Who is the greenest brand of all? According to Generation Y the answer is directly tied to their perceptions and not necessarily reality. Those are the results of a 2008 study conducted by Bentley's Center for Marketing Technology.

The CMT surveyed 2,127 college students from across the country with an average age of 21.8., known as Generation Y, the next major consumer group and a key target of marketers.

The goal was to find out which brands this group considered the most green, the least green and why.

    Green Brand Index

    Most Green Brands*    Reason**       Least Green Brands*   Reason**
    1.  Toyota            Hybrid cars      1.  Exxon Mobil  Pollution and
                                                            profits
    2.  Honda             Fuel efficient   2.  Hummer       Gas guzzler
                          cars
    3.  Whole Food        Organic foods    3.  Ford         SUVs and trucks
    4.  General Electric  Alternative/     4.  General      SUVs and trucks/
                          renewable energy     Motors       low gas mileage
    5.  Trader Joes       Organic foods    5.  British      Lack of concern
                                               Airlines     for environment
    6.  Beyond Petroleum  Green            6.  McDonalds    Waste
                          advertising
    7.  Ben & Jerry       Environmentally  7.  Wal-Mart     Low prices,
                          conscious stance                  high pollution
    8.  Body Shop         No animal        8.  Shell        Pollution
                          testing
    9.  Energy Star      Energy           9.  Nike          Exploitative
                         efficiency                         labor practices
    10. Timberland       Recycling        10. Apple         General
    11. 7th Generation   Environmentally  11. General       Pollution
                         friendly products    Electric
    12. Hewlett Packard  Recycling of     12. Nintendo      Scored lowest by
                         Their products                     Greenpeace
    13. Apple            Miscellaneous    13. Range Rover   Gas guzzler
    14. Google           Miscellaneous    14. Chevrolet     SUVs and trucks
    15. IKEA             Miscellaneous    15. BP            Pollution
    *as perceived by Gen Y
    **most frequently cited reason

The survey was conducted by Bentley Marketing Professor Pierre Berthon and Director of the CMT Ian Cross. They found there are three types of green brands:

• The good: those that are perceived as green (e.g. Honda)
• The bad : those that are perceived as un-green (e.g. Hummer)
• The ugly : those with split personalities that are perceived as green by some and un-green by other (e.g. General Electric)

Other key findings:

1. Perception is Key. There is often a large gap between consumers' perception and the actual action companies are taking.

A comparison with data on the environment and social action gathered by KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. highlights the limited relationship between perceptions and action. For example, Gen Y consumers perceive Nike as being less green than Google. Yet according to KLD, Nike is by far the more environmentally proactive company.

1. Being Specific Pays Dividends. Companies that are linked to specific actions/products rather than general perceptions are perceived to be more green. For example, while Apple scores fairly well, Toyota tops the list for the specific action of producing hybrid cars.

"What our research reveals is that, sadly, a lot of companies are spending millions on green initiatives without getting credit for it," says Pierre Berthon. "At the end of the day, through lack of awareness, they aren't getting support from consumers."

1. Green has wide meaning. Students see the moniker "green" as covering much more than narrow environmental issues: to them it includes social responsibility and the ethical treatment of animals. "To Gen Y being 'green' amounts to an ethical imperative towards people, animals and the planet," says Pierre Berthon.

1. Green matters. Overall students responded that the greenness of a brand is "somewhat important" to "important" in making a decision about purchases.

Older students and women consider the greenness of a brand more important in their purchase decision-making than younger students and men.

"Clearly one of the biggest issues for U.S. consumers is corporate commitment to green initiatives and socially responsible issues. That's why it's important to track their progress, as well as perceptions of their progress," adds Ian Cross. "We feel the Bentley CMT is expertly equipped to identify the needs, perceptions and values of these consumers."

The Bentley CMT will be updating the Green Brand Index to monitor the green performance of leading brands and to understand how corporate America's attempts to go green are influenced by real or perceived actions.

The Bentley Center for Marketing Technology is a state-of-the art facility dedicated to research and teaching at the intersection of marketing and technology. The center works with many corporate partners including Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Mazda, as well as regional companies and start-up ventures.