Unilever and Tesla best companies for fighting climate change
90 per cent of the sustainability experts questioned in the 2015 Climate Survey feel that companies will need to play as large a role as national governments in combating climate change. 20 per cent of respondents picked Unilever as the company that’s achieved the most substantial advances. Electric car manufacturer Tesla came second, while Ikea, Google and General Electric tied for third place. Walmart, Toyota, Siemens, Apple and solar-energy installer SolarCity were also cited. This represents a shift from the last ranking when Shell and BP made the selection. Only three companies, General Electric, Walmart and Toyota, that were included in the 2009 ranking were also included this year. Reducing carbon emissions and deforestation and increasing use of renewable energy were the best ways for companies to demonstrate commitment to combating climate change.

Businesses can add another item to their corporate bucket lists: taking the lead in tackling climate change where governments have fallen short. In a survey of sustainability experts released Thursday, 90% of respondents said that companies would need to play as big of a role as national governments in combating climate change to prevent environmental disaster.

The 2015 Climate Survey, by research consultancy GlobeScan and thinktank SustainAbility, asked 624 sustainability experts from 69 countries about their expectations ahead of the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP21) taking place in Paris in December.

“Businesses are expected to lead on climate because they are seen to be able to deliver results,” said Eric Whan, sustainability director at GlobeScan. “Traditional institutions like governments and multilaterals have failed to do so, and more and more, experts are calling for collaborative solutions.”

The survey reflected a lack of confidence in governments’ abilities to devise effective solutions to complex problems.

While more than 90% of respondents said they expected COP21 would result in a global agreement, only a third believed it would have binding powers to implement any substantive changes on a wide scale.

Moreover, only 4% of respondents expected the agreement would be sufficient to contain global warming below 2C (36F), which is the temperature level that scientists and world leaders have agreed will help to avoid environmental catastrophes like super droughts and volcanic eruptions.

Respondents also revealed the businesses they saw as leaders in the fight to curb climate change, with 20% picking Unilever as the company that’s achieved the most real, substantial advances. The survey lauded the consumer goods company – which has committed to achieving zero net deforestation by 2020 – for its Sustainable Living campaign, the “bold statements and actions” made by its CEO, and its commitment to published targets.

Electric car manufacturer Tesla came in second, while Swedish furniture maker Ikea, technology giant Google and consumer appliances conglomerate General Electric tied for third place. Walmart, Toyota, Siemens, Apple and solar-energy installer SolarCity rounded out the leaders list.

The survey results represent a notable shift from the last climate survey ranking, which was conducted in 2009 ahead of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. Back then, oil and gas giants Shell and BP made the list, during a time when large industrial companies were applauded for their commitments to reducing pollution and waste.

Their more recent performances haven’t lived up to expectations, most starkly illustrated by several high profile environmental disasters such as the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, which led to a drop in public sentiment for petroleum companies.

Large consumer and technology companies have since pulled ahead with ambitious sustainability agendas that extend across their value chains.

“The fossil fuel sector is widely seen as having failed to shift its business model to address climate change concerns and recently suffered huge losses to its reputation,” said Aiste Brackley, research manager at SustainAbility. “The new leaders such as Unilever, Tesla and Ikea are setting a high bar for corporate leadership.”

Only three companies – General Electric, Walmart and Toyota – that were included in the 2009 ranking made it onto this year’s list. For companies that want to boost their reputations, reducing their carbon emissions, increasing their use of renewable energy like solar and hydropower, and clamping down on deforestation are the best ways to act on climate change and prove their commitment to combating it, Brackley said.