Siemens, #8 on Interbrand's 2012 Best Global Green Brands ranking, released this video today highlighting its renewable energy solutions. The description: "In times of increasingly complex challenges for sustainable energy supply, Siemens provides a leading portfolio of economically efficient solutions for renewable power generation to address the changing requirements of generations to come."

Citi released a video today promoting that in May, Citibank became the first bank in the world to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for 200 projects from the U.S. Green Building Council. The brand rose two places on Interbrand's just-released Best Global Green Brands ranking with the comment:

Citi Group improves on this year’s ranking by 2 spots, now sitting at #44. While the banking institution continues to navigate turbulent waters due to global economic conditions, Citi managed to increase the public’s perception of its environmental efforts, thus closing its perception/performance gap significantly since last year’s assessment. More recently, Citi joined forces with Google to finance a large wind energy center in California and embarked on a joint venture with SunPower to finance residential solar lease projects. The financial institution still remains in the latter portion of the ranking, partially due to its large-scale investments in coal industries, which contribute heavily to climate change effects.

It only makes sense that auto brands should figure heavily in the new Interbrand Best Global Green Brands ranking, with eight of the top 21 brands. Car makers and their petrol partners arguably contribute more to environmental stresses around the globe than any other industry — but they're also working about as assiduously as any business to offset some of that decidedly un-green footprint.

Toyota ranked No. 1 in Interbrand's new list not only among auto companies but among all companies. That's impressive but hardly surprising for a company that essentially invented the hybrid for the mass market and has taken its biggest steps over the last year, of any in the last decade, to extend the Prius franchise and make it more available and more attractive (with some creative marketing moves) to more consumers around the world.

By introducing a less expensive and smaller alternative to its regular hybrid, Prius c, and almost simultaneously a more capacious one, Prius v, Toyota has opened the possibilities of hybrid ownership to millions more people who are attracted by the sterling Prius brand.Continue reading...

PepsiCo today released this video highlighting its sustainability goals. Billed as "PepsiCo's recipe for the next billion" humans on the planet, the corporate video's tagline is "Doing More. Using Less." How?

By "growing more crops with less water, manufacturing with less waste and energy, and serving the needs of the next billion consumers. Our goal is to create snacks, beverages and foods that deliver the nutrition, hydration and enjoyment at the right moment across different needs, lifestyles and geographies." The video reiterates the company's "delivering more choices" and performance with purpose positioning, "doing right for people and the planet, innovating more choices while using fewer natural resources."

The video comes as PepsiCo was named #28 on Interbrand's 2012 Best Global Green Brands ranking, five spots behind Coca-Cola. Interbrand's rationale:Continue reading...

When you’ve got more than 1.2 billion residents, marketers want you in the worst way. And so Coca-Cola is going big-time after the Indian market, upping its investment there by $3 billion to a whopping $5 billion through 2020. That means the next time you go to there to climb the world’s third-highest mountain, Kanchenjunga, or visit with the Dalai Lama, a Coke product shouldn’t be too far away from your grasp.

According to Fox Business, the money will go toward helping Coca-Cola's India subsidiary expand “its distribution network, cold drink equipment placement and manufacturing capacity.” The company had a good first quarter with earnings rising 7.9% and revenue going up almost 6%. In India, though, the company had a 20% increase. Not too shabby. In fact, sales have gone up in India for 23 straight quarters and Coke’s Thums Up and Sprite are the two leading soft-drink brands there, Fox reports.

"Achieving continued sustainable, responsible growth in India is core to achieving our 2020 Vision of doubling system revenues in this decade," said Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company in a press release. "Our ongoing investment in India is focused on delivering innovation, partnerships and a portfolio that enhances the consumer experience, ensures product affordability and builds brand loyalty to deliver long-term growth."Continue reading...

Toyota tops Interbrand's 2012 Best Global Green Brands report.

News Corp. considers splitting company in two, spinning off publishing assets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Microsoft acquires Yammer for $1.2 billion to take on Oracle and Salesforce with new cloud-based services.

Nissan rises on fast recovery from disasters and plans $1B China auto plant as CEO Ghosn remains Japan's highest paid exec and automaker turns to Facebook to launch five new models.

Facebook names first woman to board — COO Sheryl Sandberg — and pulls so-called stalker app while creating uproar by changing all users' email addresses to facebook.com.

Google I/O news on Wednesday expected to reveal Google and Sony taking on cable and satellite operators with voice-controlled YouTube TV box, as Google prepares to battle Apple with discount tablet.Continue reading...

Panasonic earns its number 10 spot on Interbrand's Best Global Green Brands list, partnering with the government of Singapore to develop Asia’s first public-housing green community. Since the August 1 kickoff of the brand’s collaboration with Singapore’s housing board, the town has gained attention as a “living laboratory for green technology.”

The project will take over Punggol, a former farming and fishing village, starting with 100 households. Using surrounding elements of wind, sun, and rain, Panasonic is providing the technology to enable the community’s total energy solutions. Continue reading...

"Green is not only a commitment, but the responsibility of all enterprises. The public in China already have had this awareness in mind and started the green practices by various innovative means. GDP does not simply mean burning. Energy utilization can be greener and more conservative. Going green is not an impossible dream, but what we are actually doing now. The fulfillment of all the missions requires our innovation and time."

— Zhang Xudong, Brand Director of ENN Group, discusses green innovation in China for Interbrand's Best Global Green Brands report