 |
 |
latest stories
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The ActionWatch Panel's Best-Selling Shorts Of Q1 2008 Welcome to ActionWatch Mondays, your weekly snapshot of top sellers from ActionsWatch's Retail Panel of more than 100 specialty stores. This week we unveil the best-selling shorts through the months of January, February, and March of 2008. 05/12/2008 Top Ten Tips for Successful Exhibiting Wondering how to plan your exhibit program to maximize your show results? Candy Adams, aka the "Booth Mom", lays it out in ten simple tips everyone can follow. 05/08/2008 Nike Lands On Top Of Climate Counts Company Scorecard The Beaverton sports giant not only has the world's best-selling skate shoe, it's leading the pack on the Climate Counts Scorecard: "Nike is at the forefront of the sector due to long-term leadership on climate, including its public support for meaningful climate change legislation." 05/08/2008 Dive Industry Association Teams Up With Surf Expo Representing more than 1,500 retailers, this trade association is working hard to increase the reach and business of its retail members through its Undersea Showcase newsletter, educational programs, and through its partnership with trade shows such as Surf Expo. 05/07/2008 BRA Summit 5 Helps Unify Specialty Retail Marketplace Retail attendees were worried about business when they gathered that first night in Puerto Rico. Could the BRA Summit reveal a new path to follow—or at least allay some of these fears, that feeling that each shop was fighting a battle alone? 05/06/2008 Photo Highlights From The BRA Retail Summit 5 The Board Retailers Association Summit was a huge success--both for the quality and quantity of the conversations that occurred and information presented, but also for the activities Melissa Clary organized for the group. Check out all the photo highlights here. 05/02/2008 Barnacle Bill's Surf Shop Rides Again Two feet of snow and a frozen Lake Erie as far as the eye can see! Surfing anyone? If you’re Dan Roth, owner of Barnacle Bill’s Surf Shop in Vermillion, Ohio, the answer is an enthusiastic “Yes!” 04/29/2008 SIMA Hosts Green Boot Camp On Earth Day About 50 surf industry executives gathered at the Ocean Institute on Earth Day, April 22, to hear from experts on how they incorporate sustainability and green practices into their business—and why it makes business sense. 04/24/2008 A Steady And Tranquil Dedication On this Earth Day 2008, we take a short look at how concern for the environment is beginning to transform our industry. 04/22/2008 Countdown To Image Awards 6 There’s less than a month until the 2008 SIMA Image Awards, and this year’s event promises to uphold the tradition of sober, dignified, and well-reasoned acceptance speeches. Just take a look at last year's event. 04/18/2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nike Lands On Top Of Climate Counts Company Scorecard
Consumer climate action isn’t just about switching to compact fluorescent lightbulbs or buying recycled. While people across the country are taking action to reduce their own carbon footprint, some consumers are using their power to push companies to take action themselves - and it’s paying off.
Today, Climate Counts, the nonprofit group that scores consumer products companies on their green track records, is releasing its second annual Climate Counts Company Scorecard. "We launched our first Scorecard last year with the hope that creating a simple, easy-to-understand ranking of companies would motivate both companies and consumers to step-up their efforts on climate change," says the organization.
With the release of the groups second scorecard, it appears there's been real shift towards greater climate commitment across most industry sectors — with 84% of scored companies improving their Climate Counts scores. Looking at the companies that showed the most improvement—Google, Levi Strauss and Anheuser-Busch—shows the diverse kinds of great American companies committed to paying attention to global climate change.
And sitting on top of the heap this year is Nike. The Beaverton sports giant not only has the world's best-selling skate shoe, it's leading the pack on the Climate Counts Scorecard. "Nike is at the forefront of the sector due to long-term leadership on climate, including its public support for meaningful climate change legislation," said the report. "The company has achieved all its previous greenhouse gas reduction goals since 1997, decreasing its total carbon footprint by 80 percent."
But most of the rated companies showed improvement. In fact, the average overall Climate Counts score jumped 22% to 39 (from 30). That number, 39 out of 100, also shows that there is still a lot of work to do. According to an article in the The New York Times, company reactions to the report tend to follow rankings:
Avon Products scored 29 — 18 points higher than last year, but still well below the ranking of competitors like Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal.
Susan Arnot Heaney, Avon’s director for corporate responsibility, said Avon lacked braggadocio, not environmental commitment. “We’re quiet about it, but the bottom line is, Avon is doing the right things,” said Ms. Heaney, who added that Avon had made strides in conserving energy and minimizing waste.
Craig Berman, a spokesman for Amazon.com — which scored 5 this year, up from zero in 2007 — also shrugged off the scores. He noted that Amazon had made “significant progress” in reducing packaging and otherwise reducing its carbon footprint.
Companies that showed marked improvement were far more exuberant. Google, which has pledged to become carbon neutral, rose by 38 points, to 55. “Projects that had been years in the making came to fruition,” said Bill Weihl, Google’s green energy czar.
"We’ve been excited by the response from consumers all over the world who have told us over and over again how ready they are to align themselves with companies that reflect their own concern for global warming," reads the blog on the Climate COunts Web site. "Consumers have told us – through their e-mails and calls to us and to the companies we’ve scored – that they are ready to vote with their dollars to stimulate meaningful corporate climate action."
There is a growing belief that a more informed, climate-conscious consumer can play the most important role in driving corporate action in a dynamic marketplace. "Indeed, those voices play much louder in corporate boardrooms than you probably ever imagined," says ClimateCounts. "When everyday people raise an issue with companies in a clear way, those companies pay attention. We know because it’s reflected in our new scores."
Click here to see how your favorite companies stacked up.
Click here for a printable pocket guide to the results.
|
|
|
| Rating:
Not rated yet |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
| Number of ratings:
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Features & Press Releases - Share this page -  del.icio.us |  digg |  reddit |  facebook
|