America’s Most Responsible Companies 2024

By Ed Barredo

For the fifth year in a row, Newsweek has partnered with global research and data firm Statista for our annual list of America's Most Responsible Companies. While the inception of today's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives may only be a few decades old, the concept of the social contract goes back centuries. Corporate responsibility encompasses environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). However, at the core is the idea that businesses should support the communities in which they belong. But after a year when anti-woke campaigners were seemingly louder than ever, are companies doing anything different?

"The survey results suggest that companies have been making improvements in certain areas over the last three years, with social responsibility scores notably on the rise," Michael Bausch, senior analyst at Statista, tells Newsweek. "This positive trend indicates a commitment to enhancing corporate practices, particularly in response to societal expectations. The data reflects a gradual but encouraging evolution in companies' efforts to fulfill their responsibilities, highlighting a positive shift in their overall approach."

This year, we award 600 of the largest corporations in the United States, up from 500 in 2022. While that increase is noteworthy, even more so is the fact that the company in this year's 600th spot has a higher score than last year's 500th. It is also worth mentioning that 243 companies on the list have placed for at least four consecutive years, with 156 earning a spot for all five years.

"There is a discernible trend where an increasing number of companies are not only engaging in CSR practices but also actively publishing CSR reports. This noteworthy shift is exemplified by a near doubling of the count from 549 in 2019 to 1039 in 2022," Bausch says. "Moreover, among the companies that have embraced CSR reporting, there is a notable uptick in the number of key performance indicators (KPIs) being included, showcasing a continuous effort towards heightened transparency."

In addition to more reporting, one of the enhancements for KPI accuracy is the replacement of the categories "social projects" and "environmental projects" with two KPIs based on participation and recognition by the organizations Human Rights Campaign and CEO Action.

This year's top overall position is held by Merck, having an impressive score of 92 out of 100, with Xylem following closely at 91.3 and HP, which held the No. 1 position for the previous four years, maintaining a solid presence in third with a score of 90.3.

Three companies stand out for scoring 100 in one of the three ESG pillars: Dell, Entergy and Merck. The scoring is competitive among the ranks, and some companies experience significant yearly fluctuations in their ranking. Bausch explains: "A company scoring 100 in one of the three pillars (environmental, social, corporate governance) doesn't imply perfection in that particular area. Instead, it indicates superior performance compared to their peers."

So, what initiatives are companies focusing on as an effective strategy for enhancing specific KPIs? Bausch says, "It's crucial not to underestimate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on various metrics, including emissions, energy and financial KPIs. A significant portion of rank changes can be attributed to these pandemic-related effects. Beyond these challenges, many companies are actively undertaking initiatives to enhance specific KPIs, such as reducing emissions, optimizing energy consumption, and promoting diversity by appointing more women and minorities to board positions."

When reviewing the data by sector, some clear leaders in social responsibility emerge. While the Energy and Utility industry is at the tail end for environmental scores, the sector has taken a lead in social scores in the past three years. Likewise, Technology Hardware comes in second for social responsibility while holding the top position in the overall rankings. The Health Care and Life Sciences industry is in third place.

The Capital Goods sector held the position of most awarded companies with a total of 75. Energy and Utilities is second with 59, and Technology Hardware is not far behind with 57. The industries with the fewest awarded companies are Automotive and Components and Hotel, Dining and Leisure—both tied at 19.

We are proud to present this year's ranking and honor these responsible corporate citizens.

Nancy Cooper Signature 5

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America’s Most Responsible Companies 2024

Rank

Company

HQ City

HQ State

Industry

Rank in Industry

Score Overall

Score Environmental Concerns

Score Social Concerns

Score Corporate Governance Concerns

1Merck & CoRahwayNew JerseyHealth Care & Life Sciences191.9891.4184.611002XylemWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaCapital Goods191.2795.4288.8889.613HPPalo AltoCaliforniaTechnology Hardware190.2998.8990.0782.014Cisco SystemsSan JoseCaliforniaTechnology Hardware290.0398.684.1587.465Hewlett Packard EnterpriseSpringTexasTechnology Hardware388.3794.5581.4889.166Regency CentersJacksonvilleFloridaReal Estate & Housing188.2286.6990.5387.527Applied MaterialsSanta ClaraCaliforniaTechnology Hardware488.1395.1987.3281.988HasbroPawtucketRhode IslandConsumer Goods188.0394.0389.9980.179IlluminaSan DiegoCaliforniaHealth Care & Life Sciences287.7492.8697.9172.54*MastercardPurchaseNew YorkFinancial*87.6598.3975.0289.6310Regeneron PharmaceuticalsTarrytownNew YorkHealth Care & Life Sciences387.4390.0486.3386.0211Cadence Design SystemsSan JoseCaliforniaSoftware & Telecommunications187.3984.587.9189.8412General MillsMinneapolisMinnesotaConsumer Goods286.898.1681.6180.7313QUALCOMMSan DiegoCaliforniaTechnology Hardware586.718779.1394.0714Juniper NetworksSunnyvaleCaliforniaTechnology Hardware686.4985.5776.8197.1815AbbVieNorth ChicagoIllinoisHealth Care & Life Sciences486.496.1583.5379.6216CienaHanoverMarylandTechnology Hardware786.3583.1691.2984.6717Agilent TechnologiesSanta ClaraCaliforniaHealth Care & Life Sciences586.295.0777.5886.0618Keysight TechnologiesSanta RosaCaliforniaSoftware & Telecommunications286.1584.378.3895.8719Edgewell Personal CareSheltonConnecticutConsumer Goods386.1393.473.8991.2120Williams CompaniesTulsaOklahomaEnergy & Utilities186.1388.5292.7377.2221CloroxOaklandCaliforniaConsumer Goods485.8498.9180.4978.2422UnumChattanoogaTennesseeFinancial185.8283.5686.6287.3723TapestryNew YorkNew YorkConsumer Goods585.7892.2281.8983.3324American TowerBostonMassachusettsSoftware & Telecommunications385.7491.8489.0576.4225NVIDIASanta ClaraCaliforniaTechnology Hardware885.6188.1683.9584.826PayPal HoldingsSan JoseCaliforniaFinancial285.689.3577.1590.3827Western DigitalSan JoseCaliforniaTechnology Hardware985.5791.4478.5986.7828BroadcomSan JoseCaliforniaTechnology Hardware1085.3985.383.5187.4529AptarGroupCrystal LakeIllinoisMaterials & Chemicals185.2791.8576.3387.7230First SolarTempeArizonaEnergy & Utilities285.1592.6181.0681.8631HNIMuscatineIowaConsumer Goods685.1489.2474.8791.4132AutodeskSan FranciscoCaliforniaSoftware & Telecommunications485.0381.1686.1987.8333United RentalsStamfordConnecticutProfessional Services184.8188.2883.1883.0734MicrosoftRedmondWashingtonSoftware & Telecommunications584.894.173.1587.2535Berry GlobalEvansvilleIndianaMaterials & Chemicals284.7793.3377.4583.6436Healthpeak PropertiesDenverColoradoReal Estate & Housing284.5992.5477.2584.0737EcolabSaint PaulMinnesotaMaterials & Chemicals384.4995.5285.6272.4338Avery DennisonGlendaleCaliforniaCapital Goods284.4694.569.8489.1239Moody'sNew YorkNew YorkFinancial384.3986.8180.386.1440Dell TechnologiesRound RockTexasTechnology Hardware1184.3110071.5981.4541Lear CorporationSouthfieldMichiganAutomotive & Components184.388.7467.7996.4742Estee Lauder CompaniesNew YorkNew YorkConsumer Goods784.2296.8181.8374.1343GreifDelawareOhioMaterials & Chemicals484.1789.1767.396.1244IntelSanta ClaraCaliforniaTechnology Hardware1284.1292.2884.1176.0745Micron TechnologyBoiseIdahoTechnology Hardware1383.9178.986.9485.9846AvientAvon LakeOhioMaterials & Chemicals583.7292.4477.3881.4447Lam ResearchFremontCaliforniaTechnology Hardware1483.7193.5881.8775.7648Crown HoldingsPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaMaterials & Chemicals683.6588.7175.7786.5749Advanced Micro DevicesSanta ClaraCaliforniaTechnology Hardware1583.6192.5778.6579.71

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LICENSING

If your company is listed above, you can find out more about the licensing options visiting the Statista website.

METHODOLOGY

The ranking of America's Most Responsible Companies 2024 focuses on a holistic view of corporate responsibility that considers all three pillars of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility): Environment, Social and corporate Governance (ESG). In total, 600 companies were identified as America's Most Responsible Companies. The initial analysis focused on the top 2000 public companies by revenue.

The analysis is based on two metrics:

1. Quantitative data from KPI (key performance indicator) research: More than 30 KPIs from the three pillars of CSR were considered for the ranking.

2. The CSR reputation of each company from an extensive survey of 17,000 U.S. residents: Respondents were asked to select companies familiar to them and then to evaluate the company's CSR performance in general and in the three sub-dimensions: social, environmental and governance.

The selection of the companies and the definition of the evaluation criteria were carried out according to independent journalistic criteria of Newsweek and Statista. The evaluation was carried out by the statistics and market research company Statista. Newsweek and Statista make no claim to the completeness of the companies examined.

The ranking is composed exclusively of U.S. companies that are eligible regarding the criteria described here. A position in the ranking is a positive recognition based on research of publicly available data sources at the time and an extensive survey of U.S. residents. The ranking is the result of an elaborate process which, due to the interval of data-collection and analysis, is a reflection of official ESG data from 2021 or 2022. Furthermore, events following September 30, 2023, were not a subject of this survey. As such, the results of this ranking should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations. The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information. The quality of companies that are not included in the ranking is not disputed.

Note: As with all our rankings, America's Most Responsible Companies 2024 is continually updated based on available information.