Unilever named No. 1 corporate sustainability leader for 10th year

14 / 08 / 2020

By Marwa Nassar - -

Unilever was named No. 1 corporate sustainability leader for 10th straight year, according to the latest GlobeScan-SustainAbility survey.

The 2020 Leaders Survey found out that Unilever, Patagonia, IKEA, Interface, and Natura &Co are again the most recognized leaders according to this annual global survey of experts. An exciting development this year is the entrance of four new companies that have not previously been part of the top tier of recognized leaders: Microsoft, Ørsted, L’Oréal, and Tata.

This survey canvasses the opinions of experts from business, government, NGOs and academia. Its aim is to track how the sustainability agenda is evolving and find out stakeholders’ views on which companies are leaders and why.

This year, more than 700 experts in over 70 countries were asked, unprompted, to name companies that they see as being leaders in integrating sustainability into their business strategy.

Unilever said in a press release “We are delighted to be once again ranked as the global leader in corporate sustainability in the annual survey compiled by GlobeScan and SustainAbility.”

“We were mentioned by 42% of those who responded – that’s up five points on our 2019 score.”

“Also, featuring on this year’s list are Patagonia (26%) and IKEA (14%), followed by Interface and Natura, both on 8%.”

Chris Coulter, CEO at GlobeScan, said: “What’s notable about the results this year is that we have four new companies joining the top list of recognized sustainability leaders – a remarkable amount of change in this survey’s history. These results suggest shifting expectations for leadership and show the potential for new approaches to sustainability leadership during these unprecedented times.”

Regionally, Unilever is top-ranked in all regions except Latin America, where Natura &Co stands out in the eyes of 45 percent of respondents. Interface (11%), Microsoft and Tesla (both 10%, respectively) are among the most-mentioned companies in North America, while Danone (13%) and Ørsted (7%) are well-ranked in Europe, and Tata (6%) has gained traction in the Asia-Pacific region.

“While having sustainability as part of the core business model continues to be a major factor of recognized sustainability leadership, setting ambitious targets and committing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is now the top issue in the eyes of experts. As we confront a global pandemic with resulting economic hardship, efforts around health, social engagement, and human rights have turned into key assessment criteria defining sustainability leadership also.

As Chief Sustainability Officer Rebecca Marmot says: “This geographic spread of leadership is a notable step-change from previous years. It indicates that our strategy to democratize sustainability through our Compass is being recognized externally on the ground where it really matters.”