High-street retailer Marks & Spencer is the best UK FTSE 100 brand when it comes to carbon measurement and reporting, according to a recent analysis from carbon management solutions provider Carbon Clear.
The research found that M&S has managed to overtake the other brands on the list mainly because of its commitment to sustainability and the seriousness with which it treats carbon management issues.
For their analysis, Carbon Clear researchers took publicly available data from the companies and measured it against a comprehensive list of 47 criteria, including measurement and reporting of carbon footprint, strategies for emission reduction, actual achievements in carbon reduction and strategies to get stakeholders involved in climate change schemes.
Other brands that were ranked in the top 10 include National Grid, Aviva, RSA, BSkyB, BT Group, Hammerson, Sainsbury and Whitbread, with Kingfisher, Pearson and Vodafone all listed together at number 10.
Overall, supermarkets significantly outperformed other sectors in carbon reporting, followed by the publishing industry. At the other end of the spectrum were the manufacturing, mining & metals and building materials industries, which the researchers found had a long way to go in terms of measuring, reducing and reporting their carbon footprint.
An interesting fact that emerged from the research was the huge gap between the best performing and the weakest companies, with M&S scoring 89% compared to a score of just 9% at the bottom of the chart. Across the whole panel, the average score came in at 47%.
According to Mark Chadwick, chief executive of Carbon Clear, this year businesses´ performance was measured against tougher criteria and this was reflected in a tendency for lower results. However, it is notable that several companies have made a leap forward despite the more stringent criteria, which is a signal that more and more companies are becoming committed to carbon emission reduction and keeping the public informed about it, he said.