Vodafone is ranked as the number one sustainability leader among the 20 largest information and communications technology (ICT) companies, according to Tomorrow's Value Rating. Nokia, HP, France Telecom and Siemens round out the top five leaders.
The ranking shows that ICT businesses are cooperating particularly in the area of social and environmental performance in the supply chain and electronic waste management. It also finds that European ICT companies are leaders in the business of sustainability with only two Asian companies and one U.S. company among the top ten.
While the ranking finds that some of the largest ICT players are developing products and services to help reduce the impact of global warming, there is still significant room to make improvements in the area of management of direct environmental impacts. Case in point: Only one -- Vodafone -- of the leading 20 companies scored 60 percent, and only two -- Nokia and HP -- scored above 50 percent.
One area where ICT companies lag behind is in achieving their reduction goals for CO2 emissions, reports consultancy Two Tomorrows.
The Value Rating indicates that most of the top 20 ICT leaders participate in Electronic Industry Code of Conduct and the Global e-Sustainability Initiatives. Another finding shows that top leaders also recognize that there are business opportunities in helping other sectors reduce their carbon footprint. They are also using technology to offer health or education services to remote communities.
According to a report from Ericsson and the World Wide Fund for Nature, the ICT industry is responsible for approximately 2 percent of global CO2 emissions, but they believe the sector can help reduce more than 15 percent of the remaining 98 percent emissions produced by non-ICT industries and the public.
Here's how the leaders stack up. Vodafone pulled in an overall score of 60 percent thanks to its comprehensive governance mechanisms for sustainability issues and strong track record of developing services that help improve the lives of disadvantaged people and remote communities, reports Two Tomorrows.
Nokia, which scored 55 percent, leads in innovation, with its recycled materials initiative "Re-made on Earth from Nothing New" and its "Nokia Life Tools" program, while HP with a score of 52 percent, leads industry efforts for a sustainable supply chain.
Companies trailing at the end of the ranking include Sony (31 percent), AT&T (28 percent) and Verizon (23 percent).
