Discover the brilliant experienced people who are helping SmartPlanet through the green and ethical minefield.
With no shortage of companies rushing out to pat themselves on the pack about how green they are being, it's sobering to read that environmental villains are alive, well and often the same organisations. A new report published by Condé Nast identified some of the worst polluters in the US and there are some shocking tales.
From the food sector, J.R. Simplot, chip supplier of McDonald's, and agribusiness Cargill are condemned for dumping waste such as phosphorus in US rivers, according to the report.
Automotive company Ford continues to produce too many fuel-inefficient cars; Aerospace giant Boeing has been less than transparent about its carbon emissions and has been fined for dumping toxic waste in California; and technology-sector darling Apple fares little better, with its poor recycling program and continuing use of toxins in the iPhone both coming in for criticism.
Utilities headed by Southern and American Electric Power unsurprisingly come in for flak for carbon emissions and pollution, with the latter responsible for a controversial mining technique that is literally levelling peaks in the Appalachians; oil giant Chevron stands accused of having double standards, with its green PR at home undermined by pollution abroad (such as in Kazakhstan); and finally aluminium producer Alcoa has been criticised for dragging its heels in shutting down three power stations that were identified as the dirtiest in the country.
The list is compiled from information gathered from dozens of government agencies, court records, environmental groups and the companies themselves. Most of the companies defend their records saying they are doing all they can do to improve their environmental record, and Chevron in particular says that its inclusion is unjustified.
Beyond the detail, however, the fact remains that big business can still do a lot more to clean up their act in both their home market and abroad.
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Discover the brilliant experienced people who are helping SmartPlanet through the green and ethical minefield.
