Global mutual fund Portfolio 21, Portland, Ore., has identified a number of companies as leaders in the trend of voluntary recycling.
In a media briefing discussing the emergence of sustainability as a major focus for shareholders and publicly traded companies, Portfolio 21 acknowledged Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif.; IBM, Armonk, N.Y.; Dell Inc., Round Rock, Texas; and Xerox, Stamford, Conn., for adopting sustainable approaches to their products and services, particularly in the realm of electronics recycling.
According to the Portfolio 21 report, IBM offers product take back programs in 15 countries across North America, Europe and Asia. In the United States, IBM has added a new PC recycling service that allows consumers and small businesses to recycle any manufacturer’s PCs, including system units, monitors, printers and optional attachments.
In addition to this trend, which Portfolio 21 refers to as “cradle-to-landfill stewardship,” the organization has identified environmental accounting and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as two other trends to watch in 2005.
Portfolio 21 reports that some publicly traded companies, like Baxter Healthcare, Deerfield, Ill., now publish financial statements that document the costs and benefits of the company’s environmental initiatives.
Finally, the report identifies reduction of greenhouse gases among many companies’ top priorities. Portfolio 21 recognized STMicroelectronics, Geneva, for its commitment to become carbon dioxide neutral by 2010.