Not all companies think that going green will benefit their bottom line. Dillard’s has avoided implementing transparency in its sustainability practices, and leather purse-maker Coach does little to offset its dependency on cowhide. But consumers are aware that these brands are more brown than green. The list of losers focuses on the brands with low marks in terms of both reputation and practices. Companies that landed on this list were among the bottom 25 percent in both the Newsweek Green Rankings and the Green Brands survey, and are ranked in order of their average combined score.
The Reputation Score is based on the 2012 Green Brands Survey. Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), in conjunction with Landor Associates, conducted an online poll of 8,743 Americans 18 and older. The data were weighted to ensure a representative sample of the U.S. population. The study has an overall margin of error of +/-1 percent. Each respondent was asked to evaluate a random selection of 13-15 major brands with which they were familiar, on questions pertaining to qualities of the brand and its “green” behavior. Data were collected about the largest 215 U.S. consumer-facing brands and 36 major foreign consumer brands. PSB then calculated the Reputation Score based on these responses.
Check out the complete results of the 2012 Green Brands survey to see the full list of companies ranked by their consumer reputation.