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When buying a new appliance (or just about any new tech), it's always good to ask two questions: 1) Does it use less energy than competing devices; and 2) Is it made in a responsible manner?

If you're looking for a new washing machine or other large appliance, a new survey by ClimateCounts.org finds that the best company for answering that second question is Whirlpool. 

The survey ranks manufacturers on 22 criteria, including how much they have reduced their carbon footprint,  what they have done to disclose their footprints, and what steps they have taken to enhance or hinder environmental legislation. Whirlpool ranked high in almost all categories, earning them a score of 61 out of 100, the highest of any company in the "large appliances" category. (By comparison, the second-place company -- LG -- earned just 49 points.)

Among the survey's highlights, "Climate Counts...found that Whirlpool has established clear goals to reduce the company's energy use and that the company has reduced its impact on global warming (i.e. its greenhouse gas emissions or climate footprint)."

Obviously, you'll want to check your options when buying individual devices -- for instance, make sure they are Energy Star-rated -- but this is nice info to use when going appliance shopping.

Meanwhile, you can also use the Climate Counts survey to find the scores of a wide range of other companies, including hotels, airlines, food services and electronics.

What other criteria do you use when buying appliances? Let us know in the comments section!