Five Minnesota companies-3M Company, Ecolab, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., Target Corporation, and Best Buy Company, Inc.-ranked among the top 90 companies on Newsweek's recently released “2010 Green Rankings” list.

The list ranks the 500 largest public companies in the United States based on their “green score,” which encompasses environmental impact, green policies, and reputation.

Of all the Minnesota companies, Maplewood-based 3M ranked the highest at number 22 with a green score of 88.48 out of possible 100. St. Paul-based Ecolab was close behind at number 26 with a green score of 87.65.

Fridley-based Medtronic came in 37th with a score of 86.15. Minneapolis-based Target and Richfield-based Best Buy rounded out the Minnesota companies on the list, coming in at 61st and 86th, respectively.

To rank the companies, Newsweek collaborated with MSCI ESG Research-a source of environmental, social, and governance ratings; Trucost-which specializes in quantitative measurements of environmental performance; and CorporateRegister.com-an online directory of social responsibility, sustainability, and environmental reports.

Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, Inc., took top honors this year with a perfect green score of 100, followed by Palo Alto, California-based Hewlett-Packard and Armonk, New York-based International Business Machines (IBM).