19
HSBC
London, UK
Public
Banking
Michael Geoghegan, CEO

In March, HSBC created a fiveyear, '€70m partnership to fund climate research via The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and WWF. It will spend '€60m over five years on a 'Global Environmental Efficiency Programme' to reduce its environmental impact through a series of initiatives. Projects already completed during the pilot phase include: building HSBC's first zero-carbon branch in New York, which uses geothermal heat pumps, and installing composting vessels in Hong Kong to recycle organic kitchen waste. Its London HQ has a full recycling programme.

25
Unilever
UK/ Netherlands
Public
Food & household
products
Patrick Cescau, CEO

Dow Jones Sustainability Index leader in Foods and Beverages, Unilever has cut CO2 emissions from manufacturing by more than 30% over the past decade and it encourages customers to save energy with detergents that are effective at 30ºC. In 2006, it sourced 14.8% of its energy from renewable sources. Subsidiary Ben & Jerry's Climate Change College trains 18-to-25- year-olds to campaign on climate change in their schools, workplaces and homes. Unilever plans to incorporate a 'greenhouse gas index' into product development, to assess, and where possible cut, impacts during product use.

20
BT Group
London, UK
Public
Telecoms
Ben Verwaayen, CEO

Ben Verwaayen is steadily dragging profits and dividends back up to late- 90s levels, but despite its millennial slump, BT has a long, steady track record where the environment is concerned. Its first environment report was printed in 1992, and by the late '90s it had already formed a climate change agenda, well ahead of all its competitors. It signed the world's largest green energy contract in 2004. BT recycled 42% of its waste in 2007 and claims to be within sight of its goal to reduce CO2 emissions on 1996 levels by 80% by 2016, having already reduced them by 60% through large renewable energy contracts.

21
Climate Change Capital
London, UK
Private
Banking
Mark Woodall, CEO

Vice-chairman and founder James Cameron helped broker the Kyoto agreement and is a legendary figure in this sector. Around him is an investment banking group that has grown from zero to 130 employees in two years and acheives the highest position in this ranking for a medium-sized enterprise. CCC now has approximately '€1bn under management and recently closed a private, '€200m cleantech private equity fund. A major player in the carbon markets, CCC remains the defining pioneer in this sector because of its direct involvement in UN and inter-governmental policy formation.

22
Ecosecurities
Dublin, Ireland
Public
Carbon management
Bruce Usher, CEO

Ranked last year at 30, Ecosecurities has risen to 22 this year. The improved ranking reflects the outstanding contribution to the sector made by Ecosecurities co-founders Pedro Moura Costa and Marc Stuart, who were pioneers of carbon trading at the time of Kyoto in 1997. Floating on London's AIM in 2005, the company raised '€80m but has had to walk the tight rope of investor expectations ' a profit warning last November halved the share price, reflecting not the management but the stodgy culture of the UN's mechanism for approving carbon abatement projects. Bali offered some hope in this regard.

23
G24i
Cardiff, UK
Private
Clean tech
J Clemens Betzel, CEO

Americans Ed Stevenson and Bob Hertzberg invested the proceeds from their previous company, Solar Integrated Technologies, in start up G24i two years ago. UK-based production of the company's Swiss-derived, dye-sensitized thin film solar cells began late last year. G24i is remarkable for its large-scale production techniques and global game plan. Its first product is a mobile phone recharger, but CEO Clemens Betzel foresees over 600 product applications. Sales began in Kenya where the absence of power infrastructure allows small scale recharging technology to completely transform lives. Surely a possible future IPO?

24
ABB Group
Zurich, Switzerland
Public
Engineering
Fred Kindle, CEO

One of the world's biggest engineering companies, ABB is well placed to benefit from the need for updated power products and infrastructure. The group, led by CEO Fred Kindle, says the variable speed drives it has installed cut nearly 100m tonnes of CO2 a year. ABB generators are at the centre of Pelamis Wave Power's machines and it is involved in many wind projects, onshore and offshore. Its ultra-high-voltage direct current technology makes long-distance bulk power transmission more reliable and energy-efficient and it is providing a cable link between the UK and the Netherlands. A very innovative company.

26
First Solar
Phoenix, Arizona, US
Public
Clean tech
Michael Ahearn, CEO

Founded in 1999, First Solar is one of the leaders in the race to produce thinfi lm PV panels, which will drastically cut costs in the solar sector by removing the need for silicon and making module production much easier. The company is the first listed pure-play thin-film producer and its major shareholders are members of the Walton family of Wal-Mart fame. In 2007, the company moved into profit for the first time and opened a plant in Malaysia ' it is already planning to expand it. The company's shares soared after it revealed it had won almost '€900m of orders and profits increased tenfold in the third quarter. One to watch in 2008.

27
Norsk Hydro
Oslo, Norway
Public
Metals
Eivind Reiten, CEO

Aluminum manufacturer Norsk Hydro wants to use aluminium where it leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions '€” in transportation and building systems for example. It also produces renewable hydroelectric power and solar '€” in 2007, it invested the US company Ascent Solar, which develops super-thin solar cell modules using a roll-to-roll manufacturing process. With Belgian company Umicore, Hydro is building a pilot plant for production of solar-grade silicon in Porsgrunn, Norway. If the pilot project is successful, the joint venture company HyCore will build a plant with large-scale production capacity in 2010.

28
Nordic Windpower
San Rafael, California, US
Private
Clean tech
Steve Taber, CEO

Nordic Windpower's N1000 wind turbine design is the result of a 20-year research and development program in Sweden, funded with an investment of over '€50m, some of it public. Suitable for utility-scale applications, the two-bladed design offers significant advantages in reduced maintenance and cost over its three-bladed cousins. It already has a 10-year service history in Europe. Goldman Sachs took a stake last year, allowing Nordic to fulfill growing demand for turbines. It is now preparing to start US production and large-scale manufacturing rollout in Europe, China and other regions for 2008 deliveries.

29
Fairmont
Toronto, Canada
Public
Hotels
William Fatt, CEO

In 1990, the Fairmont Green Partnership created a template for sustainable best practices in the hospitality industry, spearheaded by Anne Layton. The programme focuses on improvements in the areas of waste management, energy and water conservation, as well as community outreach. The company also has more than 30 Eco-Innovation Signature projects ' these involve clean air awareness in California, coral reef protection in Hawaii, and international efforts in the conservation of endangered species. At last November's annual Hospitality Awards, Fairmont won for Best Corporate Social Responsibility Programme.

30
Honda
Tokyo, Japan
Public
Automobiles
Takeo Fukui, CEO

Late last year Honda unveiled the car industry's first hydrogen-powered fuelcell vehicle destined for retail customers, who are due to receive the cars in mid-2008. Japan's secondlargest carmaker said it would begin leasing the FCX Clarity to a 'limited' number of consumers in California this summer, despite the fact that the infrastructure for refueling hardly exists. In this respect Honda has gone further than any of its competitors to make the future happen now, trumping Toyota's controversial hybrid technology and German carmakers' decision to make incremental changes to the internal combustion engine for years ahead.