3BL Media Announces 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2021

NEW YORK, May 18, 2021 /3BL Media/ - 3BL Media announced today its annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizing leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance amongst the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies.

Owens Corning tops the ranking for the third consecutive year and is the first company ever to do so. Owens Corning is followed by General Mills, HP, Cisco, and Intel.

Since 2009, only 19 companies have made the ranking each year: 3M, Abbott, Accenture, Baxter, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Cisco, Colgate-Palmolive, Eaton, General Mills, Hess, IBM, Johnson Controls, Intel, Microsoft, Nike, PepsiCo, Gap, Weyerhaeuser, and Xerox.

Twenty-four companies are new to the 100 Best in 2021, 14 of which are appearing for the first time. The companies making their first appearance are: AptarGroup, The AES Corporation, ON Semiconductor, Crown Holdings, Prologis, Walmart, Marathon Petroleum, Host Hotels & Resorts, Walgreens Boots Alliance, LyondellBasell Industries, Boston Scientific Corporation, Regeneron, Essential Utilities and Kilroy Realty Corporation.

View the 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2021 ranking here.

“The next decade is pivotal if we are to achieve global climate and societal goals and rebuild an inclusive and resilient economy,” said Dave Armon, CEO of 3BL Media, which owns the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking. “Achieving these transformational outcomes depends on corporate leadership and transparency on ESG topics. Through 100 Best Corporate Citizens, 3BL Media has set a standard for transparency that advances corporate accountability.”

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens methodology is set by 3BL Media and based on 146 ESG transparency and performance factors across eight pillars: Climate Change; Employee Relations; Environment; ESG Performance; Finance; Governance; Human Rights; Stakeholders and Society. There are also several factors within the 2021 methodology that account for the response to the various social issues emerging during the pandemic.

Additionally, thanks to a partnership with InfluenceMap, an organization that maintains the world’s leading database of corporate lobbying on climate policy, the 2021 ranking ensures that ranked companies’ political actions are aligned with the Paris Agreement.

“In response to the many intersectional crises of 2020, the demands for corporate transparency, accountability and leadership have never been louder. Stakeholders at all levels are interested in how companies are engaging on issues from COVID-19 and climate change to systemic racism and voting rights,” Armon continued. “That is why we’ve moved to measure performance on these emergent issues and increase our scrutiny of political actions, to ensure that corporate citizenship is defined by both internal action and external lobbying efforts.”

To compile the ranking, data and information is obtained from public sources only, rather than questionnaires or company submissions. Research is conducted by ISS ESG, the responsible investment research arm of Institutional Shareholder Services. There is no fee or costs for companies to be assessed or to verify research by ISS ESG.

About the 100 Best Corporate Citizens
The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking was first published in 1999 in Business Ethics Magazine and then by Corporate Responsibility Magazine from 2007 to 2019. 3BL Media has owned 100 Best Corporate Citizens since 2017 and continues the legacy of ranking the Russell 1000 Index against a set of ESG transparency and performance factors using only public data and information. Learn more here. 

About 3BL Media
3BL Media delivers purpose-driven communications for the world’s leading companies. Our unrivaled distribution, editorial and leadership platforms inspire and support global sustainable business. Learn more here.

CONTACT: Brian Letts, Director of Strategic Partnerships & 100 Best Corporate Citizens, bletts@3blmedia.com or +1.802.789.8257.