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Mapped: The Countries With the Most Sustainable Corporate Giants

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Mapped: The Countries With the Most Sustainable Corporations

Mapped: The Countries With the Most Sustainable Corporate Giants

From plastic-filled oceans to unequal pay, sustainability is a hot topic these days. Many people are wondering how we’ll move the needle on these important issues, and the business world is being pressured to take action.

Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.

— Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager

Which of the world’s largest companies are stepping up to the plate on these issues?

The Global 100 Index

Today’s visualization pulls data from Corporate Knight’s 2019 Global 100 report, which ranks the most sustainable corporations in the world.

Any public company with revenue of at least $1B USD is screened for various factors such as sufficient sustainability reporting. The resulting corporations are scored on an industry-specific mix of performance metrics in the following areas:

  • Resource Management
  • Employee Management
  • Financial Management
  • Clean Revenue
  • Supplier Performance

The final ranking represents the top companies from each sector, with the number from each sector based on the relative size of its market capitalization.

Sustainable Corporations by Country

Here’s all the countries that had companies on the list:

CountryNumber of Companies on the Global 100
United States22
France11
Japan8
Finland7
United Kingdom7
Canada6
Germany5
Brazil4
Denmark4
Sweden4
South Korea3
Spain3
Australia2
Belgium2
Italy2
Netherlands2
Singapore2
Switzerland2
Taiwan2
Austria1
Ireland1

The U.S. tops the list with 22 companies – far more than any other country. European countries also dominate the list and have 51 companies on the G100 overall. Notably, the populous countries of India and China have no representation on the list.

The Top 10 Companies

So, which individual companies made the list? Here’s a snapshot of the star players:

RankCompanyCountryIndustryOverall Score
1Chr. Hansen Holding A/SDenmarkFood or other Chemical Agents82.99%
2Kering SAFranceApparel and Accessories81.55%
3Neste CorporationFinlandPetroleum Refineries80.92%
4ØrstedDenmarkWholesale Power80.13%
5GlaxoSmithKline plcUnited KingdomBiopharmaceuticals79.41%
6Prologis, Inc.United StatesReal Estate Investment Trusts79.12%
7UmicoreBelgiumPrimary Metals Products79.05%
8Banco do Brasil S.A.BrazilBanks78.15%
9Shinhan Financial Group Co.South KoreaBanks77.75%
10Taiwan SemiconductorTaiwanSemiconductor Equipment77.71%

Chr. Hansen Holding A/S leapt from #66 in 2018 to the top spot this year. According to CEO Mauricio Graber, the company develops “cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colors for a rich variety of foods, confectionery, beverages, dietary supplements and even animal feed.”

A staggering 82% of Chr. Hansen’s revenue contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainability Goals. The company is using good bacteria to reduce antibiotic use, crop pesticides, and food waste. Over the last three years, the company has reduced yogurt waste by 400,000 tonnes.

What’s in it for Companies?

While societal pressure is certainly one motivating factor, Harvard Business Review notes that corporate sustainability has many benefits:

  • Drives competitive advantage through stakeholder engagement
  • Improves risk management
  • Fosters innovation
  • Improves financial performance
  • Builds customer loyalty
  • Attracts and engages employees

It’s clear that sustainability is a strong differentiator in the business community. The world’s largest – and smartest – companies are leading the charge towards a greener, more equitable future.

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How Carbon Dioxide Removal is Critical to a Net-Zero Future

Here’s how carbon dioxide removal methods could help us meet net-zero targets and and stabilize the climate.

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Teaser image for a post on the importance of carbon dioxide removal in the push for a net-zero future.

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The following content is sponsored by Carbon Streaming

How Carbon Dioxide Removal is Critical to a Net-Zero Future

Meeting the Paris Agreement temperature goals and avoiding the worst consequences of a warming world requires first and foremost emission reductions, but also the ongoing direct removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.

We’ve partnered with Carbon Streaming to take a deep look at carbon dioxide removal methods, and the role that they could play in a net-zero future. 

What is Carbon Dioxide Removal?

Carbon Dioxide Removal, or CDR, is the direct removal of CO2 from the atmosphere and its durable storage in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs, or in products. 

And according to the UN Environment Programme, all least-cost pathways to net zero that are consistent with the Paris Agreement have some role for CDR. In a 1.5°C scenario, in addition to emissions reductions, CDR will need to pull an estimated 3.8 GtCO2e p.a. out of the atmosphere by 2035 and 9.2 GtCO2e p.a. by 2050.

The ‘net’ in net zero is an important quantifier here, because there will be some sectors that can’t decarbonize, especially in the near term. This includes things like shipping and concrete production, where there are limited commercially viable alternatives to fossil fuels.

Not All CDR is Created Equal

There are a whole host of proposed ways for removing CO2 from the atmosphere at scale, which can be divided into land-based and novel methods, and each with their own pros and cons. 

Land-based methods, like afforestation and reforestation and soil carbon sequestration, tend to be the cheapest options, but don’t tend to store the carbon for very long—just decades to centuries. 

In fact, afforestation and reforestation—basically planting lots of trees—is already being done around the world and in 2020, was responsible for removing around 2 GtCO2e. And while it is tempting to think that we can plant our way out of climate change, think that the U.S. would need to plant a forest the size of New Mexico every year to cancel out their emissions.

On the other hand, novel methods like enhanced weathering and direct air carbon capture and storage, because they store carbon in minerals and geological reservoirs, can keep carbon sequestered for tens of thousand years or longer. The trade off is that these methods can be very expensive—between $100-500 and north of $800 per metric ton

CDR Has a Critical Role to Play

In the end, there is no silver bullet, and given that 2023 was the hottest year on record—1.45°C above pre-industrial levels—it’s likely that many different CDR methods will end up playing a part, depending on local circumstances. 

And not just in the drive to net zero, but also in the years after 2050, as we begin to stabilize global average temperatures and gradually return them to pre-industrial norms. 

Carbon Streaming uses carbon credit streams to finance CDR projects, such as reforestation and biochar, to accelerate a net-zero future.

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Learn more about Carbon Streaming’s CDR projects.

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