NEW YORK, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsweek launched a ranking of the greenest companies in America in its current issue and Hewlett-Packard took top honors. The Newsweek Green Rankings is the first-ever report based on companies' actual environmental footprint, policies and practices. The twelve-page report in the September 28 issue, (on newsstands September 21), features a green ranking of America's 500 largest publicly-traded companies as measured by revenue, market capitalization and number of employees. On Newsweek.com, users can search and sort the data in several ways, analyze the detailed methodology of the study and submit and review comments.

"This is the first time a media organization has ranked companies in this way," said Kathleen Deveny, Global Business Editor of Newsweek. "Most green lists are anecdotal -- ours is the result of a massive database research project conducted in collaboration with three of the leading players in environmental research: KLD, Trucost and Corporate Register."

The companies are ranked based on a number of criteria, including: each company's greenhouse gas emissions, toxic waste emissions and use of other natural resources. Newsweek and its partners also assessed the companies' management of environmental issues and policies, regulatory compliance and policies concerning climate change. The rankings also factor in the results of an exclusive reputational survey of CEOs, corporate social responsibility officers, members of the media, academics, and members of key environmental groups.

As determined by the study, the top 10 greenest companies in America are:

    1. Hewlett-Packard Company
    2. Dell Inc.
    3. Johnson & Johnson
    4. Intel Corporation
    5. IBM
    6. State Street Corporation
    7. NIKE, Inc.
    8. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
    9. Applied Materials, Inc.
    10. Starbucks Corporation

Newsweek also broke out the list by industry sector, determining the top 10 greenest companies in their respective industries. The top companies from each industry are:

Industry: Name: Banks & Insurance Wells Fargo & Company Basic Materials Praxair, Inc. Financial Services State Street Corporation Food & Beverage Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. General Industrials, Construction & Materials ITT Corporation Health Care Equipment & Services Baxter International Inc. Industrial Goods & Services Agilent Technologies, Inc. Industrial Transportation, Aerospace & Defense United Technologies Corporation Media, Travel & Leisure Starbucks Corporation Oil & Gas Marathon Oil Corporation Personal and Household Goods, Autos & Auto Parts NIKE, Inc. Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology Johnson & Johnson Retail Kohl's Corporation Technology & Telecommunications Hewlett-Packard Company Utilities PG&E Corporation

Newsweek collaborated with three of the leading environmental research experts: KLD Research and Analytics, the lead partner on the project, Trucost and CorporateRegister.com. Newsweek also assembled an expert panel to appraise the Newsweek Green Ranking methodology and review the preliminary and final list. The panelists are:

    --  Dan Esty, Professor of Environmental Law and Policy, Yale University
    --  Marjorie Kelly, Senior Associate at Tellus Institute and co-founder and
        former editor of Business Ethics Magazine
    --  Wood Turner, Executive Director, Climate Counts
    --  David Vidal, Global Corporate Citizenship Research Director, The
        Conference Board
    --  John Steelman, The Climate Center, National Resource Defense Council

About Newsweek

Trusted for more than 75 years, Newsweek provides in-depth analysis and insight into the most significant issues of the day. Its audience of loyal, educated, and engaged individuals is passionate about both national and international news. With some of the most influential journalists in the business, Newsweek speaks with one global voice through its 11 print editions and online at Newsweek.com. Bringing its audience well-reasoned opinions, expert voices, and incisive reporting, Newsweek drives and shapes global conversations every day, every week, every year.

About Our Data Partners

KLD Research & Analytics (www.kld.com): analysis of environmental, social and governance performance by companies worldwide, served as lead research partner, calculated the final rankings.

Trucost (www.trucost.com): specializes in quantitative environmental performance measurement.

CorporateRegister.com (www.corporateregister.com): the world's largest online directory of social responsibility, sustainability and environmental reporting.

The Greenest Big Companies in America: http://www.newsweek.com/id/215577

2009 Green Rankings: http://greenrankings.newsweek.com/

SOURCE Newsweek