Green Grades 2011
A Report Card on the Paper Practices of the Credit Card, Insurance, and Telecom Sectors  |
| Download the full Green Grades Report Card 2011 >> |
Since the release of ForestEthics and Dogwood Alliance's first Green Grades Report Card in 2007, some of the world's most well-known office supply retailers and largest distributors have made big environmental commitments that help protect forests. This year's Green Grades Report Card examines the paper practices of a dozen Fortune 500 companies in the Credit Card, Insurance and Telecom sectors that consume vast amounts of paper.
Download the full Green Grades Report Card 2011 >>
ForestEthics' analysis reveals that several major companies fall far short of using best environmental practices in their paper buying, but we also found some companies improving their environmental leadership on paper issues.
Read our press release here >>
To create this report, ForestEthics reviewed the policies and practices of a dozen large U.S. companies that utilize significant amounts of paper for direct mail marketing, internal office use and communication with customers.These companies in the credit card, insurance and telecommunications sectors received and were asked to respond to a detailed survey about their paper policies and practices.
Based on survey results, other data that is publicly available, and each company's response to our detailed suggestions for improving its paper practices, we assigned each company an overall grade based on grades in key categories. The following four categories were most heavily weighted in the assignment of grades:
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Greenwash
- Recycled Paper
- Reduction
In addition, we considered companies' responses in the categories of Endangered Forest Policy & Action, Plantation Conversion & Other Controversial Sources, and Other Forest Ecosystem Conservation Leadership.
While all these companies still have room to improve, some companies completely flunked, and some are making good progress. Read ForestEthics' Green Grades Report Card to see where these companies rank: American Express, AT&T, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Discover, GEICO, Sprint, State Farm, Travelers, USAA, and Verizon.
