Company Rankings
- 100 Best Corporate Citizens3BL Media’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranks the 1,000 largest, publicly traded U.S. companies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance. Methodology is here.
- Ethisphere's World’s Most Ethical CompaniesThis ranking is produced by the Ethisphere Institute, an international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. The Institute’s associated membership group, the Ethisphere Council, is a forum for business ethics that includes over 200 leading corporations, universities and institutions.
- The Global 100: Most Sustainable Corporations in the WorldThis annual list is released at the World Economic Forum and is created by Corporate Knights Inc. The aim of the list is to "raise awareness" and "showcase" leading organizations in environmental, social and economic sustainability.
- CSRHubCSRHub is a web based tool that provides access to employee, environmental, community and governance ratings on most major companies in North America, Europe and Asia.
- Carbon Disclosure Project – CDP ScoresFormerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, CDP is a nonprofit organization that runs a global disclosure system for companies and governments to report on their environmental performance.
CSR & Sustainability Reports Search Tools
- Corporate RegisterCorporate Register is a collection of corporate responsibility reports and related reports.
- Ceres – SEC Sustainability Disclosure Search Tool"This tool scours the text of SEC annual filings (10-Ks, 20-Fs and 40-Fs) and automatically identifies relevant disclosure. It categorizes the information, identifies where in the filing disclosure occurs, and delivers this, along with the excerpted disclosure, in an easily digestible report."
- ResponsibilityReports.comSearch over ten thousand responsibility reports (including sustainability reports, corporate responsibility reports, corporate social responsibility reports, and ESG reports) from 2,243 global companies.
- Sustainability-Reports.comInternational Portal for Sustainabiilty Reporting with actual reporting news and annual reports of international companies with non-financial (sustainability) information. Both separated and integrated reports are on this portal.
- U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) – EDGARFind CSR data in 10-Ks, proxy statements, annual reports, and voluntary sustainability or diversity reports. Use this to search for keywords and phrases in over 20 years of EDGAR filings, and filter by date, company, person, filing category or location.
Business Watchdogs
- Business & Human Rights Resource CentreAn independent, international nonprofit organization which features information on over 4,000 companies, more than 180 countries, and hundreds of issues and topics. The website provides links to thousands of publications, reports, and guides, including reports of corporate misconduct as well as extensive lists of related sites.
- CorpWatchA nonprofit research group which provides critical commentary and investigative reporting on companies and industries around the world. They seek to “expose multinational corporations that profit from war, fraud, environmental, human rights and other abuses, and to provide critical information to foster a more informed public and an effective democracy.”
- Federal Contractor Misconduct DatabaseCompiled by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database is a resource that provides data on instances of misconduct such as contract fraud, and various environmental and ethical violations.
- Corporate Research ProjectThe Corporate Research Project assists community, environmental and labor organizations in researching companies and industries. One of their resources includes the "Violation Tracker," a database on corporate misconduct from the Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First.
Directories for Certified Companies, Facilities, & Products
- BCorperation – Find a B CorpCertified companies meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
- Better Cotton Initiative – Find MembersMeasures sustainable cotton production in three areas: environmental, social and economic.
- Fair Trade Certified – Partner DirectoryCertified products are sourced from producers that engage in sustainable practices, have safe working conditions, and earn fair and stable prices.
- Global Electronics Council – EPEAT RegistryAssesses electronics for more than 40 environmental criteria, from energy use to inclusion of recycled plastics.
- The U.S. Green Building Council – Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) – Organization SearchRates the design, construction, operation, maintenance and significant retrofit of buildings and neighborhoods for environmental impact.
- Rainforest Alliance – Certified CompaniesCertifies that products originate on or contain ingredients from farms that meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s standards; also certifies tourism businesses.
- Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – Find a supplierMeasures the environmental sustainability of wild-capture fisheries and ensures chain-of-custody standards.
- Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2C) – Companies & OrganizationsGuides designers and manufacturers through a continual improvement process that looks at a product through five quality categories: material health, material reutilization, water stewardship, social fairness, and renewable energy and carbon management.
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Organic Integrity DatabaseMeasures compliance with USDA Organic production and handling standards in four areas: crop, livestock, wild crops and handling/processing.
- Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000 – Certified OrganizaitonsThe FSSC 22000 certificate proves that an organizations' food safety management system complies with the Scheme requirements.
- Social Accountability International (SAI) – SA8000 Certified Facilities ListThe SA8000 Standard accredited by the Social Accountability International provides a holistic framework allowing organizations of all types, in any industry, and in any country to demonstrate their dedication to the fair treatment of workers.
Tips for Using a Company Website to Research CSR
The investor relations page of a public company website provides access to company reports, including annual (10-K) and quarterly (10-Q) filings. A company's most recent 10-K can provide insight and information into a company's current perspecitve on corporate social responsibility.
Company websites and 10-Ks can highlight efforts towards climate change, board diversity, sustainability, social fundraising, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Companies may also report on specific campaigns and efforts in periodic ESG reports that address their progress and commitment, in relation to their business strategy and goals.
- A simple Google search for the company name + "investor relations" can help you locate these resources on a company website.
Tips for Searching the 10-K (use ctrl+f to locate specific phrases within the report):
- Company statements related to social and environmental efforts often appear under "Part 1, Item 1: Business," section of the 10-K, which addresses the company's operations.
- Social and governance efforts may appear under headings such as "Human Capital Management," "Cuture," 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion," or "Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion."
- Statements and updates related to the company's environmental consciousness may appear under headings such as "Sustainability" or "Environmental Matters."
- Words and phrases for searching environmental efforts and issues withi an 10-K include: "environmental," "polution", "emissions," "energy," "sustainability," "recycling."
- Words and phrases for searching social efforts and issues include: "equity," "equality," "diversity," "inclusion," "social justice," "gender," "race" "DE&I," EED&I".
Subscription Databases
- Mergent Online (FTSE Russell)Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores are accessible for leading companies by industry in the Mergent Online database
- WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services)
- World Bank ESG Data
- Factiva
- Refinitiv ESG Company Screening
- MSCI ESG Direct
