Volvo (Vehicle manufacturer)

1. Volvo (Vehicle manufacturer) • Sustainable Development integral part of business strategy • Ecodesign embedded in engineering • Reducing and re-using waste in production • End of Life Vehicle legislation • New Technology to improve environmental impact during use. PremAir is a catalytic coating on the radiator which converts up to 75% of the ozone passing through the radiator into environmentally safe oxygen. The hotter and the more polluted the air, the higher the efficiency of PremAir. • Research into alternate fuels • End of Life - In 2004 75% of the car can be recycled, aiming for 95% in 2015 • Management • “Dialogue on the Environment” education programme delivered to over 40,000 employees, suppliers & dealers • Supplier guidelines in place, EMS requirements

2. Patagonia (Clothing manufacturer) • A revolutionary purpose “to inspire & implement solutions to the environmental crisis” • Company drive by “the right thing to do” • Integration of Environment as part of quality in entire supply chain Product: • Commitment to 100% organic cotton • Fleeces made from recycled soda bottles – lining and shell • In 1993, they limited their product line to 280 styles encourage customers to only buy products that they really needed. • Patagonia use 1% of pre tax profits to fund their Environmental Grants Programme • Eco-friendly Headquarters

3. The Ben and Jerry’s Foundation encourages employees to use available resources to support organisations that are working towards eliminating the underlying causes of environmental and social problems. • 7.5% of Ben and Jerry’s pre-tax earnings are given away to charities. • The mission of the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation “is to make the world a better place by empowering Ben and Jerry’s employees to use available resources to support and encourage organisations that are working towards eliminating the underlying causes of environmental and social problems.”

4. Interface Inc. (Flooring Systems) • Ray Anderson, the CEO of Interface Inc. provides an effective figure head for the company’s expedition “to build world’s first sustainable and eventually restorative enterprise” • Interface make ‘Closing the Loop’ links with ecology • They are involved with a programme with The Natural Step • Leader in elimination of toxic substances. • Employee education • Employee bonuses linked to environmental improvements • Environmental carpet ranges • manufactured from recycled tyres • Recyclable and compostable carpet • Strategic approach to communicate environmental attributes of product to customers, to emphasise health connections and to lead the industry • Active work with suppliers

5. Top management driven approach integrates environmental improvement goals into all areas of company. • Greenplus 2000 requires all products to incorporate environmental issues into product development • 90% of worldwide manufacturing sites are ISO14001 certified • Sony have implemented their own eco-mark • Design • Reduction of weight and power in products • Starch based plastics in Sony Walkman • Product end-of-life addressed • Packaging with high recycled content • Vegetable oil based inks

6. SC Johnson • Eco-efficiency breakthroughs in packaging & chemical formulas • Software support for reducing or eliminating toxic chemicals • Community and civic responsibility

7. Charles Bentley & Sons, Loughborough, UK (Brush manufacturer)

8. The Body Shop (Cosmetics retail) • The Body Shop communicate their whole ethos to the customer by bringing social and environmental problems to the attention of their customer, e.g • Fair Trade issues • Animal welfare issues • Campaigns against beauty stereotypes • Sustainable sourcing • Packaging recycling • Use of renewable materials in packaging • They show customers they are interested by asking for feedback on ideas i.e. through web and store based surveys • The Body Shop Foundation has donated over £5 million in grants, gift-in-kind support, assisting the work of various worldwide organisations as well as covering UK administration costs for; Brazilian Healthcare Project and children on the edge.

9. Wilkhahn (Furniture retail) • Wilkhahn developed the Picto – eco chair – to demonstrate their belief that there needs to be a demand for “longevity of the products & the rejection of wasteful superfluity.” • They use expert advisors (in ecological understanding) to sell the message & the product to the consumer, rather than relying on uninformed staff. • Wilkhahn involve people from each discipline within the company in the plan to integrate environmental thinking into the company. • They use multiple initiatives to constantly encourage/ remind employees to think in an environmental way: • Trainees do a minimum of one month in ecological management as part of vocational training • “Eco tip" of the month on notice board - useful advice for work and home • Eco telephone line - to give individual expert information to staff queries • Environmental magazines/ books/ videos in company library and in rest areas

10. Xerox (Photocopiers manufacturers) • Due to financial problems Xerox moved from selling products to providing a copier service, this also provided them with great environmental benefits. • They have forged an alliance 3M to develop electronic paper, which demonstrates their forward thinking. • Xerox have an Earth Day - which is when their employees are rewarded for their ‘eco’ efforts • Xerox chose the external consultancy Natural Systems to spearhead their environmental programme - The Lakes programme. This brought enthusiasm & excitement to the project and gave volunteers the opportunity to develop their understanding of ecological issues whilst at the same time addressing stress relief and personal development