The Ethisphere Institute announced its annual selection of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2009. The companies selected must promote ethical business standards and practices by going beyond legal minimums, introducing innovative ideas benefiting the public and forcing their competitors to follow suit.

Ethisphere examined 35 different industries and selected 99 companies that demonstrated the sustained and real leadership worthy of the distinction. This year 22 new companies received the honor such as Dell, Best Buy and T-Mobile. An impressive 44 firms have retained the recognition for three years in a row including General Electric, American Express, PepsiCo, McDonalds, Starbucks and Ikea.

Researchers at the institute reviewed over 10,000 companies’ codes of ethics, investment in innovation and sustainable business practices as part of their research.

They evaluated the companies’ for good corporate “citizenship”, innovations that contribute to the public well being, industry leadership and integrity track record. See more about the methodology at the Ethisphere website.

“After a rigorous and competitive selection process, the companies on this year’s list have demonstrated an understanding that ethical practices are not only necessary, but can support a stronger and more sold business overall,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute in a statement.

Ethisphere began identifying the ethical companies in 2007. A full list is available at their website.

Copyright C 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

As much as we’d all like to not have to use plastic water bottles, it remains difficult to get through life without ever needing a quick drink on a hot day or encountering packaged water at a big event. In those cases, you can soon pick up Pepsi’s market-leading Aquafina and feel less bad about doing it.

PepsiCo’s announced this week that Aquafina, the nation’s top selling brand of bottled water, will launch a new Eco-Fina Bottle made with 50 percent less plastic.

The Purchase, N.Y.- based company said that the new bottle, weighing in at 10.9 grams, will eliminate an estimated 75 million pounds of plastic annually. PepsiCo also said Aquafina will further reduce environmental impact by producing the bottle at the same purification centers where filling occurs and by eliminating cardboard base pads from 24-packs — that is expected to save 20 million pounds of corrugated paper by 2010.

The bottle employs a “rippled web” design that helps ensure its structural soundness and functionality. The new Eco-Fina Bottle will begin shipping to retail outlets nationwide in April.

On a global basis last year, PepsiCo said it took nearly six million kilograms of packaging per year out of its system and reduced greenhouse emissions by 18,000 metric tons annually by introducing a new half-liter bottle for Aquafina’s flavored waters.

PepsiCo also is touting its other efforts to lessen its environmental impact. The company said that by 2015 it wants to reduce its use of water and energy by 20 percent and its use of fuel by 25 percent. In 2007, the company conserved nearly five billion liters of water across its global operations.

Related video:

PepsiCo promotional spot introducing the Eco-Fina bottle:

CHICAGO — Renewable energy is not just a concept at one Chicago business, but the owners are putting it into practice, and it’s on display for everyone to see.

The city of Chicago’s skyline is always changing. One company is now making it a little greener, by tapping into the wind and sun.

If you’ve passed by the intersection of Jefferson and Monroe recently, you probably noticed a new addition.

Atop Pepsico’s Chicago headquarters are wind turbines that catch wind to produce electricity. Solar panels harness the sun to generate more power.

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In another strong sign that the green/natural food movement is sweeping the mainstream, Pepsi announced today that it will launch three new products — Pepsi Natural, Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback — all sweetened with natural sugar. The company said the new drinks will hit stores in March and April, and the two Throwback drinks will only be on the market for limited time.

Pepsi officials said the products are part of a new “Refresh Everything” campaign. They are notable for not using high-fructose corn syrup, as do most colas. You can read more about the ingredients of Pepsi products on its web site.

“We’re complementing and reinforcing our core soft drink offerings with a hat trick of innovative products,” Frank Cooper, VP of portfolio brands at Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages, said in a statement. “Pepsi Natural and the Throwback duo give consumers the opportunity to refresh how they experience soft drinks — from a premium, all-natural beverage to a fun, retro twist on two of our most popular brands.”

An all-new cola, Pepsi Natural is made with all-natural ingredients, including lightly sparkling water, natural sugar, natural caramel and kola nut extract. Pepsi said the amber-hued cola gets its color from natural caramel and natural apple extract.

Pepsi Natural will be packaged in 12-oz. glass bottles and sold in the premium and/or natural food aisles of retail outlets in the following 10 markets; Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas and New York.

Pepsi and Mountain Dew are offering consumers a taste of the past with their own versions of Throwback, two new limited time only products inspired by the ’60s and ’70s, sweetened with natural sugar in a retro-look package.

Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback will be available nationally for eight weeks only, beginning April 20.

The Philadelphia Phillies are still trying to close out the World Series, but the team has already been declared winners off the field. The National League Champions were among the winners cited in the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2008 Green Power Leadership Awards. The announcement was made at the the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver, Colo.

EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program helping to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. The program encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The EPA says the program has hundreds of partner organizations buying billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually.

According to the EPA, the Philadelphia Phillies are the first Major League Baseball team to join the Green Power Partnership. The baseball club buys 20 million kilowatt-hours annually from wind and biomass resources, enough to power 100 percent of the annual electricity use for Citizens Bank Park.

Here is the complete list of the 2008 EPA Green Power Purchaser Award winners:

On-Site Generation

• Kohl’s Department Stores
• Lundberg Family Farms

Green Power Purchasing

• City of Houston, Texas
• The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc.
• ING
• Merritt 7 Venture, LLC
• Oregon State University
• PepsiCo, Inc.
• The Philadelphia Phillies
• Powdr Resorts
• U.S. Air Force

Green Power Partner of the Year

• Bellingham, Washington Community
• Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Intel Corporation
• University of Pennsylvania
• WhiteWave Foods Company

DOE Green Power Supplier Awards

New Green Power Program or Company

• AmerenUE

Small Residential/Commercial Green Power Program or Supplier of the Year

• City of Palo Alto Utilities

Large Commercial/Institutional Green Power Program or Supplier of the Year

• 3Degrees
• Sterling Planet

CRS Market Development Awards

Green Power Beacon Award

• Portland General Electric
• Honorable Mention: Detroit Edison

Green Power Pilot Award

• Energy Action Coalition
• Honorable Mention: Green Mountain Energy

Green Power Pioneer

• Dr. Jan Hamrin

Related link:

• The Green Power Network –  U.S. government web site provides green power market information

The 2008 Green Power Leadership Awards were presented in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference, held October 26-29 in Denver, Colorado.

Green Power Purchasing Award

PepsiCo is one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, with 2007 annual revenues of more than $39 billion. The company employs roughly 185,000 people worldwide, and its products are sold in approximately 200 countries. Its principal businesses include: Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods.

PepsiCo currently buys or produces power from green sources equal to 100 percent of its electricity purchased in the United States. This amount totals more than 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours annually. The large size of its purchase places the company on both EPA’s National Top 50 and Fortune 500 lists of green power purchasers. In 2008, PepsiCo increased its purchase amount by nearly 40 million kilowatt-hours per year to keep pace with growth in the company’s U.S. operations.
Buying green power is only one aspect of PepsiCo’s comprehensive and continuing program of environmental sustainability. When undertaking such programs, PepsiCo focuses on internal efficiency improvements, communication with supply chain partners and external opportunities to reach beyond the boundary of the company’s own facilities.

PepsiCo demonstrated leadership through organizing a green supply chain initiative with three of its bottlers. The bottlers followed PepsiCo’s lead and each independently bought 100 percent green power for their own operations. For its leadership, PepsiCo was awarded EPA’s Green Power Partner of the Year Award in 2007.