Top 100 Most Sustainable Companies 2023

The year 2023 was marked by an unprecedented climate peak. The World Meteorological Organization named it the hottest year to date, underscoring the deepening climate emergency. Compounding the urgency, the Global Carbon Project reported that fossil fuel emissions soared to unprecedented heights, flouting worldwide vows to slash these harmful discharges.

Yet, within these daunting realities, hope emerged: a surge in corporate initiatives tackling environmental predicaments. Corporate Knights' studies shed light on a remarkable shift: firms channelling a considerable slice of their funds into eco-friendly ventures, propelling us toward a more sustainable future. This transformation is a segment of a more significant evolution, tracing back to the debut of the Corporate Knights' Global 100 index two decades prior.

Rewind to 2005, the inception of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies list, and the concept of a green economy barely registered beyond a niche interest. Back then, the corporate sustainability landscape was barren; standardised reporting on environmental efforts was nonexistent. Toby Heaps, the visionary behind Corporate Knights, reminisces about the infancy of sustainability measurement and advocacy. Fast forward to today, and the landscape is dramatically altered: green investments are not just flourishing but are being measured in trillions, outpacing general economic growth by sixfold.

However, the embrace of sustainability is only sometimes universal. Specific sectors, notably fossil fuels and banking, cling to their conventional, less sustainable models. But the vanguard of the sustainability movement is advancing boldly. The 2024 Global 100 rankings reveal that the frontrunners allocated 55% of their budgets to eco-conscious projects, a leap from the prior year's 47%. This contrasts the broader market of major publicly listed companies, where green investments languish at 17%.

The pioneers aren't merely investing in green initiatives but profiting from them. The leading firms of the 2024 Global 100 derived 51% of their income from sustainable ventures, a modest uptick from the year before, vastly outpacing the general market’s 16%.

Leading the charge in the 2024 index are two Australian entities, Sims Ltd. and Brambles Ltd., distinguished for their contributions to sustainable revenue and investment. Sims, clinching the top spot, is lauded for its extensive global recycling of scrap metal, while Brambles earns accolades for its international leasing of reusable pallets and containers. Both firms exemplify the seamless fusion of circular economy principles with lucrative business strategies, establishing benchmarks for others in the pursuit of sustainability.

2024 Ranking	Name	GICS Industry	Energy Productivity Score	Carbon Productivity Score	Overall Score
1	Sims Ltd	Metals & Mining	95.0%	90.0%	A+
2	Brambles Ltd	Commercial Services & Supplies	57.1%	58.3%	A
3	Vestas Wind Systems A/S	Electrical Equipment	66.5%	59.8%	A
4	Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp	Transportation Infrastructure	56.3%	81.3%	A
5	Nordex SE	Electrical Equipment	98.2%	65.3%	A
6	Banco do Brasil SA	Banks	97.9%	79.5%	A-
7	Schneider Electric SE	Electrical Equipment	98.8%	74.8%	A-
8	Chr Hansen Holding A/S	Chemicals	59.3%	71.9%	A-
9	Stantec Inc	Construction & Engineering	59.6%	35.2%	A-
10	SMA Solar Technology AG	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	72.0%	75.5%	A-
11	Autodesk Inc	Software	100.0%	63.1%	A-
12	WSP Global Inc	Construction & Engineering	46.8%	40.1%	B+
13	Clean Harbors Inc	Commercial Services & Supplies	54.1%	40.0%	B+
14	Enphase Energy Inc	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	75.0%	72.0%	B+
15	Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson	Communications Equipment	61.0%	83.4%	B+
16	SunPower Corp	Electrical Equipment	100.0%		B+
17	Ørsted A/S	Electric Utilities	93.9%	84.7%	B+
18	Alstom SA	Machinery	72.6%	71.5%	B+
19	Neste Oyj	Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels	97.4%	92.4%	B+
20	Dassault Systèmes SE	Software	20.2%	43.1%	B+
21	Giant Manufacturing Co Ltd	Leisure Products	31.7%	34.4%	B+
22	City Developments Ltd	Real Estate Management & Development	64.0%	45.2%	B+
23	Trane Technologies PLC	Building Products	71.4%	38.5%	B+
24	United Utilities Group PLC	Water Utilities	62.9%	83.5%	B+
25	XPeng Inc	Automobiles	94.4%	75.0%	B
26	Wheaton Precious Metals Corp	Metals & Mining	83.5%	82.5%	B
27	Brookfield Renewable Partners LP	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers	63.9%	82.9%	B
28	ERG SpA	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers	46.0%	63.7%	B
29	Kesko Oyj	Food & Staples Retailing	85.0%	74.8%	B
30	Risen Energy Co Ltd	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	42.9%	38.3%	B
31	Severn Trent PLC	Water Utilities	72.8%	62.9%	B
32	Hydro One Ltd	Electric Utilities	53.6%	67.1%	B
33	Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co Ltd	Machinery	46.2%		B
34	First Solar Inc	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	8.4%	8.7%	B
35	Eisai Co Ltd	Pharmaceuticals	72.6%	95.7%	B
36	Radius Recycling	Metals & Mining	44.6%	85.0%	B
37	Beazley PLC	Insurance	75.3%	83.0%	B
38	Cascades Inc	Containers & Packaging	18.3%	45.3%	B
39	EDP Renováveis SA	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers	85.5%		B
40	Beijing Enterprises Water Group Ltd	Water Utilities	33.5%	31.7%	B
41	Atea ASA	IT Services	48.8%	70.4%	B
42	Yadea Group Holdings Ltd	Automobiles	57.7%	25.0%	B
43	Li Auto Inc	Automobiles	70.6%	66.8%	B-
44	Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	11.8%	10.0%	B-
45	Kering SA	Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods	91.8%	75.3%	B-
46	Tesla Inc	Automobiles		71.5%	B-
47	Umicore SA	Chemicals	92.9%	80.9%	B-
48	SAP SE	Software	33.5%	25.5%	B-
49	McCormick & Company Inc	Food Products	92.9%	96.8%	B-
50	NIO Inc	Automobiles	57.4%	46.9%	B-
51	BCE Inc	Diversified Telecommunication Services	42.0%	74.0%	B-
52	Investec Ltd	Capital Markets	60.9%	11.7%	B-
53	Novo Nordisk A/S	Pharmaceuticals	94.4%	93.6%	B-
54	Puma SE	Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods	96.7%	75.0%	B-
55	Samsung SDI Co Ltd	Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components	14.2%	45.1%	B-
56	Rivian Automotive, Inc	Automobiles			B-
57	Intesa Sanpaolo SpA	Banks	33.2%	27.6%	B-
58	Novozymes A/S	Chemicals	13.6%	12.1%	C+
59	Elisa Oyj	Diversified Telecommunication Services	62.6%	67.2%	C+
60	Arçelik AS	Household Durables	87.5%	85.0%	C+
61	Pirelli & C SpA	Auto Components	28.1%	25.0%	C+
62	Singapore Telecommunications Ltd	Diversified Telecommunication Services	55.6%	46.4%	C+
63	Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	17.9%	9.2%	C+
64	Cisco Systems Inc	Communications Equipment	79.9%	32.2%	C+
65	KB Financial Group Inc	Banks	11.5%	16.7%	C+
66	Sanofi SA	Pharmaceuticals	67.7%	66.6%	C+
67	HP Inc	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	55.0%	48.2%	C+
68	Essity AB (publ)	Household Products	67.2%	64.5%	C+
69	Equinix Inc	Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)	12.7%	8.9%	C+
70	Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE	Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)	85.8%	50.1%	C+
71	Apple Inc	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	95.6%	69.7%	C+
72	Ricoh Co Ltd	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	34.2%	30.6%	C+
73	Cogeco Communications Inc	Media	28.8%	80.6%	C+
74	Solaredge Technologies Inc	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	58.5%	66.4%	C+
75	Telefônica Brasil SA	Diversified Telecommunication Services	96.4%	96.3%	C+
76	Unilever PLC	Personal Products	65.2%	32.3%	C+
77	Xerox Holdings Corp	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	11.7%	20.0%	C
78	Coloplast A/S	Health Care Equipment & Supplies	96.7%	53.1%	C
79	Sun Life Financial Inc	Insurance	13.6%	22.7%	C
80	StarHub Ltd	Wireless Telecommunication Services	59.1%	61.1%	C
81	Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	34.6%	31.2%	C
82	Svenska Handelsbanken AB	Banks	38.8%	90.8%	C
83	Nordea Bank Abp	Banks	84.0%	82.1%	C
84	Orkla ASA	Food Products	39.7%	70.4%	C
85	Telus Corp	Diversified Telecommunication Services	39.5%	72.9%	C
86	Henkel AG & Co KgaA	Household Products	53.9%	41.8%	C
87	Prologis Inc	Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)	98.3%	99.4%	C
88	UniCredit SpA	Banks	64.0%	40.2%	C
89	Commerzbank AG	Banks	32.3%	60.7%	C
90	BNP Paribas SA	Banks	27.3%	51.0%	C
91	Assicurazioni Generali SpA	Insurance	82.1%	47.5%	C
92	Teck Resources Ltd	Metals & Mining	65.5%	76.9%	C
93	Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd	Food Products	18.0%	15.5%	C
94	Bank of China Ltd	Banks	8.2%	6.6%	C
95	AstraZeneca PLC	Pharmaceuticals	91.3%	65.8%	C-
96	IGM Financial Inc	Capital Markets	100.0%	72.6%	C-
97	Biomérieux SA	Health Care Equipment & Supplies	65.0%	65.6%	C-
98	Manulife Financial Corp	Insurance	6.0%	8.3%	C-
99	Sino Land Co Ltd	Real Estate Management & Development	37.4%	17.5%	C-
100	Sysmex Corp	Health Care Equipment & Supplies	32.6%	67.9%	C-

Source: The Global 100 list: How the world’s most sustainable corporations are driving the green transition