CSR In Canada: Who's Who and Why They Matter (Part 4, Corporate Knights)

The growth and maturation of corporate citizenship is often dependent on the availability of tools, timely research, shared experiences and above all, a community that recognizes leaders from laggards. Whether on the global stage or here in Canada, few contribute to the discourse of corporate sustainability quite like Corporate Knights (CK).

Known for its various rankings of corporate sustainability performance, CK offers more than its well-known Best 50 Corporate Citizens or the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations reports. A media, research and financial products company, it is also about driving an honest dialogue on all things Clean Capitalism. A term coined by the organization, it refers to "an economic system in which prices incorporate social, economic and ecological benefits and costs, and actors know the full impacts of their marketplace actions." [1]

What makes Corporate Knights a CSR "enabler"? This fourth blog in an ongoing series will aim to provide a brief summary of some of CK's contributions this past year.

The Rankings...
Corporate Knights ranks companies, cities, provinces, MBA programs, and even U.S. presidents. Here is a quick look at two of many rankings and scorecards on the CK roster:

The Global 100
Among the various rankings and scorecards, it seems that the Global 100 is the most well known. Launched in 2005, the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations is announced annually at the World Economic Forum. According to Corporate Knights, the Global 100 is "the most extensive data-driven corporate sustainability assessment in existence" [1] The extensive process by which companies are selected and then ranked, involves multiple organizations and a two-stage process. [2]

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Meirav Even-Har is a Justmeans staff blogger. She reports on Canadian CSR issues. Meirav is an independent sustainability consultant and writer working in Toronto, Canada.