Car Brands: Polluters Gone Green

Interbrand is a global brand consultancy that publishes an annual list of the 50 Best Global Green Brands. This year’s list just came out.

So, who’s at the top? Not Method Soap, Whole Foods, or Tom’s Shoes.

Ironically, car brands take the #1, 2, and 3 spots. (And #5, 7, 13, 17, 35, 37.) But wait a second. Don’t cars pollute? I mean, without cars, wouldn’t the polar ice caps be a bit bigger right now?

The #1 green brand is Toyota. #2 is Ford. #3 is Honda. #5 is Nissan. #7 is Volkswagen. … out of ALL brands in ALL categories.

How can car brands possibly top the green list? Two words: radical innovation. As Albert Einstein once said, “The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
Car companies are aggressively undoing the damage they’ve done – or at least mitigating it. They’re selling more cars by using less fuel. Even Wall Street says it’s working.

If your brand isn’t on the Green list, where would it fall? Being planet-friendly is now a mass-appeal value for consumers; it guides their purchase decisions in every product category. Heck, even Shell Oil (OIL!!??) appears on the green list at #36. This year, Coke is  “greener” than Pepsi.

If there’s not a green brand in your category, I’ll bet there soon will be.

Could it be you? Can your brand innovate radically to align with deeply motivating consumer values? Can you green your brand to disrupt parity, build loyalty, spur conversation … all while saving the world? Can your brand win by chasing a triple bottom line?