A triple bottom line business philosophy, a massive push to slash its carbon footprint and selling basic medicines at a discount to poor countries carried Novo Nordisk to the top of the list of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies.
The Danish pharmaceutical firm was ranked No. 1 on the 2012 Corporate Knights Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Natura Cosmeticos S.A., Statoil ASA, Novozymes A/S and ASML Holding NV rounded out the top five.
Here are the top 20 companies on the Global 100.
1. Novo Nordisk A/S (Denmark, Health Care)
2. Natura Cosmeticos S.A. (Brazil, Consumer Staples)
3. Statoil ASA (Norway, Energy)
4. Novozymes A/S (Denmark, Materials)
5. ASML Holding NV (Netherlands, Information Technology)
6. BG Group Plc (United Kingdom, Energy)
7. Vivendi S.A. (France, Telecommunication Services)
8. Umicore S.A./N.V. (Belgium, Materials)
9. Norsk Hydro ASA (Norway, Materials)
10. Atlas Copco AB (Sweden, Industrials)
11. Sims Metal Management Ltd (Australia, Materials)
12. Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (Netherlands, Industrials)
13. Teliasonera AB (Sweden, Telecommunication Services)
14. Westpac Banking Corp. (Australia, Financials)
15. Life Technologies Corp. (U.S., Health Care)
16. Credit Agricole SA (France, Financials)
17. Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany, Consumer Staples)
18. Intel Corp. (U.S., Information Technology)
19. Neste Oil Oyj (Finland, Energy)
20. Swisscom AG (Switzerland, Telecommunication Services)
Two other Dutch companies where listed in the top 100: DSM (23) and TNT (34)