adminone of only nine banks listed. Its official ranking was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week.
Companies are categorised according to 24 industry sectors. Standard Bank was assessed within the banking category.
“This ranking is recognition of Standard Chartered Bank’s systematic approach to building a more sustainable company, one that builds on our 150-year history and positions us for the future.
Sustainability is part of our corporate journey and one that we believe will position us for ongoing success,” says Jacko Maree, Standard Bank Group chief executive.
Karin Ireton, head of sustainability management for the group, says: “Standard Bank’s approach to sustainability considers our own operational footprint as a company, what we finance and how we impact on society.
“Our work is to build this thinking into our daily business practice and the products and services we are offering. We recognise that our sustainability is inextricably linked to the financial sustainability of Africa. For us, community and inclusive banking, enterprise development, and agricultural finance are expressions of clean capitalism.
“The group has made significant investments in renewable energy by providing both debt financing and advisory services to project developers in South Africa’s renewable energy programme. Our carbon finance team has also made a great contribution to cleaner development in many emerging markets countries by innovating in the use of carbon credits, by working in partnership with Unep and other agencies enabling practical, life changing opportunities.
“Incorporation of green criteria in investment and lending assessments of commercial, industrial, and individual clients also helps embed clean capitalism across the full spectrum of economic activity.”
The Global 100 are selected after rigorous independent assessment of 4 000 global mid, large, and mega cap companies in all industry sectors that, as at October 1 2012, had a market capitalisation in excess of US$2 billion.
On the 2013 list, the top five most sustainable companies are Umicore, a Belgian-based materials technology and recycling company; Natura Cosmetics SA, a Brazilian producer of household and personal products; Statoil ASA, a Norwegian energy company; Neste Oil OYJ, a Finnish energy company; and Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company.
Introduced at Davos in 2005, the annual Global 100 ranking is the most extensive data-driven corporate sustainability assessment in existence. It is based entirely on publicly disclosed data such as financial filings and sustainability reports.
The ranking is conducted by an independent panel facilitated by Corporate Knights, a specialised media and financial information products company focused on clean capitalism and recognised as a leader in measuring the financial value of sustainability.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter