Dell, IBM Top List of Environmentally Friendly
Computer Makers
Bloomberg News
September 13, 1999, 12:13 p.m. PT
Dell, IBM Top List of Environmentally Friendly Computer Makers
New York, Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Dell Computer Corp. and
International Business Machines Corp. are the most
environmentally friendly computer makers, and that translates
into better financial performance, according to a research firm.
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, which counsels large
institutional investors such as Fidelity Investments as well as
several Fortune 500 companies, said the top environmental
companies have outperformed industry rivals who rank at the
bottom of the list, like Gateway Inc., by 25 percent.
Innovest, which has done similar studies for the chemical,
energy and oil industries, said there is a correlation between
ecologically friendly programs like energy efficiency, waste
management and recycling and a company's stock and financial
performance.
''It's a proxy for good strategic management,'' said Matthew
Kiernan, who founded Innovest in 1995. ''People aren't surprised
to see that the environment is a profitability factor in
chemicals or petroleum, but it is a surprise in the computer
industry.''
Innovest looked at recycling programs for products that are
no longer used and whether they can be returned to the company
for disposal. It also studied the energy efficiency of the
computers themselves and the environmental impact of
manufacturing plants.
Dell's is ranked at the top mostly because it doesn't do
much manufacturing, though it rated above average for screening
its suppliers for environmental programs. IBM, while it had
higher risks because of its bigger manufacturing operations,
scored high on its environmental strategies.
The top five ''eco-performers'' were Dell, IBM, Compaq
Computer Corp., disk-drive maker Quantum Corp. and Apple Computer
Inc. Landing at the bottom of the list were Gateway, which ranked
last, Data General Inc., Western Digital Corp. and Silicon
Graphics Inc. |
