Nissan has been ranked among the world’s greenest brands, improving its position to fourth place in Interbrand’s Best Global Green Brands report, up from fifth last year.

The survey cited Nissan’s leadership in electric vehicles, ambitious EV infrastructure plan and its support for the sustainability goals of governments. The green brand report ranks brands based on a company’s environmental practices and customers’ perceptions of their eco-friendliness and social impact.

By ranking fourth in 2014 Nissan improved on its strong showing last year when it moved up 16 positions to crack Interbrand’s Best Global Green Brand top 10 for the first time.

“More and more people want to buy products from brands that come from organizations they trust and believe in,” said Roel De Vries, Nissan corporate vice president, Global Marketing, Brand and Communications.

“Best Green Global Brands is a reflection of everything that we as a brand do to make the world a better place. That we are recognized this year as among the best is a confirmation we are on the right path.”

Electric vehicles offer CO2-free operation and are widely recognised as eco-friendly. The Nissan Leaf is the best-selling electric vehicle in history, with more than 120,000units sold since launch. It held nearly 50 per cent of the global EV market share in 2013.

Nissan launched its second all-electric vehicle, thee-NV200 commercial van, in June. Compared to commercial vehicles that use internal combustion engines, the e-NV200 offers reduced running costs as a zero-emission alternative for urban cargo delivery and taxi companies.

Nissan is also working to build infrastructure to accelerate uptake of EV technology. The company is aiming to triple the number of recharging devices in major U.S. cities over the next 18 months. In Japan, there are more than 6,000 chargers available to the public, and Nissan is working with industry players to speed up the establishment of more. In Europe, 1,100 quick chargers have been installed. – TradeArabia News Service