"The top six is a distinguished list," said Gay Browne, Santa Monica, Calif.-based Greenopia's founder and CEO. "It's not always easy to remain price-competitive and green. Each of these beverage brands is clean, healthy and safe for the planet and in price ranges right for the current economic environment."
The beverage ratings project used Greenopia's 4-Leaf rating system to disclose the environmental impact and health-effect characteristics of 23 of America's most popular mass-market beverages. This was an independent study conducted by Greenopia's research staff using an extensive list of test criteria including beverage container, ingredient analysis including product toxicity, supply chain, sustainability reporting, green building design initiatives, and history of environmental violations. The criteria data were gathered, calculated and analyzed using Greenopia's proprietary lifecycle eco-cost methodology.
The most eco-friendly beverages widely available to Americans are varieties bottled by Honest Tea, Bethesda, MD. Honest Tea was the only mass-distributed, retail beverage to earn the Greenopia 4-Leaf Rating. The other top drinks were Steaz, Santa Cruz Organic Sodas, Tazo, Blue Sky Organic and Izze. (Click here for more details.)
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