Corporate Knights names Ørsted the most sustainable energy company and second-most sustainable company across sectors in the 2021 Global 100 index. The green energy major shares key learnings from its own transformation.
Corporate Knights' 17th annual Global 100 index of the world's most sustainable companies has ranked Ørsted as the world's most sustainable energy company. With this third consecutive top ranking, Ørsted stands out as a global frontrunner among green and sustainable companies.Toby Heaps, CEO of Corporate Knights, says: "By showing how a major company could go from black to green energy quickly and profitably, Ørsted has earned its place as the most inspiring and sustainable energy company on the planet."
Ørsted's newly appointed CEO, Mads Nipper, welcomes the company's high ranking in the prestigious Global 100 index: "We're delighted with our continued high ranking in the Global 100, which reflects both our determination in driving a sustainable and profitable business and our commitment to be a catalyst for the global green energy transformation." He continues: "The world must halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and as nearly 75 % of global carbon emissions come from the use of energy, a fast global transition to renewables is vital. This requires businesses and politicians alike to dare lean forward and make bold near-term decisions that accelerate the green energy build-out."
In a new film about how Ørsted transformed to renewables, Ørsted executives and key employees share the decisions and steps taken to fundamentally change the company. They also share the thinking behind the decisions and what they have learned along the way about sustainable business transformation. The mini-documentary features insights from former Ørsted CEO, Henrik Poulsen, CFO, Marianne Wiinholt, and CEO of Ørsted Offshore, Martin Neubert, among others.
Facts about the 17th Global 100 and Ørsted's ranking in the index
- Toronto-based Corporate Knights, a publishing and research firm, analysed publicly available data on financial and sustainability indicators of around 8,000 companies with more than USD 1 billion in revenues.
- According to Corporate Knights, Ørsted's strong performance in the 2021 ranking is highly influenced by the share of company revenue earned from renewable energy. At the same time, carbon and water productivity increased as the company reduced absolute carbon emissions by 47 % and reduced water withdrawals by 16%.
- Ørsted also outperformed the energy sector on the metric of 'clean CAPEX' as the company invests exclusively in green energy. The company also performed well on indicators such as rate of taxes paid, board gender diversity, and paid sick leave for employees.
- The annual Global 100 index of the world's most sustainable companies is an authoritative and widely respected index of corporate sustainability performance and is announced every year on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- Corporate Knights says Global 100 companies tend to last longer and deliver higher annualised net investment returns than comparable companies in the MSCI All Country World Index.
More information can be found on Ørsted's website.
