Green

Mapped: Where Are the World’s Most Sustainable Companies?

Published

3 years ago

March 6, 2020

Iman Ghosh

The Most Sustainable Companies

Where Are the World’s Most Sustainable Companies?

Everywhere you look, sustainability is permeating social, political, and business agendas.

In recent years, an impressive number of companies have stepped up to take a more active role in shaping a more sustainable future—not just in the environmental sense, but also by taking social and governance factors into consideration.

Today’s chart draws from the Corporate Knights Global 100, an annual ranking of the 100 most sustainable companies, to visualize exactly how many are located in each corner of the world. The companies on the list are clear winners not only because they aim to leave the world a better place, but because their stocks have also outperformed the market on average.

How is Corporate Sustainability Measured?

The researchers rely on readily available data for all publicly-listed companies with at least $1 billion in gross revenue (in PPP), as of the financial year 2018.

Companies are then screened for several key performance indicators (KPIs), including but not limited to the following categories and examples:

Resource management
Example: GHGs and other emissions such as NOx and SOx emissions
Financial management
Example: Innovation capacity, or the percentage of R&D spending against total revenue
Employee management
Example: Women in executive management and/or on boards
Clean revenue
Example: The percentage of total revenue derived from “clean” products and services

The concentration of the most sustainable companies also varies greatly depending on where you look. Here’s a closer view of every region.

Europe: 49/100 Sustainable Companies

Europe is front-and-center in the tidal shift towards more sustainable business, driven by far-reaching regulations. With this in mind, it’s perhaps not surprising to see that Europe is a hotbed of activity.

Nearly half the world’s most sustainable companies are located in Europe. France paves the way with nine sustainable companies in the ranking, followed by Finland with six companies of 100.

Rank	Company	Industry	Country
#1	Ørsted A/S	Wholesale Power	🇩🇰 Denmark
#2	Chr. Hansen Holding A/S	Food and other chemical agents	🇩🇰 Denmark
#3	Neste Oyj	Petroleum Refineries	🇫🇮 Finland
#6	Novozymes A/S	Specialty and Performance Chemicals	🇩🇰 Denmark
#7	ING Groep NV	Banks	🇳🇱 Netherlands
#8	Enel SpA	Wholesale Power	🇮🇹 Italy
#11	Osram Licht AG	Electrical Equipment and Power Systems	🇩🇪 Germany
#13	Storebrand ASA	Insurance	🇳🇴 Norway
#14	Umicore SA	Primary Metals Products	🇧🇪 Belgium
#17	Iberdrola SA	Wholesale Power	🇪🇸 Spain
#18	Outotec Oyj	Machinery Manufacturing	🇫🇮 Finland
#20	Accenture PLC	Technology Consulting Services	🇮🇪 Ireland
#21	Dassault Systemes SE	Software	🇫🇷 France
#23	Kering SA	Apparel and Accessory Products	🇫🇷 France
#24	UPM-Kymmene Oyj	Forestry and Paper Products	🇫🇮 Finland
#27	H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB	Apparel and Accessories Retail	🇸🇪 Sweden
#28	Sanofi SA	Biopharmaceuticals	🇫🇷 France
#29	Schneider Electric SE	Industrial Conglomerates	🇫🇷 France
#31	BNP Paribas SA	Banks	🇫🇷 France
#32	Kone Oyj	Machinery Manufacturing	🇫🇮 Finland
#33	Verbund AG	Wholesale Power	🇦🇹 Austria
#34	Valeo SA	Consumer Vehicles and Parts	🇫🇷 France
#35	ERG S.p.A.	Wholesale Power	🇮🇹 Italy
#37	Vestas Wind Systems A/S	Electrical Equipment and Power Systems	🇩🇰 Denmark
#38	bioMérieux	Diagnostics and Drug Delivery Devices	🇫🇷 France
#39	Intesa Sanpaolo SpA	Banks	🇮🇹 Italy
#40	Koninklijke KPN NV	Wireless and Wireline Telecomm. Services	🇳🇱 Netherlands
#41	Siemens AG	Industrial Conglomerates	🇩🇪 Germany
#45	Koninklijke DSM NV	Food and other chemical agents	🇳🇱 Netherlands
#46	Unilever PLC	Personal Care and Cleaning Products	🇬🇧 UK
#52	Ericsson	Communications Equipment	🇸🇪 Sweden
#55	Adidas AG	Apparel and Accessory Products	🇩🇪 Germany
#56	AstraZeneca PLC	Biopharmaceuticals	🇬🇧 UK
#59	Commerzbank AG	Banks	🇩🇪 Germany
#61	Abb Ltd	Industrial Conglomerates	🇨🇭 Switzerland
#64	Pearson PLC	Personal Professional Services	🇬🇧 UK
#65	BT Group PLC	Wireless and Wireline Telecomm. Services	🇬🇧 UK
#66	Metso Oyj	Machinery Manufacturing	🇫🇮 Finland
#69	Assicurazioni Generali SpA	Insurance	🇮🇹 Italy
#70	Acciona SA	Facilities and Construction Services	🇪🇸 Spain
#71	Novo Nordisk A/S	Biopharmaceuticals	🇩🇰 Denmark
#73	Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB	Banks	🇸🇪 Sweden
#76	Ucb S.A.	Biopharmaceuticals	🇧🇪 Belgium
#79	GlaxoSmithKline PLC	Biopharmaceuticals	🇬🇧 UK
#87	BASF SE	Specialty and Performance Chemicals	🇩🇪 Germany
#94	Industria de Diseno Textil SA	Apparel and Accessories Retail	🇪🇸 Spain
#98	L'Oreal SA	Personal Care and Cleaning Products	🇫🇷 France
#99	Kesko Corporation	Food and Beverage Retail	🇫🇮 Finland
#100	Amundi SA	Investment Services	🇫🇷 France

Denmark’s Ørsted A/S claims the top of the leaderboard in 2020. Within a decade, the company has completely transformed its business model—shifting away from the Danish Oil and Natural Gas (DONG) company into a pure play renewable energy company. The company recognized the importance of this transition:

Running the company just for profit doesn’t make sense, but running it just for a bigger purpose is also not sustainable in the long term. Doing good and doing well must go together.

—Henrik Poulsen, CEO

Just 10 years ago, DONG was 85%-fossil fuel based, and only 15%-renewables based. Today, Ørsted has flipped these proportions. The company attributes its dramatic transformation to the societal demand for green energy, and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2025.

North America: 29/100 Sustainable Companies

In this region, the U.S. alone is responsible for 17 of the top 100 sustainable companies in the world. What’s more, of the 28 new companies to the 2020 Ranking, Canada is the homebase for nine of these entrants.

Rank	Company	Industry	Country
#4	Cisco Systems Inc	Communications Equipment	🇺🇸 U.S.
#5	Autodesk Inc	Software	🇺🇸 U.S.
#10	Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp	Electric Utilities	🇨🇦 CA
#15	Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co	Computer Hardware	🇺🇸 U.S.
#16	American Water	Water Utilities	🇺🇸 U.S.
#22	McCormick & Company	Food and Beverage Production	🇺🇸 U.S.
#26	Prologis Inc	Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)	🇺🇸 U.S.
#44	Bombardier Inc	Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing	🇨🇦 CA
#47	Sims Metal Management Ltd	Primary Metals Products	🇺🇸 U.S.
#48	Bank of Montreal	Banks	🇨🇦 CA
#49	Cascades Inc	Containers and Packaging	🇨🇦 CA
#53	Danaher Corporation	Medical Devices	🇺🇸 U.S.
#54	Canadian National Railway Co	Cargo Transportation and Infrastructure Services	🇨🇦 CA
#57	Stantec Inc	Facilities and Construction Services	🇨🇦 CA
#58	HP Inc	Computer Peripherals and Systems	🇺🇸 U.S.
#60	Sun Life Financial Inc	Insurance	🇨🇦 CA
#62	Alphabet Inc	Internet and Data Services	🇺🇸 U.S.
#67	Comerica Incorporated	Banks	🇺🇸 U.S.
#74	Tesla Inc	Consumer Vehicles and Parts	🇺🇸 U.S.
#77	Workday Inc	Software	🇺🇸 U.S.
#78	Merck & Co Inc	Biopharmaceuticals	🇺🇸 U.S.
#81	Intel Corporation	Semiconductor Manufacturing	🇺🇸 U.S.
#82	Analog Devices Inc	Semiconductor Manufacturing	🇺🇸 U.S.
#83	IGM Financial Inc	Investment Services	🇨🇦 CA
#84	Canadian Solar Inc	Electrical Equipment and Power Systems	🇨🇦 CA
#88	Cogeco Communications Inc	Wireless and Wireline Telecomm. Services	🇨🇦 CA
#91	Teck Resources Ltd.	Metal Ore Mining	🇨🇦 CA
#93	Campbell Soup	Food and Beverage Production	🇺🇸 U.S.
#96	Telus Corp.	Wireless and Wireline Telecomm. Services	🇨🇦 CA

Cisco Systems comes in fourth worldwide, partly as a result of its clean revenues worth a stunning $25 billion. Not far behind is Autodesk, which rose an impressive 43 places since 2019. The main factor behind this leap? The software corporation now operates its cloud platforms using 99% renewable energy.

Asia: 16/100 Sustainable Companies

Over in Asia, Japan is a clear leader, boasting six sustainable companies in the list. Interestingly, the companies are from a wide range of industries, from computers (Panasonic) to cars (Toyota).

Rank	Company	Industry	Country
#12	Sekisui Chemicals	Other Materials	🇯🇵 Japan
#25	Taiwan Semiconductor	Semiconductor Equipment and Services	🇹🇼 Taiwan
#36	City Developments Ltd	Real Estate Investment and Services	🇸🇬 Singapore
#43	Shinhan Financial Group	Banks	🇰🇷 South Korea
#50	Advantech	Computer Hardware	🇹🇼 Taiwan
#63	Capitaland Limited	Real Estate Investment and Services	🇸🇬 Singapore
#68	Takeda Pharmaceutical	Biopharmaceuticals	🇯🇵 Japan
#72	Konica Minolta	Computer Peripherals and Systems	🇯🇵 Japan
#80	Samsung	Electrical Equipment and Power Systems	🇰🇷 South Korea
#85	BYD Co.	Consumer Vehicles and Parts	🇨🇳 China
#86	Kao Corp.	Personal Care and Cleaning Products	🇯🇵 Japan
#89	Panasonic Corp.	Computer Hardware	🇯🇵 Japan
#90	Vitasoy	Food and Beverage Production	🇭🇰 Hong Kong
#92	Toyota Motor Corp.	Consumer Vehicles and Parts	🇯🇵 Japan
#95	Singtel	Wireless and Wireline Telecomm. Services	🇸🇬 Singapore
#97	Lenovo Group	Computer Peripherals and Systems	🇨🇳 China

Japanese plastics manufacturer Sekisui Chemicals comes in first in Asia, after an immense improvement of 77 positions in just one year. The company builds environmentally-friendly housing, and 28% of its revenue aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Rest of the World: 6/100 Sustainable Companies

There are a few notable mentions in other regions, too. Brazil’s Banco do Brasil remains in the top ten list, and is one of the three most sustainable companies in all of South America.

Rank	Company	Industry	Country
#9	Banco do Brasil SA	Banks	🇧🇷 Brazil
#19	CEMIG	Electric Utilities	🇧🇷 Brazil
#30	Natura Cosmeticos SA	Personal Care and Cleaning Products	🇧🇷 Brazil
#42	National Australia Bank Ltd	Banks	🇦🇺 Australia
#51	Standard Bank Group Ltd	Banks	🇿🇦 South Africa
#75	Westpac Banking Corp	Banks	🇦🇺 Australia

More than half of the companies in these remaining regions are banks. Incidentally, financial services are the biggest group in the Global 100 overall.

The Best of Both Worlds

As it turns out, you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Altogether, the Global 100 most sustainable companies have consistently outperformed*, and outlasted the average company in the MSCI ACWI (All Country World Index):

Metric	G100	MSCI ACWI
Annualized Return	7.3%	7.0%
Average Company Age	83 years	49 years

*Between 2005-Dec. 31 2019

Corporate sustainability is a significant driving force for urgent climate action, and the sustainable companies on this list acknowledge the triple bottom line of not just making profit, but also creating a lasting impact on people and the planet.

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Environment

The Biggest Carbon Emitters, By Sector

The manufacturing and construction sector contributed to 6.3 billion tonnes of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.

Written By

Tessa Di Grandi

Graphics & Design

Alejandra Dander

Published December 1, 2022 • Updated December 1, 2022 •

The Biggest Carbon Emitters, By Sector

It’s no secret that greenhouse gas emissions need to decrease drastically in order to fight the effects of climate change.

As countries across the globe ramp up efforts to reduce global warming, every industry needs to do its part. So who’s lagging and who’s leading?

Although often less discussed, the manufacturing and construction sector is a large contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.

The above graphic from Northstar Clean Technologies takes a look at the biggest contributors by sector in relation to greenhouse gas emissions.

Breakdown Of Emissions

The manufacturing and construction sector is a growing one, and as population and infrastructure expand, it’s vital that we take all actionable paths to reduce emissions.

Manufacturing and construction contributed to 6.3 billion tonnes of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. Let’s look at the breakdown of greenhouse gas emissions by sector over the years from Our World In Data.

In 2019 electricity and heat were the biggest carbon emitters, while transport came in second place.

Manufacturing and construction overtook the agriculture sector in 2007 to become the third largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Building a Solution

One solution to reducing the impact of the manufacturing and construction sector is to repurpose materials. This reduces emissions and waste while also being both energy and cost-efficient.

Take a material like asphalt shingles as an example. This product is found on the roofs of approximately 75% of single-family detached homes in the U.S. and Canada.

In 2018, 86% of total asphalt shingles waste was dumped in landfills where they do not decompose or biodegrade. Reusing and recycling existing materials like asphalt shingles is a vital step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the industry.

Northstar Clean Technologies repurposes the three primary components of asphalt shingles which are then recycled back into the market.

By reprocessing asphalt shingles into three primary components, Northstar’s clean technology has been shown to reduce CO₂ emissions by 60% compared to virgin production of liquid asphalt.

Click to learn how Northstar Clean Technologies is becoming one of the top material recovery providers in North America.

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Green

Mapped: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Around the World

This graphic maps out carbon emissions around the world and where they come from, using data from the European Commission.

Creator Program

Published

1 week ago

November 29, 2022

Carmen Ang

mapping carbon dioxide emissions worldwide

Mapped: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Around the World

According to Our World in Data, the global population emits about 34 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) each year.

Where does all this CO₂ come from? This graphic by Adam Symington maps out carbon emissions around the world, using 2018 data from the European Commission that tracks tonnes of CO₂ per 0.1 degree grid (roughly 11 square kilometers).

This type of visualization allows us to clearly see not just population centers, but flight paths, shipping lanes, and high production areas. Let’s take a closer look at some of these concentrated (and brightly lit) regions on the map.

China, India, and the Indian Ocean

As the two most populated countries and economic forces, China and India are both significant emitters of CO₂. China in particular accounts for about 27% of global CO₂ emissions.

And looking at the oceans, we see how much shipping adds to emissions, with many shipping lanes east of China clearly outlined as well as the major Indian Ocean lane between the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal.

The United States and Central America

The United States is one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters. While other countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia technically have higher emissions per capita, their overall emissions are relatively low due to smaller populations.

Across the U.S., the most brightly lit areas are major population centers like the Boston-Washington corridor, the Bay Area, and the Great Lakes. But also lit up are many of the interconnecting highways linking all these population centers, even in the less-populated middle of the country.

With so much traffic in and out of the U.S., the oceans become a murky mix of shipping and flight paths. To the south, very clearly visible is the major concentration of people around Mexico City and the traffic flowing through the Panama Canal.

South America’s Network of Emissions

Like the other regions, some of South America’s most populated areas are also the biggest emitters, such as São Paulo and Rio in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina. This map also highlights the continent’s rough terrain, with most of the population and highway emissions limited to the coasts.

However, the cities aren’t the only big emitters in the region. There are clear lines intersecting the Amazon forest in many sections where cities and roads were constructed, including the economic hub city of Manaus along the Amazon River. Likewise, the oceans have many major shipping lanes highlighted, particularly East of Brazil.

Europe and North Africa

Germany is one of Europe’s biggest carbon emitters—in 2021, the country generated almost 644 million tonnes of CO₂.

Also making an impression are Italy (which is the second-highest CO₂ emitter after Germany) and the UK, as well the significant amount of trade along the English Channel.

Compared to the intricate network of cities, towns, and bustling highways spanning Europe, across the Mediterranean are far clearer and simpler lines of activity in Northern Africa. Two major exceptions are in the Middle-East, where Egypt’s Nile River and Suez Canal are massively lit up, as well as Israel on the east of the sea.

But a more significant (albeit murkier) picture is drawn by the massive amounts of shipping and flight paths illuminating the Atlantic and Mediterranean at large.

Net Zero by 2050

To mitigate the negative effects of climate change, countries around the world have made commitments to reach net-zero emissions.

Imagining the global map of emissions with these commitments in action requires a complete transformation of energy production, consumption habits, transportation infrastructure, and more. And even then, a future generated map wouldn’t be fully dark, as “net-zero” is not equivalent to zero emissions but a balance of emissions and removal.

How might this map of global emissions look in the near and distant future? And what other interesting insights can you generate by browsing the world this way?