Dell, Procter and Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, Better Place and Tririga have received the 2009 AMR Research Leadership Awards for their leadership in sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

To determine the list, AMR Research surveyed roughly 50 companies, many of which are part of the Fortune 500. Leaders where chosen based on the following categories of environmental and social stewardship: corporate social responsibility, supply chain innovation, and sustainable leadership including sustainability and innovation, operational sustainable performance, and clean technology.

Dell won under the sustainability category for innovative measures taken to be the first global technology company to become carbon-neutral. That is, they have invested in enough clean energy to offset 100 percent of their global electricity use as a company. (An even tougher stance on carbon neutrality would be to offset the energy use by consumers of their products. Dell provides consumers with the option to pay to offset the carbon emissions from one year of computer use when purchasing a computer ). To offset other environmental impacts, Dell is working with other international organizations to preserve the forests of Madagascar. Dell has also accomplished many other green innovations.

Procter and Gamble won the corporate social responsibility award for their commitments to the global community. Employees participate in lopping off their locks for cancer patients, donating to education around the world, sending infant supplies around the world, donating to UNICEF for vaccinations and participating in safe drinking water programs.

For Hewlett-Packard, reducing environmental impacts is nothing new. They have reduced and recycled since the 1970s, like their unwanted technology collection and recycling projects. They help to research climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy efficiency. One of their best innovations is a partnership with their suppliers and freight carriers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Better Place is creating change through a recharging and battery exchange service for electric cars. The company is building infrastructure to support the emissions-free vehicles, and is expanding all over the world.

Tririga is showing how real estate can be green without having to be a LEED project. The software helps building managers decrease energy and operate at more efficient levels supplying a wealth of data to managers.

Each of these companies is proving that green is the wave of the future. Companies are saving money in a recession through sustainability and corporate responsibility efforts, and they are also answering to their shareholders with proven costs savings, and they are winning customers who want to purchase products from companies that care about their long term impacts, and the communities in which they operate. Thanks to AMR, companies now have a new market to compete in for recognition and bragging rights, the green market.