Here's an interesting website I found; a directory of companies around the world committed to good corporate citizenship when it comes to the environment and sustainable business practice.
Kompendia is dedicated to providing a handy global corporate responsibility reference intended to assist visitors to:
- Learn what companies of all locations, scopes,scales and endeavours are doing locally and in other parts of the world to support the environment, community development, health, culture, and peace - participating in making the world a better and more sustainable place.
- Acknowledge those efforts and the value they bring to the development of individuals and societies
- Promote the involvement of the private sector in enhancing the quality of life of individuals, communities and ecosystems.
Companies currently on the list include bigwigs like 3M, ABB, HP and Schlumberger.
This directory reflects a grass-roots citizen initiated effort to encouraging companies to go green.
Corporate giants would much rather work on an ISO 14000 standard, which, while also voluntary, would give a company the kind of legitimacy conferred by an ISO rating. The ISO standards do not, however, establish environmental performance standards, which are defined by the companies themselves. The standards are intended to "provide an objective basis for verifying a company's claims about its performance." For us consumers, the ISO standards are"designed to provide customers with a reasonable assurance that the performance claims of a company are accurate."
What is necessary for grass-roots activists and consumers to pair up with organizations that have a global voice in order to get the message of the increasing importance of sustainable development out there. An affiliation between Kompendia and ISO would be one way to get the word out in a more effective manner.
