Cisco has topped Greenpeace’s latest green IT leaderboard, winning praise for its industry leadership and demonstrating the potential of IT to tackle climate change.

 

In its latest Cool IT Leaderboard, Greenpeace said Cisco had doubled its score from last year’s rankings by demonstrating the effectiveness of its smart grid technology and office energy management solutions to cut emissions.

 

Swedish telecom vendor Ericsson took second spot on the basis of “real world case studies, which measure how its solutions are driving down emissions,” Greenpeace said. 

 

The rankings measure ICT firms on their solutions, carbon footprints and green advocacy.

 

“Leaders such as Cisco are actively investing in climate solutions, while others are merely signaling commitments, hoping that lofty words are as good as action,” said Greenpeace Campaigner Casey Harrell.

 

“To play a significant role in helping make sure global greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2015, IT companies need to deliver upon the promise that their technology can provide substantial climate savings today,”

 

Greenpeace cited Ericsson and third-ranked Fujitsu for their development of a strong methodology for measuring the green impact of their solutions.

 

“Fujitsu is also the first company to set a credible goal for the overall amount of carbon savings provided to its customers.”

 

Greenpeace hailed Google for its PowerMeter tool, which provides real-time energy consumption data, and for its strong policy advocacy.

 

However, the search firm had “no emission reduction targets, nor does it release or disclose its own emissions. This lack of transparency puts Google significantly out of step with most other technology companies, and weakens its ability to be an effective advocate.”

 

Japanese electronics companies Panasonic, Sony and Sharp took the bottom three spots, Greenpeace said.