CLAREMONT, Calif. — Chevron topped the list of public California companies for overall sustainability reporting, according to a recent report, outpacing other reputed eco- and socially-minded companies, such as Google.

The Roberts Environmental Center of Claremont McKenna College studied the ways in which public California companies used their web pages to communicate their environmental and social efforts using the Pacific Sustainability Index.

Chevron, Cisco Systems Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Agilent Technologies and Occidental Petroleum took the top five slots for overall environmental and sustainability reporting. Rounding out the bottom were Earle M. Jorgensen, VeriSign, Flletwood Enterprises Inc., Ryland Group Inc. and Google.

"We were surprised to see companies like Google with such low scores while many of the oil companies scored quite high," J. Emil Morhardt, director of Roberts Environmental Center, said in a statement. "It's a lot like the tree falling in the forest conundrum -- companies that perform admirably, but don't communicate their efforts get the same scores as companies that don't even think about these issues. We hope this report encourages socially responsible companies to be more vocal about their efforts while encouraging companies that have not addressed sustainability issues to step up."

Chevron, which received an A+, earned kudos for its reporting on environmental and social intent but was knocked for lack of environmental data, such as for recycling, waste and water.

“A more comprehensive historical comparison would increase the report’s transparency,” the report said.