BMW, Honda and VW make Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations of 2010
Honda, BMW and Volkswagen made the Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations of 2010, according to a study in the latest issue of Maclean’s magazine.
According to Jantzi-Sustainalytics, the Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations 2010 are “selected on the basis of a broad range of social, environmental and governance indicators… (and) these companies are making Canada a better place.”
The magazine said Honda made the list thanks to a number of innovations including the price of the Honda Insight five-passenger hybrid and the automaker’s “Intelligent Paint Booth Technology”, which reduces CO2 emissions from body painting by about 15 per cent.
MacLean’s also lists Honda’s collaboration with Climate Energy to produce a micro-combined heat and power system that supports natural gas heating systems and how its Honda Civic GX is the only natural-gas powered vehicle available in North America.
BMW cracked the Top 50 thanks to its ActiveHybrid X6 and ActiveHybrid 7, which consume 20 per cent less fuel than conventionally powered models; the company’s first fully electric car, the Megacity, will be available in 2013; 15 per cent of the plastic components in BMWs are made from recycled material; and the luxury automaker increased the number of female managers by 66 per cent in the past six years.
Volkswagen was the third automotive manufacturer to make the list. The study pointed to VW's implementation of a “CO2 registry,” whereby emissions are examined at every stage of the vehicle-creation process. Findings are submitted to the board of management, which decides if a project will move forward given its environmental footprint.
The German automaker was also cited for its introduction BlueMotionTechnologies, which reduce the fuel consumption and emissions in all its car models, and its program of treatment and education of HIV/AIDS for employees at its South Africa plant.
Jantzi-Sustainalytics is a world leader in environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and analysis. It serves various asset owners, asset managers and private companies.
