Austin-based Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is ranked the third-most ethical corporation in the nation, behind only Green Mountain Coffee Roaster Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. respectively, according to a report by the magazine Business Ethics.
Each year the magazine ranks the top 100 corporations in a special report that "celebrates companies that excel at serving a variety of stakeholders well," according to the Ethics' Web site. In addition to ranking companies on how well stockholders are treated, Business Ethics said it takes ecological, ethical and societal responsibility into account.
In addition to having high stockholder returns, firms on the list are supposed to emphasize "good jobs for employees, a clean environment, responsible relations with the community, and reliable products for consumers."
Companies lose points for causing community controversies, negative economic impacts and for environmental violations.
AMD could not be reached for comment.
Business Ethic's Web site said AMD was a clear choice, having earned a spot on the Environmental Protection Agency's "Green Power Top 25 List" for voluntarily buying large amounts of renewable energy.
Save Our Springs Alliance President Bill Bunch said the choice is not quite so clear.
The alliance is a non profit, activist organization, founded in 1990 and dedicated to the preservation of the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs. They have recently clashed with AMD over the company's choice for the location of its new headquarters. The 860,000-square-foot facility will be partly located in the recharge zone for Barton Springs - an environmentally sensitive area where rain water refills the springs directly with almost no filtering because of the porous nature of the soil.
"Any pollution at this zone will most likely end up in the springs," Bunch said. "AMD is the first major company to move to the Barton Springs area in 20 years."
AMD will spend millions of dollars using environmentally friendly "green" building techniques such as $11.5 million for a water quality protection system and $5 million for land preservation in other parts of the Aquifer. It will also use wind and other alternative energy sources to power its building, according to an AMD pamphlet.
The alliance fears this project will ultimately lead to the demise of Barton Springs, Bunch said. The construction will partially cause this, but the real damage to the springs will come from the "residential building boom that is sure to follow," Bunch said.
There are currently no negotiations taking place, and the clearing of the development site over the Barton Springs recharge zone began last week.
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