EarthX Announces 50 Brand Hero Nominees for 2026 — Recognizing Companies Advancing Circular, Market-Based Supply Chain Leadership

Dallas, TX — March 3, 2026 — EarthX today announced the 50 Nominees for its 2026 Brand Hero Awards, recognizing companies using market leadership, supply chain influence, and innovation to advance a more circular and sustainable economy.

Now in its second year, the EarthX Brand Hero initiative reflects a simple but powerful premise: consumer and reputational power can be applied positively, rewarding companies that align profitability with environmental stewardship, supply chain responsibility, and long-term value creation.

“The companies nominated as Brand Heroes reflect the diversity of leadership required to accelerate environmental progress by demonstrating that sustainability and competitiveness can move together,” said EarthX CEO Peter Simek. “By recognizing a wide cross-section of industries, business models, and approaches, we are proud to showcase leaders that are redesigning products, strengthening supply chains, reducing pollution, and helping markets reward responsible practices.”

Ten Brand Heroes (one from each category) will be selected from the 50 nominees and recognized live at Earthx2026, taking place from April 20-22, 2026 in Dallas.

50 BRAND HERO NOMINEES

Built Environment

1. CBRE — Integrates lifecycle carbon accounting and adaptive reuse strategies across one of the world’s largest commercial real estate portfolios.
2. Home Depot — Uses purchasing power and supplier standards, including certified wood sourcing, to shift building materials toward durability and lower embodied carbon.
3. Interface — Designs modular flooring for long life and disassembly, delivering carbon-negative products verified through lifecycle assessment.
4. Lowe’s — Advances responsible sourcing and energy-efficient building materials aligned with science-based targets.
5. Signify — Expands circular lighting through product-as-a-service models and energy-efficient systems that reduce lifetime material use.

Clean Energy Choices & Carbon Reduction

1. Microsoft — Applies an internal carbon fee, requires supplier climate action, and is the largest corporate buyer of carbon removal credits.
2. Sony — Pursues net-zero environmental impact across electronics manufacturing and renewable energy expansion.
3. Target — Operates on 100% renewable electricity while reducing emissions across operations and private-label supply chains.
4. Tesla — Accelerates electric vehicle adoption and reshapes consumer expectations for low-carbon transportation.
5. United Airlines — Invests in sustainable aviation fuel and supports market mechanisms to reduce commercial aviation emissions.

Oceans & Waters (Including Sustainable Seafood)

1. Chipotle — Advances water stewardship and ingredient sourcing that protects watersheds.
2. Coca-Cola — Invests in watershed restoration and water-use efficiency in high-risk regions.
3. Levi’s — Cuts freshwater use in denim finishing by more than 80% through Water<Less® manufacturing.
4. Nestlé — Expands water stewardship and responsible sourcing standards across agricultural and seafood supply chains.
5. Whole Foods — Sets the U.S. benchmark for traceable, responsibly sourced seafood.

Plastic Reduction & Recycling

1. Costco — Reduces packaging intensity through bulk retail and simplified recyclable designs.
2. Keurig Dr. Pepper — Commits to recyclable packaging, recycled content, and leadership on EPR implementation.
3. Lush — Eliminates plastic packaging through refill systems and package-free products.
4. PepsiCo — Reduces virgin plastic and scales reuse and collection systems globally.
5. SC Johnson — Expands post-consumer recycled content and publicly supports extended producer responsibility.

Price Signals that Reward Sustainability

1. Allbirds — Applies product-level carbon footprinting to inform design and consumer choice.
2. Amazon — Uses internal carbon accounting and supplier climate standards to shift global supply chains.
3. Etsy — Covers shipping emissions for marketplace transactions and supports climate-forward commerce.
4. ExxonMobil — Publicly supports economy-wide carbon pricing as a market-based climate tool.
5. Loop — Deploys reuse-based pricing models that favor durable, returnable packaging.

Regenerative Food, Fashion & Farms

1. Danone — Advances regenerative agriculture through long-term farmer partnerships.
2. Eileen Fisher — Integrates regenerative fibers, resale, and take-back into a circular fashion model.
3. General Mills — Commits to regenerative practices across one million acres by 2030.
4. Mars — Invests in regenerative sourcing for key commodities under science-based targets.
5. Perdue — Strengthens soil health and farmer livelihoods through verified standards and long-term contracts.

Sustainable Cargo, Shipping & Transportation

1. FedEx — Commits to carbon-neutral operations by 2040 through electrification and sustainable aviation fuel.
2. Maersk — Deploys low-emissions vessels and advances cargo emissions transparency.
3. Nike — Reduces logistics emissions through cleaner shipping and supplier traceability.
4. UPS — Operates one of the largest alternative-fuel fleets and optimizes routes to cut emissions.
5. Walmart — Reduces freight and cold-chain emissions through efficiency and supplier standards.

Sustainable Forestry

1. Georgia-Pacific — Applies responsible fiber sourcing and supplier auditing.
2. IKEA — Sources more than 98% of its wood from certified or recycled sources.
3. Kimberly-Clark — Expands recycled content and commits to 100% responsible fiber sourcing.
4. McDonald’s — Sources all guest packaging fiber from recycled or certified sources.
5. Unilever — Commits to deforestation-free supply chains with third-party verification.

Sustainable Mining

1. Apple — Expands recycled aluminum, cobalt, and rare earth elements in products.
2. BMW — Improves battery mineral transparency and recycled content.
3. Dell — Operates closed-loop recycling systems that reduce virgin mineral demand.
4. Intel — Maintains industry-leading conflict minerals transparency programs.
5. Volvo — Increases recycled metals and strengthens responsible mineral sourcing.

Technology for Radical Source Reduction

1. Epson — Replaces cartridges with refillable systems that reduce plastic waste by up to 90%.
2. Fairphone — Designs modular, repairable smartphones that extend product life.
3. Google — Supports design-for-repair, refurbishment, and right-to-repair advocacy.
4. Sonos — Designs durable electronics with extended software support.
5. Zoom — Substitutes digital communication for business travel at global scale.

These companies were selected in consultation with sustainability industry leaders and consultants, including Brandon Morton, City of Richardson Texas Economic Development Division; Bruce Piasecki, AHC Group; and Bill Shireman, Solution Citizen.

“The Brand Hero Awards are not about perfection,” according to Bill Shireman, who created the initiative. “They are about progress, and about aligning corporate leadership with the broader transition toward a circular economy and culture that works more like nature.”

CIRCLE AMERICA SUMMIT: ADVANCING A CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND CULTURE

Highlighting how leading companies are already operationalizing these principles at scale, the Brand Hero Awards are a central feature of the Circle America Summit: Advancing a Circular Economy and Culture, taking place on Wednesday, April 22, at Earthx2026 in Dallas, TX.

The Circle America Summit convenes leaders across policy, business, and culture to examine how a circular economy can better reflect nature, protect human health, and reduce waste at scale. Through practical case studies and solution-driven conversations, the program explores innovations in reuse, recycling, and materials management, alongside the policies and market forces shaping their impact. The summit will also catalyze new partnerships and launch Circle America, a national effort to educate, engage, and mobilize the public around building a truly circular culture.

Registration for Earthx2026 is now open at https://earthx.org/earthx2026/tickets/.

ABOUT EARTHX

EarthX is an international nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to educating and inspiring people and organizations to take action towards a more sustainable future worldwide. EarthX is a member of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature. Founded in 2011 as Earth Day Dallas by environmentalist and businessman Trammell S. Crow, the Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promotes environmental awareness and impact through conscious business, nonpartisan collaboration, and community-driven sustainable solutions. EarthX presents ideas, initiatives and actions from some of the world’s best minds and most active participants in sustainability and conservation to audiences around the globe through livestream programming and in person events. Learn more: EarthX.org

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