Toyota is ranked as world’s greenest brand

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You might not be surprised to see Toyota, the Japanese automaker behind the pioneering Prius hybrid, rank amongst the most environmentally conscious car manufacturers.

But a recent study by brand monitoring company Interbrand found the company to be the world’s greenest brand overall, besting multinational corporations like 3M, Siemens, and Johnson & Johnson.

The report was based not only on publicly available information but also on public perception of the brands’ sustainability efforts. The study surveyed 10,000 consumers in the top ten global markets: the U.S., Japan, China, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Brazil, Spain, and India.

Toyota was not the only automaker to receive high sustainability marks in the report. Volkswagen, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes and Ford all made the top 20 green brands.

Noting Toyota’s development of hybrid vehicles, specifically the Prius, Interbrand called the company “a leading example of making the environment a core management priority, while also engaging in a meaningful way with audiences around the world.”

The Prius is perhaps Toyota’s best-known green project. But other initiatives also bolster its environmental credentials. The automaker even has its own solar-powered transport ship, the Auriga Leader. The container ship delivers vehicles to the Port of Long Beach, California and is outfitted with 328 solar panels and NiMH batteries.

This means that the vessel can cut its annual fuel consumption by more than 13 tons and its emissions by around 40 tons.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/transportation/toyota-is-ranked-as-worlds-greenest-brand/700