Vestas named the world's most sustainable company

Vestas has made a big leap on the Canadian research house and business magazine Corporate Knights' list of the world's most sustainable companies. The wind turbine company has moved up 20 places and now occupies the first place on the list. The wind turbine manufacturer writes this in a press release.

- We are rapidly moving towards a future where leading sustainability players like Vestas will create more viable returns than their competitors. This will form a strong foundation for achieving a CO₂-neutral economy in line with global climate goals, says Toby Heaps, CEO, Corporate Knights

The Corporate Knights' Global 100 index is an annual ranking of the world's 100 most sustainable companies. To determine the 2022 ranking, Corporate Knights has analyzed and compared 6,914 companies with a turnover of more than one billion USD based on up to 24 sustainability parameters.

Vestas receives, among other things, recognition for having launched initiatives that have made sustainability a key priority not only in its internal production, but also throughout the entire supplier value chain.

- By establishing sustainability as a priority across our entire value chain, including our supplier network, we have created many more opportunities for collaboration and to advance the renewable energy industry. Although we still have a long journey ahead, we are proud to pave the way for renewable energy to be expanded without compromising the interests of future generations, says Lisa Ekstrand, Vice President and Head of Sustainability at Vestas.

Ørsted falls but remains the most sustainable energy company

Ørsted is also among the most sustainable companies, but must see itself relegated to seventh place. This is a drop from last year's second place. However, Ørsted continues to pride itself on being the world's most sustainable energy company, as it has been for the past three years.

- We have completely transformed our company to get to where we are today, and I am convinced that sustainability will be a fundamental prerequisite for all companies in just a few years. A benchmark like Corporate Knights' Global 100 creates an ambition to reach the top and thus plays an important role in promoting companies' work with sustainability, says Mads Nipper, CEO of Ørsted.

Since its transformation from a black to a green energy company, Ørsted has been included on the list several times. To inspire other companies to take a similar green journey, Ørsted has published a handbook called 'Getting on track for 1.5 °C - How governments and businesses can supercharge decarbonisation' in connection with the publication of the Corporate Knights list.

The book provides guidance on areas where governments and businesses can translate their climate ambitions into concrete actions that can further accelerate CO₂ reductions.

- Taking the steps necessary to stay within a 1.5°C temperature increase is fundamentally neither about technology nor economics. It is about leadership, and we do not have a month, week or day to waste. "The past year has seen a boom in governments' and companies' climate ambitions, and 2022 must be the year when ambitions are translated into action," says Mads Nipper.

In addition to Vestas and Ørsted, Chr. Hansen Holding (2), Novozymes (35) and Coloplast (83) are also represented on the list. You can see the full list by clicking here.