and Investors to Make Business Greener 1

Many companies seem determined to persuade us how green they are. Consider IBM, one of the most committed and most widely recognized companies. Its formal policy begins: “IBM is committed to environmental affairs leadership in all its business activities” (IBM, n.d.). It was the first major company to commit to a company-wide environmental management system, covering all its operations worldwide. Its policies include being an environmentally-responsible neighbor, conserving natural resources, using processes that do not adversely affect the environment, and sharing appropriate pollution prevention technology. And it has achieved real results while attaining substantial growth. For example, using the widely accepted Global Reporting Initiative standards, IBM has shown: 50% CO₂ emissions reductions between 1990 and 2009, recycling 76% of its non-hazardous waste in 2009, and reducing its emissions of PFCs in manufacturing by 48.8% from 1995 to 2009 (IBM, 2010). This is business environmentalism at its best, achieving results and going well beyond regulatory requirements.