As our readers are now familiar with, this website likes to comment on CSR lists, and oh, are there many. Such lists can be used as a grazing area for readers screening new SRI candidates.This World's Most Ethical ("WME") list is brought to you by Ethisphere.com. This firm (this word is chosen over organization and you'll see why) has come out of nowhere to become among a few select lists cited by companies. These are companies that are socially responsible and want that fact to be known to their customers, suppliers, investors, etc. Ethisphere started in 2007 as an online newsletter and later transformed to what is known today. Unlike other CSR lists, there are no rankings and no set number of chosen companies. Though, typically 100-130 companies are chosen.
However, as in politics, Ethisphere is not without its own ethical controversies. According to Will Evans of Slate magazine, the organization has an inherent conflict of interest. In his article, Mr. Evans states, "Ethisphere's director, Alex Brigham, is also president and CEO of Corpedia, which helps corporations develop and review their ethics programs." In fact, Corpedia has several hundred clients, some of which are on the WME list. Specifically, Ethisphere charges companies to be part of its membership groups, buy ads in its magazine, and certify them with its "Ethics Inside" label, which they receive only if Ethisphere determines that "its compliance and ethics activities are demonstrably better than competitors." We'll leave it to others to sort out this issue, but Ethisphere has made changes to become more transparent and has changed its advisory panel. The history of these changes are on its website, unfortunately several links are not functioning properly so we could not attain the desired background information.
Despite the above, we like the WME list for a few reasons:
- several of the companies on the list have been recognized by other organizations as being socially responsible.
- the list has few Banks and other industries that have been scandal-ridden, providing additional comfort to us.
- Ethisphere automatically excludes companies operating in "sin industries" such as alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
- while it's true that the qualifying companies simply fill out a questionnaire, Ethisphere has a process to ween down the list including utilizing independent verification.
- Any organization, public or private, large or small, for profit or not-for-profit can participate. Other lists have become filled with large public companies (and we generally feel that small, and/or private companies are more socially responsible).
- Any company that has had significant legal trouble over the past five years is excluded from the list.
This year, a record 145 companies made it on the list, with 43 of those headquartered outside the U.S. Since 2007, 23 companies have made it on the list every year. Readers take note! They include:
- American Express
- Fluor
- General Electric
- Milliken & Company
- Patagonia
- Rabobank
- Starbucks
2013 World's Most Ethical Companies
Aerospace & Defense |
|
|---|---|
| Rockwell Collins |  USA |
| The Aerospace Corporation | USA |
Agriculture |
|
| Ethical Fruit Company Ltd |  UK |
Apparel |
|
| Gap Inc | USA |
| H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB |  Sweden |
Automotive |
|
| Cummins Inc. | USA |
| Delphi | USA |
| Ford Motor Company | USA |
| Johnson Controls, Inc. | USA |
Banking |
|
| National Australia Bank |  Australia |
| Old National Bank | USA |
| Westpac Banking Corporation | Australia |
Business Services |
|
| Accenture |  Ireland |
| Capgemini |  France |
| Dun & Bradstreet | USA |
| Paychex, Inc. | USA |
| Salesforce.com | USA |
| William E. Connor & Associates Ltd. |  Hong Kong |
Chemicals |
|
| Ecolab | USA |
| H.B. Fuller | USA |
| The Mosaic Company | USA |
| The Sherwin-Williams Company | USA |
Computer Hardware |
|
| Hitachi Data Systems | USA |
| Intel Corporation | USA |
Computer Software |
|
| Adobe System Incorporated | USA |
| Microsoft Corporation | USA |
| Symantec Corporation | USA |
| Teradata Corporation | USA |
| Wipro Ltd |  India |
Construction |
|
| CRH plc | Ireland |
| Granite Construction Inc. | USA |
Consumer Electronics |
|
| Ricoh |  Japan |
| Texas Instruments | USA |
| Xerox Corporation | USA |
Consumer Products |
|
| Colgate-Palmolive Company | USA |
| Hasbro | USA |
| Henkel AG |  Germany |
| Kao Corporation | Japan |
| Kimberly-Clark Corporation | USA |
| Mattel | USA |
| SCA | Sweden |
| illycaffe |  Italy |
Diversified Industries |
|
| General Electric Company | USA |
E-commerce |
|
| eBay | USA |
Electronics |
|
| Applied Materials | USA |
| Premier Farnell plc | UK |
| Rockwell Automation | USA |
| Schneider Electric | France |
Energy And Utilites: Natural Gas |
|
| Encana Corporation |  Canada |
| NiSource Inc | USA |
| Sempra Energy | USA |
| Spectra Energy Corp | USA |
Energy And Utilities: Electric |
|
| ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd |  Switzerland |
| EDP Energias de Portugal |  Portugal |
| ENMAX Corporation | Canada |
| National Grid | UK / USA |
| NextEra Energy | USA |
Energy And Utlities: Water |
|
| Northumbrian Water Group | UK |
Energy: Oil |
|
| Alyeska Pipeline Service Company | USA |
Engineering And Design |
|
| AECOM | USA |
| CH2M Hill | USA |
| Fluor Corporation | USA |
| Parsons Corporation | USA |
Environmental Services |
|
| The Nature Conservancy | USA |
| Waste Management | USA |
Financial Services |
|
| American Express | USA |
| NYSE Euronext |  Netherlands / USA |
| TSYS | USA |
| Thrivent Financial for Lutherans | USA |
| Visa Inc. | USA |
Food And Beverage |
|
| All Good Organics |  New Zealand |
| Kellogg Company | USA |
| PepsiCo | USA |
Food Service |
|
| ARAMARK | USA |
Forestry, Paper And Packaging |
|
| International Paper | USA |
| Stora Enso |  Finland |
| Weyerhauser Company | USA |
Health And Beauty |
|
| L'OREAL | France |
| Natura Cosmeticos |  Brazil |
| Shiseido Company, Limited | Japan |
Healthcare Services |
|
| Baptist Health South Florida | USA |
| Cleveland Clinic | USA |
| Hospital Corporation of America | USA |
| Novation | USA |
| Premier, Inc. | USA |
| Sharp HealthCare | USA |
Industrial Manufacturing |
|
| Atlas Copco AB | Sweden |
| Deere & Company | USA |
| Eaton Corporation | USA |
| Honeywell International Inc. | USA |
| Kennametal Inc. | USA |
| Milliken & Company | USA |
| The Timken Company | USA |
Insurance: Brokerage |
|
| Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | USA |
Insurance: Health |
|
| Aflac Inc. | USA |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina | USA |
| Blue Shield of California | USA |
| CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield | USA |
| Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation | USA |
Insurance: Property And Casualty |
|
| CUNA Mutual Group | USA |
| Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. | Japan |
| The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies | USA |
Insurance: Reinsurance |
|
| Swiss Re | Switzerland |
Leisure And Hospitality |
|
| Holland America Line | USA |
| Marriott International, Inc. | USA |
| Seabourn | USA |
| The Rezidor Hotel Group | Germany |
Media |
|
| Thomson Reuters | UK / USA |
| Time Warner Inc | USA |
Medical Devices |
|
| Becton Dickinson | USA |
| Coloplast A/S |  Denmark |
| Henry Schein | USA |
Metals And Mining |
|
| Alcoa | USA |
| Tata Steel Ltd | India |
Professional, Scientific And Technical Services |
|
| Concurrent Technologies Corporation | USA |
| Gemological Institute of America (GIA) | USA |
| Noblis | USA |
Real Estate |
|
| Jones Lang LaSalle Inc | USA |
| Realogy Corporation | USA |
| Unibail-Rodamco | France |
Restaurants And Cafes |
|
| Starbucks Coffee Company | USA |
Retail: Food Stores |
|
| SONAE | Portugal |
| Safeway Inc. | USA |
| The Co-operative Group | USA |
| Whole Foods Market, Inc. | USA |
Retail: General |
|
| Marks and Spencer | USA |
| Target | USA |
Retail: Specialty |
|
| OfficeMax | USA |
| Petco Animal Supplies | USA |
| Ten Thousand Villages | USA |
Staffing Services |
|
| ManpowerGroup | USA |
| Robert Half International | USA |
Telecommunications Equipment |
|
| Cisco Systems | USA |
| Juniper Networks | USA |
Telecommunications Services |
|
| Portugal Telecom | Portugal |
| SingTel |  Singapore |
| T-Mobile USA | USA |
Transportation And Logistics |
|
| Autoridad del Canal de Panama |  Panama |
| Nippon Yusen Kaisha | Japan |
| UPS | USA |
2013 World's Most Ethical Companies
Aerospace & Defense |
|
|---|---|
| Rockwell Collins | USA |
| The Aerospace Corporation | USA |
Agriculture |
|
| Ethical Fruit Company Ltd | UK |
Apparel |
|
| Gap Inc | USA |
| H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB | Sweden |
Automotive |
|
| Cummins Inc. | USA |
| Delphi | USA |
| Ford Motor Company | USA |
| Johnson Controls, Inc. | USA |
Banking |
|
| National Australia Bank | Australia |
| Old National Bank | USA |
| Westpac Banking Corporation | Australia |
Business Services |
|
| Accenture | Ireland |
| Capgemini | France |
| Dun & Bradstreet | USA |
| Paychex, Inc. | USA |
| Salesforce.com | USA |
| William E. Connor & Associates Ltd. | Hong Kong |
Chemicals |
|
| Ecolab | USA |
| H.B. Fuller | USA |
| The Mosaic Company | USA |
| The Sherwin-Williams Company | USA |
Computer Hardware |
|
| Hitachi Data Systems | USA |
| Intel Corporation | USA |
Computer Software |
|
| Adobe System Incorporated | USA |
| Microsoft Corporation | USA |
| Symantec Corporation | USA |
| Teradata Corporation | USA |
| Wipro Ltd | India |
Construction |
|
| CRH plc | Ireland |
| Granite Construction Inc. | USA |
Consumer Electronics |
|
| Ricoh | Japan |
| Texas Instruments | USA |
| Xerox Corporation | USA |
Consumer Products |
|
| Colgate-Palmolive Company | USA |
| Hasbro | USA |
| Henkel AG | Germany |
| Kao Corporation | Japan |
| Kimberly-Clark Corporation | USA |
| Mattel | USA |
| SCA | Sweden |
| illycaffe | Italy |
Diversified Industries |
|
| General Electric Company | USA |
E-commerce |
|
| eBay | USA |
Electronics |
|
| Applied Materials | USA |
| Premier Farnell plc | UK |
| Rockwell Automation | USA |
| Schneider Electric | France |
Energy And Utilites: Natural Gas |
|
| Encana Corporation | Canada |
| NiSource Inc | USA |
| Sempra Energy | USA |
| Spectra Energy Corp | USA |
Energy And Utilities: Electric |
|
| ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd | Switzerland |
| EDP Energias de Portugal | Portugal |
| ENMAX Corporation | Canada |
| National Grid | UK / USA |
| NextEra Energy | USA |
Energy And Utlities: Water |
|
| Northumbrian Water Group | UK |
Energy: Oil |
|
| Alyeska Pipeline Service Company | USA |
Engineering And Design |
|
| AECOM | USA |
| CH2M Hill | USA |
| Fluor Corporation | USA |
| Parsons Corporation | USA |
Environmental Services |
|
| The Nature Conservancy | USA |
| Waste Management | USA |
Financial Services |
|
| American Express | USA |
| NYSE Euronext | Netherlands / USA |
| TSYS | USA |
| Thrivent Financial for Lutherans | USA |
| Visa Inc. | USA |
Food And Beverage |
|
| All Good Organics | New Zealand |
| Kellogg Company | USA |
| PepsiCo | USA |
Food Service |
|
| ARAMARK | USA |
Forestry, Paper And Packaging |
|
| International Paper | USA |
| Stora Enso | Finland |
| Weyerhauser Company | USA |
Health And Beauty |
|
| L'OREAL | France |
| Natura Cosmeticos | Brazil |
| Shiseido Company, Limited | Japan |
Healthcare Services |
|
| Baptist Health South Florida | USA |
| Cleveland Clinic | USA |
| Hospital Corporation of America | USA |
| Novation | USA |
| Premier, Inc. | USA |
| Sharp HealthCare | USA |
Industrial Manufacturing |
|
| Atlas Copco AB | Sweden |
| Deere & Company | USA |
| Eaton Corporation | USA |
| Honeywell International Inc. | USA |
| Kennametal Inc. | USA |
| Milliken & Company | USA |
| The Timken Company | USA |
Insurance: Brokerage |
|
| Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | USA |
Insurance: Health |
|
| Aflac Inc. | USA |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina | USA |
| Blue Shield of California | USA |
| CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield | USA |
| Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation | USA |
Insurance: Property And Casualty |
|
| CUNA Mutual Group | USA |
| Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. | Japan |
| The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies | USA |
Insurance: Reinsurance |
|
| Swiss Re | Switzerland |
Leisure And Hospitality |
|
| Holland America Line | USA |
| Marriott International, Inc. | USA |
| Seabourn | USA |
| The Rezidor Hotel Group | Germany |
Media |
|
| Thomson Reuters | UK / USA |
| Time Warner Inc | USA |
Medical Devices |
|
| Becton Dickinson | USA |
| Coloplast A/S | Denmark |
| Henry Schein | USA |
Metals And Mining |
|
| Alcoa | USA |
| Tata Steel Ltd | India |
Professional, Scientific And Technical Services |
|
| Concurrent Technologies Corporation | USA |
| Gemological Institute of America (GIA) | USA |
| Noblis | USA |
Real Estate |
|
| Jones Lang LaSalle Inc | USA |
| Realogy Corporation | USA |
| Unibail-Rodamco | France |
Restaurants And Cafes |
|
| Starbucks Coffee Company | USA |
Retail: Food Stores |
|
| SONAE | Portugal |
| Safeway Inc. | USA |
| The Co-operative Group | USA |
| Whole Foods Market, Inc. | USA |
Retail: General |
|
| Marks and Spencer | USA |
| Target | USA |
Retail: Specialty |
|
| OfficeMax | USA |
| Petco Animal Supplies | USA |
| Ten Thousand Villages | USA |
Staffing Services |
|
| ManpowerGroup | USA |
| Robert Half International | USA |
Telecommunications Equipment |
|
| Cisco Systems | USA |
| Juniper Networks | USA |
Telecommunications Services |
|
| Portugal Telecom | Portugal |
| SingTel | Singapore |
| T-Mobile USA | USA |
Transportation And Logistics |
|
| Autoridad del Canal de Panama | Panama |
| Nippon Yusen Kaisha | Japan |
| UPS | USA |
23
companies have made the list all six years including: Aflac, American
Express, Fluor, General Electric, Milliken & Company, Patagonia,
Rabobank and Starbucks, among others. - See more at:
http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/#sthash.qkFP2mzV.dpuf
23
companies have made the list all six years including: Aflac, American
Express, Fluor, General Electric, Milliken & Company, Patagonia,
Rabobank and Starbucks, among others. - See more at:
http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/#sthash.qkFP2mzV.dpuf
Aerospace & Defense
Rockwell Collins
USA The Aerospace Corporation
USA
Agriculture
Ethical Fruit Company Ltd UK
Apparel
Gap Inc USA H
& M Hennes & Mauritz AB
Sweden
Automotive
Cummins Inc.
USA Delphi USA Ford Motor
Company USA Johnson Controls,
Inc. USA
Banking
National Australia Bank Australia Old National Bank USA Westpac Banking Corporation Australia
Business Services
Accenture
Ireland Capgemini France
Dun & Bradstreet USA Paychex,
Inc. USA Salesforce.com USA William E. Connor & Associates
Ltd. Hong Kong
Chemicals
Ecolab USA H.B.
Fuller USA The Mosaic Company USA The Sherwin-Williams Company USA
Computer Hardware
Hitachi Data Systems
USA Intel Corporation USA
Computer Software
Adobe System Incorporated USA Microsoft Corporation USA Symantec Corporation USA Teradata Corporation USA Wipro Ltd
India
Construction
CRH plc Ireland
Granite Construction Inc. USA
Consumer Electronics
Ricoh Japan
Texas Instruments USA Xerox
Corporation USA
Consumer Products
Colgate-Palmolive Company USA Hasbro USA
Henkel AG Germany Kao
Corporation Japan Kimberly-Clark
Corporation USA Mattel USA SCA Sweden illycaffe
Italy
Diversified Industries
General Electric Company USA
E-commerce
eBay USA
Electronics
Applied Materials
USA Premier Farnell plc UK
Rockwell Automation USA Schneider
Electric France
Energy And Utilites: Natural Gas
Encana Corporation
Canada NiSource Inc USA
Sempra Energy USA Spectra Energy
Corp USA
Energy And Utilities: Electric
ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd Switzerland EDP Energias de Portugal Portugal ENMAX Corporation Canada National Grid UK / USA NextEra Energy USA
Energy And Utlities: Water
Northumbrian Water Group UK
Energy: Oil
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company USA
Engineering And Design
AECOM USA CH2M
Hill USA Fluor Corporation USA Parsons Corporation USA
Environmental Services
The Nature Conservancy
USA Waste Management USA
Financial Services
American Express
USA NYSE Euronext
Netherlands / USA TSYS USA
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
USA Visa Inc. USA
Food And Beverage
All Good Organics
New Zealand Kellogg Company
USA PepsiCo USA
Food Service
ARAMARK USA
Forestry, Paper And Packaging
International Paper
USA Stora Enso Finland
Weyerhauser Company USA
Health And Beauty
L'OREAL France
Natura Cosmeticos Brazil Shiseido
Company, Limited Japan
Healthcare Services
Baptist Health South Florida USA Cleveland Clinic
USA Hospital Corporation of America USA Novation
USA Premier, Inc. USA Sharp
HealthCare USA
Industrial Manufacturing
Atlas Copco AB
Sweden Deere & Company
USA Eaton Corporation USA
Honeywell International Inc. USA
Kennametal Inc. USA Milliken &
Company USA The Timken
Company USA
Insurance: Brokerage
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. USA
Insurance: Health
Aflac Inc. USA
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
USA Blue Shield of California
USA CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
USA Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation USA
Insurance: Property And Casualty
CUNA Mutual Group
USA Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.
Japan The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies USA
Insurance: Reinsurance
Swiss Re
Switzerland
Leisure And Hospitality
Holland America Line
USA Marriott International, Inc.
USA Seabourn USA The
Rezidor Hotel Group Germany
Media
Thomson Reuters
UK / USA Time Warner Inc
USA
Medical Devices
Becton Dickinson
USA Coloplast A/S Denmark
Henry Schein USA
Metals And Mining
Alcoa USA Tata
Steel Ltd India
Professional, Scientific And Technical Services
Concurrent Technologies Corporation USA Gemological Institute of America
(GIA) USA Noblis USA
Real Estate
Jones Lang LaSalle Inc
USA Realogy Corporation USA
Unibail-Rodamco France
Restaurants And Cafes
Starbucks Coffee Company USA
Retail: Food Stores
SONAE Portugal Safeway
Inc. USA The Co-operative
Group USA Whole Foods Market,
Inc. USA
Retail: General
Marks and Spencer
USA Target USA
Retail: Specialty
OfficeMax USA
Petco Animal Supplies USA Ten
Thousand Villages USA
Staffing Services
ManpowerGroup
USA Robert Half International
USA
Telecommunications Equipment
Cisco Systems
USA Juniper Networks USA
Telecommunications Services
Portugal Telecom
Portugal SingTel Singapore
T-Mobile USA USA
Transportation And Logistics
Autoridad del Canal de
Panama Panama Nippon Yusen
Kaisha Japan UPS USA -
Ethisphere
originally began in 2007 as an online industry e-newsletter published
by corporate compliance and ethics training and consulting firm,
Corpedia - See more at:
http://ethisphere.com/about/history/#sthash.N5WGoylI.dpuf
Ethisphere
originally began in 2007 as an online industry e-newsletter published
by corporate compliance and ethics training and consulting firm,
Corpedia - See more at:
http://ethisphere.com/about/history/#sthash.N5WGoylI.dpuf
Ethisphere
originally began in 2007 as an online industry e-newsletter published
by corporate compliance and ethics training and consulting firm,
Corpedia - See more at:
http://ethisphere.com/about/history/#sthash.N5WGoylI.dpuf
Ethisphere
originally began in 2007 as an online industry e-newsletter published
by corporate compliance and ethics training and consulting firm,
Corpedia - See more at:
http://ethisphere.com/about/history/#sthash.N5WGoylI.dpuf
Ethisphere
originally began in 2007 as an online industry e-newsletter published
by corporate compliance and ethics training and consulting firm,
Corpedia - See more at:
http://ethisphere.com/about/history/#sthash.N5WGoylI.dpuf
