As he observed these shifts, the young man saw the potential to improve people’s lives by making technology more energy-efficient.

Amidst growing electrification, the country’s bike riders traded their flame lamps for battery-powered electronic ones. These devices were seen as unreliable due to their limited life of only two to three hours. Over six months of testing, Panasonic founder Kōnosuke Matsushita developed a bullet-shaped bicycle lamp that could operate for 30 to 40 hours.

More than 100 years later, Panasonic’s work is still founded on these ideas: making people’s lives better by making technology more responsive and more efficient.

The one thing that has changed is our more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of industrialization on people and the planet. “The society in which we live means that the pace of consumption is accelerating,” says Markus Reichling, general manager of green transformation at Panasonic. “[It’s] a model that is fast but unsustainable for the planet.”

To help address climate change with the urgency it requires and continue its work supporting Matsushita’s founding principles, the company publicly shared about its Panasonic Green Impact initiative for the first time in 2022 to deepen its commitment to sustainability. The company has begun the work to either neutralize or otherwise avoid more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide as part of the work embodied by the three pillars of Panasonic Green Impact. That’s a global total of around 31.7 billion tons, according to the company’s Sustainability Databook.

Investing in the circular economy

As part of this effort, Panasonic has increased its investment in the circular economy, a system focused on reusing and regenerating materials and products to enhance production and manufacturing efficiency. “By embracing the circular economy, a product is given an extended – or even second – life and waste is reduced,” Reichling says.

One example showcasing how design can be developed with the circular economy in mind is Panasonic’s MultiShape, a personal-care product that offers multiple options for attachment heads, like a razor, toothbrush and trimmer, that are all compatible with the same base, motor and battery – and thus replacing the need for multiple individual products. The unique design could save as much as 60% of the resources it would take to make a single-function item, such as an electric toothbrush.

“Panasonic is still continuing to produce and sell individual products,” Reichling says. “But, with the MultiShape, we would like to offer the customer a more sustainable, more responsible solution.”

Cutting costs – and emissions – for its business partners

This same innovative approach applies to Panasonic’s work with its business partners: across the industries the company serves, Panasonic supplies cutting-edge solutions that prioritize longevity, resource efficiency and responsible design. Panasonic is working to advance these efforts at Hussmann, a Panasonic company – an industry leader that provides display merchandisers, refrigeration systems, connected solutions, installation and services to food retailers around the world.

Refrigeration plays a central role in the food retail industry: customers not only expect fresh quality, but spoiled food and waste increases costs for businesses. Traditional refrigeration solutions provide additional environmental challenges, chief among them continuous refrigerant leaks.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average supermarket leaks almost 400 kilograms of R-404A refrigerant per year – the equivalent of emissions from 339 cars. Hussmann addressed this challenge head-on with its cloud-based platform StoreConnect that leverages advanced data analytics to detect leaks in very early stages, which traditional monitoring equipment would not detect until the system runs out of refrigerant.

Recognizing the urgency of this issue, Hussmann implemented StoreConnect in 2022 across numerous customer sites. The platform’s “advanced refrigerant leak detection” technology provides near real-time data, allowing technicians to proactively address leaks before they become critical and reduce environmental impact.

“By significantly reducing leaks – achieving 30%-plus leak-rate reductions in the first year – we’re accelerating detection, transforming refrigerant management from reactive to proactive, and ultimately minimizing environmental impact. This shift isn’t just improving operational efficiency; it’s driving sustainability and cost savings for our customers,” says Sarah Greenwood, senior vice president of connected solutions at Hussmann.

Starting at the source

Beyond the design of its products and solutions, Panasonic is working to transform its “own impact” by assessing the ways it can reduce its carbon emissions across its value chain. This starts with the company’s efforts to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide across all its manufacturing sites by 2030.

By the end of 2024, Panasonic had achieved 44 net-zero factories.

“Here in North America, Panasonic is approaching the climate crisis from a few different angles, starting with reducing our Scope 1 and 2 emissions at our Panasonic factories,” says Andrea Murphy, director of environmental affairs compliance and sustainability at Panasonic Corporation of North America.

Scope 1 emissions are emissions that occur directly in a company’s own value chain, while Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat or cooling that are generated off-site and consumed by the company.

To achieve these net-zero goals, Panasonic is leveraging a combination of on-site renewable energy generation – such as solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells – alongside energy storage systems to ensure a stable power supply. The company also enhances energy efficiency through advanced management systems and optimized manufacturing processes.

Working to further close the gap, Panasonic purchases renewable energy and credits. Also, the company collaborates with clean energy networks such as the Clean Energy Buyers Association – all as part of its commitment to transforming its global manufacturing sites into zero-carbon factories by 2030. “Our commitment is to reduce carbon emissions by more than 300 million tons, which we calculated to be 1% of the current global emissions,” Murphy says. “I believe that’s well respected by our customers.”

The company believes that Panasonic Green Impact is a comprehensive initiative that can have a greater influence on the larger business community by establishing these practices as a foundational part of doing business.

According to Murphy, Panasonic takes every opportunity to promote decarbonization and energy-saving behaviours among customers, businesses, governments and investors: “Our partners and suppliers are hand-chosen. We partner with companies that have very similar initiatives to Panasonic, so they’re very happy to collaborate and work together [with us] toward those common goals.”

* Panasonic Corp has ranked in the 2025 Clean200. 

Andrea Murphy, director of environmental affairs and sustainability,
Panasonic Corporation of North America

Andrea Murphy is the director of environmental affairs and sustainability at Panasonic Corporation of North America. Since 2019, she has led and implemented the company’s regulatory compliance, recycling and sustainability initiatives. A key member of the company’s Global Environmental Task Force, she proudly supports Panasonic’s Green Impact initiative, dedicated to reducing carbon dioxide and promoting renewable-energy efforts that will help secure a sustainable future for customers and communities around the world.

An experienced environmental professional, Murphy has 19 years of environmental management experience, including five years focused on general management experience in project management, finance and strategy. Prior to joining Panasonic, Murphy held multiple environmental compliance roles with Verizon to focused on wireless network infrastructure, new product launches and agency relations. She also served as a regulator with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s hazardous materials unit, enforcing hazardous waste and hazardous materials regulatory management programs.

Murphy holds an undergraduate degree in environmental studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a master’s degree in environmental management from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She also earned her certification in Igniting Performance with Purpose from Duke Corporate Education.

Outside of her work responsibilities, Murphy serves as president of MRM E-Cycling Management, a consortium of manufacturers that aims to realize convenient environmentally responsible recycling opportunities to consumers nationwide. She is also an active member of her town’s Environmental Commission, providing leadership and vision on conservation and sustainability actions and policies for residents, businesses and natural resources. Currently, she is the executive sponsor for Panasonic’s LGBTQ+ business impact group, PRISM, supporting allyship and fostering inclusivity for all.

Recent speaking ops:

CES 2025: Rechargeable Batteries in Consumer Tech- A Path to Sustainability?

CES 2025: Circular Economy Innovations 2025

The post How Panasonic is working to cut emissions through Panasonic Green Impact appeared first on Corporate Knights.

You follow the money, of course. With the right financial data, the clean economy comes in clear – and the numbers show that it’s developing momentum.

Released by Corporate Knights and California-based shareholder advocates As You Sow on February 15, the 11th Clean200 ranking captures the green transition in full flight, cataloguing those public companies that are earning the most from sustainable sources. Crucially, it also signals to investors – venture capitalists, institutions and individuals alike – that a wide range of companies are capitalizing on new-economy principles without sacrificing annual returns or opportunities for growth.

Between July 1, 2016, and January 15, 2024, Clean200 companies generated a total return of 103.5%. Although they underperformed the MSCI ACWI broad market index, which grew 114.4%, the Clean200 trounced the key index of global fossil fuel companies (the MSCI ACWI/Energy Index), which gained only 64.5% through those years.

And that’s the big deal, says As You Sow CEO Andrew Behar, who co-authored the 2024 study. “In 2016, we created the Clean200 in response to investors saying, ‘If we divest fossil fuels, there is nothing to invest in.’” Eight years later, the message is clear: “Investors who are not tilting their portfolios toward a clean future do so at their own peril.”

Companies from 35 countries made the list this year. In first place again is Apple, with sustainable revenues of US$275 billion – representing 70% of the computer maker’s total revenues of $394 billion. Other blue-chip names on the list include Tesla (number three), HP (five), Microsoft (six), Daimler (12), BMW (16), Nissan (36), Nike (50), Swatch (157) and even the iconic U.S. Steel (177) – which recently committed to being zero-carbon by 2050.

“Our mission is to shine a light on the heroes of the battle against climate change,” notes report co-author Toby Heaps, CEO of Corporate Knights. “The 2024 Clean200 proves there are true sustainability champions out there. The key is to rigorously apply a scientifically inspired method to identify these gems.”

In total, Clean200 companies earned more than $2.2 trillion in sustainable revenue in 2022, deriving on average 54.7% of their revenues from sustainable business activities, versus 13.6% for their MSCI ACWI peers. Researchers calculated company revenues using the Corporate Knights Sustainable Revenue database, which identifies the percentage of sales firms earn from sustainable economy themes such as renewable power, electric vehicles, plant protein and smart buildings. The ranking excludes firms involved in industries such as fossil fuels, deforestation, prisons, weapons and tobacco – as well as companies that engage in blocking climate policies.

Leading the pack is the U.S., with 39 companies making the list this year. Other blooming centres of corporate sustainability are China (23), Japan (18) and France (13), followed by Brazil, Canada and Germany with 10 companies each.

The Canadian firms on the list span an intriguing range of industries: engineering giants WSP Global (113) and Stantec (181), environmental service firms GFL Environmental (122) and Waste Connections (151), telecoms BCE (127) and Telus (144), transportation titan Canadian National Railway (114), electronics manufacturer Celestica (141), packaging producer Cascades (168) and Ontario utility Hydro One (198).

More evidence that the future belongs to anyone who will put in the work.

Rank	Company	GICS Sector	Country
1	Apple Inc	Information Technology	United States
2	Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd	Industrials	China
3	Tesla Inc	Consumer Discretionary	United States
4	TSMC	Information Technology	Taiwan
5	HP Inc	Information Technology	United States
6	Microsoft Corp	Information Technology	United States
7	Schneider Electric SE	Industrials	France
8	Nucor Corp	Materials	United States
9	Iberdrola SA	Utilities	Spain
10	LG Energy Solution, Ltd	Industrials	South Korea
11	LG Chem Ltd	Materials	South Korea
12	Daimler AG	Consumer Discretionary	Germany
13	CRRC Corp Ltd	Industrials	China
14	XPeng Inc.	Consumer Discretionary	China
15	Deutsche Telekom AG	Communication Services	Germany
16	Bayerische Motoren Werke AG	Consumer Discretionary	Germany
17	Vestas Wind Systems A/S	Industrials	Denmark
18	Steel Dynamics Inc	Materials	United States
19	Cisco Systems Inc	Information Technology	United States
20	Samsung SDI Co Ltd	Information Technology	South Korea
21	Alstom SA	Industrials	France
22	Rio Tinto	Materials	United Kingdom
23	Tianneng Power International Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	China
24	Asustek Computer Inc	Information Technology	Taiwan
25	Sanofi SA	Health Care	France
26	Banco do Brasil SA	Financials	Brazil
27	EDP Energias de Portugal SA	Utilities	Portugal
28	Hitachi Ltd	Industrials	Japan
29	AT&T Inc	Communication Services	United States
30	Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson	Information Technology	Sweden
31	Johnson Controls International PLC	Industrials	Ireland
32	Rexel SA	Industrials	France
33	Outokumpu Oyj	Materials	Finland
34	SAP SE	Information Technology	Germany
35	KDDI Corp	Communication Services	Japan
36	Nissan Motor Co Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
37	Indorama Ventures PCL	Materials	Thailand
38	Orsted A/S	Utilities	Denmark
39	Orange SA	Communication Services	France
40	Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA	Industrials	France
41	Veolia Environnement SA	Utilities	France
42	Aptiv PLC	Consumer Discretionary	Ireland
43	NIO Inc	Consumer Discretionary	China
44	Adidas AG	Consumer Discretionary	Germany
45	Enel Americas SA	Utilities	Chile
46	Hyundai Mobis Co Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	South Korea
47	Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd	Industrials	China
48	Neoenergia SA	Utilities	Brazil
49	Ricoh Co Ltd	Information Technology	Japan
50	Nike Inc	Consumer Discretionary	United States
51	Li Auto Inc	Consumer Discretionary	China
52	Kingspan Group PLC	Industrials	Ireland
53	CPFL Energia SA	Utilities	Brazil
54	China Yangtze Power Co Ltd	Utilities	China
55	Kone Oyj	Industrials	Finland
56	Lenovo Group Ltd	Information Technology	Hong Kong
57	Panasonic Corp	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
58	SoftBank Group Corp	Communication Services	Japan
59	Vodafone Group PLC	Communication Services	United Kingdom
60	Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd	Industrials	China
61	DS Smith PLC	Materials	United Kingdom
62	Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
63	Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co	Information Technology	United States
64	Acerinox SA	Materials	Spain
65	Union Pacific Corp	Industrials	United States
66	Smurfit Kappa Group PLC	Materials	Ireland
67	China United Network Communications Ltd	Communication Services	China
68	T-Mobile US Inc	Communication Services	United States
69	Gilead Sciences Inc	Health Care	United States
70	Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG	Consumer Discretionary	Germany
71	Bharti Airtel Ltd	Communication Services	India
72	Nordex SE	Industrials	Germany
73	East Japan Railway Co	Industrials	Japan
74	Kering SA	Consumer Discretionary	France
75	Commercial Metals Co	Materials	United States
76	Charter Communications Inc	Communication Services	United States
77	Norsk Hydro ASA	Materials	Norway
78	Sibanye Stillwater Ltd	Materials	South Africa
79	Yadea Group Holdings Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	China
80	Volvo Car AB (publ.)	Consumer Discretionary	Sweden
81	Renault SA	Consumer Discretionary	France
82	Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Hong Kong
83	Signify NV	Industrials	Netherlands
84	GEM Co Ltd	Materials	China
85	Risen Energy Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
86	Companhia Paranaense de Energia	Utilities	Brazil
87	Henkel AG & Co KgaA	Consumer Staples	Germany
88	CEMIG	Utilities	Brazil
89	Puma SE	Consumer Discretionary	Germany
90	Intel Corp	Information Technology	United States
91	Enerjisa Enerji AS	Utilities	Turkey
92	Konica Minolta Inc	Information Technology	Japan
93	Crown Holdings Inc	Materials	United States
94	Ecopro BM. Co., Ltd	Industrials	South Korea
95	Industria de Diseno Textil SA	Consumer Discretionary	Spain
96	Acciona SA	Utilities	Spain
97	Trane Technologies PLC	Industrials	Ireland
98	Brambles Ltd	Industrials	Australia
99	Giant Manufacturing Co Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Taiwan
100	Air Liquide S.A.	Materials	France
101	China Three Gorges Renewables Group Co Ltd	Utilities	China
102	Central Japan Railway Co	Industrials	Japan
103	Essity AB	Consumer Staples	Sweden
104	FirstGroup PLC	Industrials	United Kingdom
105	Dassault Systemes SE	Information Technology	France
106	AstraZeneca PLC	Health Care	United Kingdom
107	Sims Ltd	Materials	Australia
108	Norfolk Southern Corp	Industrials	United States
109	Gotion High-tech Co Ltd	Industrials	China
110	Greif Inc	Materials	United States
111	GS Yuasa Corp	Industrials	Japan
112	Shimano Inc	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
113	WSP Global Inc	Industrials	Canada
114	Canadian National Railway Co	Industrials	Canada
115	Xerox Holdings Corp	Information Technology	United States
116	voestalpine AG	Materials	Austria
117	Newmont Corporation	Materials	United States
118	Bridgestone Corp	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
119	Ecolab Inc	Industrials	United States
120	Clean Harbors Inc	Industrials	United States
121	Xylem Inc	Industrials	United States
122	GFL Environmental Inc	Industrials	Canada
123	Rengo Co Ltd	Materials	Japan
124	Danaher Corp	Health Care	United States
125	Verbund AG	Utilities	Austria
126	Umicore SA	Materials	Belgium
127	BCE Inc	Communication Services	Canada
128	Autodesk Inc	Information Technology	United States
129	SSAB AB	Materials	Sweden
130	Nokia Oyj	Information Technology	Finland
131	Brookfield Renewable Partners LP	Utilities	Bermuda
132	Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co Ltd	Industrials	China
133	Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk PT	Communication Services	Indonesia
134	Engie Brasil Energia SA	Utilities	Brazil
135	Sekisui Chemical Co Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
136	Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo SABESP	Utilities	Brazil
137	Acer Inc	Information Technology	Taiwan
138	Ganfeng Lithium Group Co., Ltd	Materials	China
139	Telecom Italia SpA	Communication Services	Italy
140	MLS Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
141	Celestica Inc	Information Technology	Canada
142	Beijing Enterprises Water Group Ltd	Utilities	Hong Kong
143	Prysmian SpA	Industrials	Italy
144	Telus Corp	Communication Services	Canada
145	Eisai Co Ltd	Health Care	Japan
146	Companhia de Eletricidade do Estado da Bahia Coelba	Utilities	Brazil
147	BT Group PLC	Communication Services	United Kingdom
148	Stanley Black & Decker Inc	Industrials	United States
149	Merck KGaA	Health Care	Germany
150	EnerSys	Industrials	United States
151	Waste Connections Inc	Industrials	Canada
152	EDP Renovaveis SA	Utilities	Spain
153	West Japan Railway Co	Industrials	Japan
154	Kurita Water Industries Ltd	Industrials	Japan
155	CapitaLand Investment Ltd	Real Estate	Singapore
156	Rockwool A/S	Industrials	Denmark
157	Swatch Group AG	Consumer Discretionary	Switzerland
158	Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd	Information Technology	China
159	Equinix Inc	Information Technology	United States
160	China Railway Signal & Communication Corp Ltd	Information Technology	China
161	PPG Industries Inc	Materials	United States
162	Telefonica Brasil SA	Communication Services	Brazil
163	Camel Group Co Ltd	Industrials	China
164	Radius Recycling	Materials	United States
165	Adani Green Energy Ltd	Utilities	India
166	Celsia SA ESP	Utilities	Colombia
167	Valeo SA	Consumer Discretionary	France
168	Cascades Inc	Materials	Canada
169	Kimberly-Clark Corp	Consumer Staples	United States
170	Stadler Rail AG	Industrials	Switzerland
171	McCormick & Company Inc	Consumer Staples	United States
172	Solaredge Technologies Inc	Information Technology	Israel
173	ReNew Energy Global Plc	Utilities	United Kingdom
174	Sappi Ltd	Materials	South Africa
175	Cheng Loong Corp	Materials	Taiwan
176	Elia Group SA	Utilities	Belgium
177	United States Steel Corp	Materials	United States
178	Cargotec Corp	Industrials	Finland
179	Renewi PLC	Industrials	United Kingdom
180	SK Telecom Co Ltd	Communication Services	South Korea
181	Stantec Inc	Industrials	Canada
182	First Solar Inc	Information Technology	United States
183	China Everbright Environment Group Ltd	Industrials	Hong Kong
184	Metso Outotec Corp	Industrials	Finland
185	Analog Devices Inc	Information Technology	United States
186	Suzlon Energy Ltd	Industrials	India
187	Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp	Industrials	Taiwan
188	Posco Chemical Co Ltd	Materials	South Korea
189	GMexico Transportes SAB de CV	Industrials	Mexico
190	Pirelli & C SpA	Consumer Discretionary	Italy
191	Companhia Energetica do Ceara	Utilities	Brazil
192	Enphase Energy Inc	Information Technology	United States
193	Sunrun Inc	Industrials	United States
194	Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE	Real Estate	France
195	CECEP Solar Energy Co Ltd	Utilities	China
196	Siemens Ltd	Industrials	India
197	Guangzhou Great Power Energy & Technology Co Ltd	Industrials	China
198	Hydro One Ltd	Utilities	Canada
199	Stericycle Inc	Industrials	United States
200	AB SKF	Industrials	Sweden

METHODOLOGY

The Clean200 are the largest 200 public companies ranked by clean revenue. The ranking was first calculated on July 1, 2016, and publicly released on August 15, 2016, by Corporate Knights and As You Sow. The current list has been updated with data through January 15, 2024.

The Clean200 companies are ranked by their clean revenues in U.S. dollars. The data set is developed through assessment of a company’s revenue that aligns with the definitions laid out in the Corporate Knights Sustainable Economy Taxonomy, sourced from Corporate Knights research. To be eligible, a company must earn more than 10% of total revenues from clean sources.

The Clean200 uses negative screens. It excludes all oil and gas companies, all utilities that generate less than 50% of their power from green sources, the top 100 coal companies as measured by reserves, the top 100 oil and gas companies as measured by reserves, as well as all fossil fuel companies, majority fossil-fired utilities, pipeline and oil-field-services companies, and other fossil-fuel-related companies screened on As You Sow’s Fossil Free Funds. In addition, the Clean200 excludes weapons companies, including major military arms manufacturers found on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s top 100 arms-producing and military-services list, as well as cluster munitions, nuclear weapons and civilian firearm manufacturers screened on As You Sow’s Weapon Free Funds. The Clean200 also excludes palm oil, paper/pulp, rubber, timber, cattle and soy producers that are screened on As You Sow’s Deforestation Free Funds; companies that use child or forced labour, are involved in the manufacture of harmful pesticides and that engage in negative climate lobbying are not included. The full list of exclusionary screens is provided below.

The post List of Clean 200 companies captures the green transition in full flight appeared first on Corporate Knights.

Since our first report was launched in the summer of 2016, a great deal has changed in the world.

Larry Fink, the CEO of the largest investment firm in the world, BlackRock, wrote in his 2021 letter to CEOs:

“Given how central the energy transition will be to every company’s growth prospects, we are asking companies to disclose a plan for how their business model will be compatible with a net zero economy – that is, one where global warming is limited to well below 2°C, consistent with a global aspiration of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”

Fink’s sentiment is playing out in real time. The negative impact of climate change across the entire economy, supply chains, capital markets and public health is now well charted, in particular the recent Harvard study showing that deaths related to fossil fuel pollution exceeded eight million in 2018 and are growing.

This year, riding Tesla’s soaring stock, Elon Musk passed Jeff Bezos to become the richest man on the planet, with a net worth of US$189.7 billion (as of January 8, 2021).

In carrying out his mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, Musk has become a prophet for clean capitalism, with Tesla now ranked as the most sustainable and valuable car company in the world. It is also now the pure-play company on the Clean200.

Musk is not alone. The Prince of Wales, the pope and, critically, a global movement catalyzed by Greta Thunberg have all turned up the heat on businesses to get real about cooling the planet.

Prince Charles has long championed the environment and the central role industry and finance must play in its protection, but he’s dialled up the urgency significantly in the past year. In the fall, he said climate change poses such a severe threat that the world’s only option is to adopt a military-style response reminiscent of the U.S. Marshall Plan that helped rebuild post-war Europe 70 years ago.

In January, the prince looked back more than 800 years to the Magna Carta (which inspired a belief in the fundamental rights of people) to issue a companion document – the Terra Carta, or Earth Charter – that aims to enshrine the rights and value of nature in capitalism, inviting the world’s CEOs to make a sustainable future the growth story of our time.

Pope Francis once described unbridled capitalism as the “dung of the devil.” In a sign of the times, he recently gave his blessing to the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, a partnership between the Vatican and the leaders of some of the world’s largest businesses, including the chiefs of BP and Bank of America.

This seemingly unholy alliance seeks to make capitalism a more holy instrument for answering the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

There are now more than 300 companies, representing more than US$3.6 trillion in market cap, that have committed to a net-zero-emission target in line with a 1.5°C future.

Some worry these are empty words that give the impression that sufficient action is being taken – a sort of delay tactic. Thunberg, the teenage activist who kicked off a citizens’ climate movement, says, “We must forget about net-zero – we need real zero.”

She spells out what that means:

“Immediately halt all investments in fossil fuel exploration and extraction. Immediately end all fossil fuel subsidies. And immediately and completely divest from fossil fuels. We don’t want these things done by 2050, 2030 or even [next year]. We want this done now.”

She’s right, but defunding carbon bombs will not be enough; not even close. The real action is going all in on funding climate solutions. What gets funded gets done. How we invest our trillions starting right now will determine our future.

To paraphrase Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, the climate-solution revolution is today, not tomorrow. The litmus test for companies and countries (and anyone, really) is what percentage of your current budget is allocated with an intention to create a carbon-free sustainable world. If it’s less than 100%, you’ve got work to do.

The Clean200 companies are leading the way by putting sustainability at the heart of their products, services, business models and investments, helping to move the world onto a more sustainable trajectory.

This year’s Clean200 companies rose to the top of a pool of 8,080 global firms that earn more than $1 billion a year, based on rigorous assessment of the amount of revenue each company earns from products and services aligned with the Corporate Knights Clean Economy Taxonomy, while also ensuring that their businesses are not fundamentally offside important criteria for socially responsible investors, including substantial involvement in weapons, private prisons, thermal coal or having a record of systemically obstructing climate policy.

On average, 39% of revenues earned by Clean200 companies are classified as clean, which the majority of other revenues classified as neutral, compared to just 8% clean revenue for their peers.

But none of this would have legs if the Clean200 weren’t also faring well financially. On this score, the Clean200 handily outperformed its MSCI ACWI peers by 47% over the last year (to January 31, 2021) and by 34.74% since the Clean200 was launched in July 2016.

Clean200 companies generated a total return of 113.41%, beating the MSCI ACWI broad market index (78.67%) and MSCI ACWI/Energy Index of fossil fuel companies, (-13.83%) on Total Return Gross – USD Basis from the Clean200 inception of July 1, 2016, to January 31, 2021.

To put that in context: $10,000 invested in the Clean200 on July 1, 2016, would have grown to $21,340 by January 31, 2021, versus $17,867 for the MSCI ACWI broad market benchmark and $8,617 for the MSCI ACWI Energy benchmark for fossil fuel companies.

What is needed now is for the rest of the business world, most importantly the big-money investors who have been sitting on the sidelines, to also lean into this more civilized form of clean capitalism.

Now that BlackRock, the largest investor in the world, with a whopping US$8.7 trillion under management, has jumped the net-zero-emissions bandwagon, it is only a matter of time before it becomes the standard, placing a 100% sustainable and zero-carbon economy within our grasp.

The good news for our species is that the forces of pride and profit have shifted in favour of those on the right side of climate history, with shame and economic shambles awaiting those who cling to the wrong side.

With the sun shining on climate solutions, companies are free at last to shed their carbon cloaks.

With all this action, we hope that the Clean200 can do two things:

1. provide a useful North Star for investors looking to pinpoint the companies leading the way to a clean-energy future.
2. dispel the myth that clean investing is about sacrificing returns.

To make things easier, Corporate Knights and As You Sow are proud to present the latest edition of the Clean200.

While we’re not promising any home runs, we are happy to report that the Clean200 now has more than a four-year track record of outperforming its high-carbon global counterparts.

Clean200 vs. MSCI ACWI vs. ACWI Energy (Jul-01-2016 – Jan-31-2021, Total Return Gross – USD)

Clean 200 Companies by Country

THE CLEAN 200 LIST

Rank	Company Name	Country	GICS Sector
1	Alphabet Inc	United States of America	Communication Services
2	Siemens AG	Germany	Industrials
3	TSMC	Taiwan	Information Technology
4	SAP SE	Germany	Information Technology
5	Iberdrola SA	Spain	Utilities
6	HP Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
7	Cisco Systems Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
8	Schneider Electric SE	France	Industrials
9	Tesla Inc	United States of America	Consumer Discretionary
10	Unilever PLC	United Kingdom	Consumer Staples
11	Intel Corp	United States of America	Information Technology
12	Vestas Wind Systems A/S	Denmark	Industrials
13	LG Electronics Inc	Korea; Republic (S. Korea)	Consumer Discretionary
14	CEMIG	Brazil	Utilities
15	Abb Ltd	Switzerland	Industrials
16	Micron Technology Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
17	Sanofi SA	France	Health Care
18	Lenovo Group Ltd	China	Information Technology
19	Valeo SA	France	Consumer Discretionary
20	L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude SA	France	Materials
21	EDP Energias de Portugal SA	Portugal	Utilities
22	Panasonic Corp	Japan	Consumer Discretionary
23	Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co	United States of America	Information Technology
24	Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA	France	Industrials
25	Kering SA	France	Consumer Discretionary
26	Suez SA	France	Utilities
27	Johnson Controls International PLC	Ireland; Republic of	Industrials
28	Daikin Industries Ltd	Japan	Industrials
29	CPFL Energia SA	Brazil	Utilities
30	Hitachi Ltd	Japan	Information Technology
31	Accenture PLC	Ireland; Republic of	Information Technology
32	Banco do Brasil SA	Brazil	Financials
33	BNP Paribas SA	France	Financials
34	Byd Co Ltd	China	Consumer Discretionary
35	Canadian National Railway Co	Canada	Industrials
36	Enel Americas SA	Chile	Utilities
37	Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson	Sweden	Information Technology
38	Samsung SDI Co Ltd	Korea; Republic (S. Korea)	Information Technology
39	Alstom SA	France	Industrials
40	Kimberly-Clark Corp	United States of America	Consumer Staples
41	Ecolab Inc	United States of America	Materials
42	Ricoh Co Ltd	Japan	Information Technology
43	LafargeHolcim Ltd	Switzerland	Materials
44	Prysmian SpA	Italy	Industrials
45	BT Group PLC	United Kingdom	Communication Services
46	Adidas AG	Germany	Consumer Discretionary
47	Industria de Diseno Textil SA	Spain	Consumer Discretionary
48	Deere & Co	United States of America	Industrials
49	Kone Oyj	Finland	Industrials
50	Essity AB (publ)	Sweden	Consumer Staples
51	Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA	Spain	Industrials
52	Aisin Seiki Co Ltd	Japan	Consumer Discretionary
53	Adobe Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
54	Konica Minolta Inc	Japan	Information Technology
55	Henkel AG & Co KgaA	Germany	Consumer Staples
56	Orsted A/S	Denmark	Utilities
57	Xerox Holdings Corp	United States of America	Information Technology
58	3M Co	United States of America	Industrials
59	Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd	Japan	Consumer Discretionary
60	Smurfit Kappa Group PLC	Ireland; Republic of	Materials
61	Acciona SA	Spain	Utilities
62	Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd	Canada	Industrials
63	Nike Inc	United States of America	Consumer Discretionary
64	Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd	China	Industrials
65	Verbund AG	Austria	Utilities
66	Dassault Systemes SE	France	Information Technology
67	Keppel Corporation Ltd	Singapore	Industrials
68	Sekisui House Ltd	Japan	Consumer Discretionary
69	Asustek Computer Inc	Taiwan	Information Technology
70	Cummins Inc	United States of America	Industrials
71	Arcelik AS	Turkey	Consumer Discretionary
72	Emerson Electric Co	United States of America	Industrials
73	Owens Corning	United States of America	Industrials
74	Signify NV	Netherlands	Industrials
75	Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd	China	Industrials
76	Danaher Corp	United States of America	Health Care
77	United Natural Foods Inc	United States of America	Consumer Staples
78	Asahi Kasei Corp	Japan	Materials
79	Avangrid Inc	United States of America	Utilities
80	Bombardier Inc	Canada	Industrials
81	Koninklijke DSM NV	Netherlands	Materials
82	Natura & Co Holding SA	Brazil	Consumer Staples
83	Nokia Oyj	Finland	Information Technology
84	Skanska AB	Sweden	Industrials
85	Trane Technologies PLC	Ireland; Republic of	Industrials
86	Cascades Inc	Canada	Materials
87	LONGi Green Energy Technology Co Ltd	China	Information Technology
88	Iren SpA	Italy	Utilities
89	CSX Corp	United States of America	Industrials
90	Engie Brasil Energia SA	Brazil	Utilities
91	Umicore SA	Belgium	Materials
92	American Water Works Company Inc	United States of America	Utilities
93	JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd	China	Information Technology
94	Osram Licht AG	Germany	Industrials
95	VMware Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
96	Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd	Japan	Health Care
97	Sims Ltd	United States of America	Materials
98	Kingspan Group PLC	Ireland; Republic of	Industrials
99	Brambles Ltd	Australia	Industrials
100	Shimizu Corp	Japan	Industrials
101	LG Chem Ltd	South Korea	Materials
102	China Longyuan Power Group Corp Ltd	China	Utilities
103	Sekisui Chemical Co Ltd	Japan	Consumer Discretionary
104	Biomerieux SA	France	Health Care
105	Canadian Solar Inc	Canada	Information Technology
106	Legrand SA	France	Industrials
107	Workday Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
108	Waste Management Inc	United States of America	Industrials
109	China Everbright Environment Group Ltd	Hong Kong	Industrials
110	Autodesk Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
111	Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd	Japan	Information Technology
112	Akzo Nobel NV	Netherlands	Materials
113	West Japan Railway Co	Japan	Industrials
114	City Developments Ltd	Singapore	Real Estate
115	Aptiv PLC	Ireland; Republic of	Consumer Discretionary
116	Electrolux AB	Sweden	Consumer Discretionary
117	Federal Hydro-Generating Company RusHydro PAO	Russia	Utilities
118	Koninklijke Philips NV	Netherlands	Health Care
119	Analog Devices Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
120	McCormick & Company Inc	United States of America	Consumer Staples
121	Wartsila Oyj Abp	Finland	Industrials
122	Parker-Hannifin Corp	United States of America	Industrials
123	Keyence Corp	Japan	Information Technology
124	Air Products and Chemicals Inc	United States of America	Materials
125	Aalberts NV	Netherlands	Industrials
126	SMC Corp	Japan	Industrials
127	Spie SA	France	Industrials
128	Fanuc Corp	Japan	Industrials
129	Stanley Black & Decker Inc	United States of America	Industrials
130	Andritz AG	Austria	Industrials
131	Tianneng Power International Ltd	China	Consumer Discretionary
132	Nordex SE	Germany	Industrials
133	Atlas Copco AB	Sweden	Industrials
134	Rexel SA	France	Industrials
135	Lite-On Technology Corp	Taiwan	Information Technology
136	Tech Mahindra Ltd	India	Information Technology
137	Sino-American Silicon Products Inc	Taiwan	Information Technology
138	FirstGroup PLC	United Kingdom	Industrials
139	GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd	Hong Kong	Information Technology
140	MLS Co Ltd	China	Information Technology
141	Eisai Co Ltd	Japan	Health Care
142	Kao Corp	Japan	Consumer Staples
143	Doosan Co Ltd	South Korea	Industrials
144	Solvay SA	Belgium	Materials
145	Eaton Corporation PLC	United States of America	Industrials
146	Capitaland Ltd	Singapore	Real Estate
147	CIMIC Group Ltd	Australia	Industrials
148	Steel Dynamics Inc	United States of America	Materials
149	Norsk Hydro ASA	Norway	Materials
150	Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor Ltd	China	Information Technology
151	Amcor PLC	United Kingdom	Materials
152	China Railway Signal & Communication Corp Ltd	China	Information Technology
153	Nexans SA	France	Industrials
154	AB SKF	Sweden	Industrials
155	Swire Pacific Ltd	Hong Kong	Real Estate
156	LG Innotek Co Ltd	Korea; Republic (S. Korea)	Information Technology
157	NARI Technology Co Ltd	China	Industrials
158	Delta Electronics Inc	Taiwan	Information Technology
159	Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co Ltd	Korea; Republic (S. Korea)	Information Technology
160	Acuity Brands Inc	United States of America	Industrials
161	Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd	South Korea	Industrials
162	eBay Inc	United States of America	Consumer Discretionary
163	Wacker Chemie AG	Germany	Materials
164	Zhejiang Chint Electrics Co Ltd	China	Industrials
165	MTR Corp Ltd	Hong Kong	Industrials
166	New World Development Co Ltd	Hong Kong	Real Estate
167	Telus Corp	Canada	Communication Services
168	Georg Fischer AG	Switzerland	Industrials
169	ASML Holding NV	Netherlands	Information Technology
170	DSV Panalpina A/S	Denmark	Industrials
171	Risen Energy Co Ltd	China	Information Technology
172	Kansas City Southern	United States of America	Industrials
173	Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp	United States of America	Industrials
174	NSK Ltd	Japan	Industrials
175	Hydro One Ltd	Canada	Utilities
176	Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo SABESP	Brazil	Utilities
177	Air Water Inc	Japan	Materials
178	Keikyu Corp	Japan	Industrials
179	Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd	China	Industrials
180	Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd	Japan	Materials
181	Applied Materials Inc	United States of America	Information Technology
182	Nidec Corp	Japan	Industrials
183	NVIDIA Corp	United States of America	Information Technology
184	STMicroelectronics NV	Switzerland	Information Technology
185	Fortive Corp	United States of America	Industrials
186	Nitto Denko Corp	Japan	Materials
187	Nibe Industrier AB	Sweden	Industrials
188	Evoqua Water Technologies Corp	United States of America	Industrials
189	Dover Corp	United States of America	Industrials
190	GEA Group AG	Germany	Industrials
191	Sika AG	Switzerland	Materials
192	Suzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing Co Ltd	China	Information Technology
193	Guodian Technology & Environment Group Corp Ltd	CHINA	Industrials
194	Brookfield Renewable Partners LP	Canada	Power Generation
195	Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc	United States of America	Construction Materials
196	Kyocera Corp	Japan	Electronic Products
197	First Solar Inc	United States of America	Electronic Products
198	Middleby Corp	United States of America	Industrial Machinery Manufacturing
199	Chr Hansen Holding A/S	Denmark	Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
200	Novozymes A/S	Denmark	Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ABOUT AS YOU SOW®: Founded in 1992, As You Sow promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building and innovative legal strategies. Our efforts create large-scale systemic change by establishing sustainable and equitable corporate practices. As You Sow was founded on the belief that many environmental and human rights issues can be resolved by increased corporate responsibility. As investor representatives, we communicate directly with corporate executives to collaboratively develop and implement business models that reduce risk, benefit brand reputation and protect long-term shareholder value while simultaneously bringing about positive change for the environment and human rights.

The post Introducing the 2021 Carbon Clean200: Investing in a Clean Energy Future appeared first on Corporate Knights.

Since our first report was launched in the summer of 2016 a great deal has changed in the world.

Larry Fink, the CEO of the largest investment firm in the world, shook up Wall Street this January stating that we are “on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance” with climate change as a defining feature, that “climate risk in investing risk…in the near future – and sooner than most anticipate – there will be a significant reallocation of capital.”

In between Fink’s letter, Greta Thunberg’s call for a radical change acceleration on the pace of climate action took over the agenda at Davos during the World Economic Forum, where a new manifesto proclaimed stakeholder capitalism and ESG define the new economy and Larry Fink was spotted wearing a rare-edition 2 degrees scarf around his neck.

Another inflection point in the popular culture realm occurred during halftime at Superbowl 2020, where the company that once “killed the electric car” purchased a prime advertising slot to showcase their new electric Hummer with LeBron James as the pitchman.

The fundamental story is that march from high carbon energy to clean energy is only quickening driven mainly by economics, risk, and increasingly supported by other social forces from Greta to Pope Francis; from Extinction Rebellion to The European Central Bank.

Investors have awoken to this trend, which helps to account for the anomalous direction of oil prices and oil stock values in 2019. Brent Crude Oil prices rose 28% and WTI oil prices rose 30% last year, while the energy sector placed dead last in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, posting a 7.3% gain, while the index as a whole rose 29% for the year.

Financial markets are driven by two powerful emotions: greed and fear.

As the outgoing governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, puts it, “Companies that don’t adapt [to the low-carbon economy] – including companies in the financial system – will go bankrupt without question. [But] there will be great fortunes made along this path aligned with what society wants.”

To wit: the top five coal companies in the U.S. have all declared bankruptcy since 2016, and Apple is now bigger than all the oil and gas companies on the S&P 500 combined, in large part because they have earned negative returns over the last decade, even after accounting for dividends.

Carbon-intensive companies are suffering because the alternatives are not just cleaner but cheaper. Around two-thirds of the world’s population now live in countries in which wind or solar are the lowest-cost ways of generating power. Renewables are now cheaper than coal in two-thirds of the world’s countries, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. BNP Paribas estimates that oil needs to come down to US$10 a barrel to be competitive with electricity-driven transport. This does not mean fossil fuels are going away tomorrow, but it does kill the growth story and leads to questions about demand assumptions on big oil’s economic forecast. For oil investors, the market’s realization of this inevitable decline could make the coal horror show look like Mary Poppins.

This increasing speed of the energy transition is part of the reason why investors representing US$12 trillion in assets have made public their divestment from fossil fuels.

Perhaps more telling is that beyond these public declarations, many of the biggest investors in the world are selling off their fossil fuel holdings and loading up on green assets. For example, without any fanfare the C$200 billion Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has dialed down its fossil-fuel equity holdings to just 1%. On the upside, the C$306 billion Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has grown its green investment book to C$30 billion, earning commercial returns along the way, according to outgoing chief executive Michael Sabia.

While economics are shifting in favor of clean energy investing, so is public sentiment. Call it the Greta effect if you like, but most people are no longer comfortable with the idea that their retirement investments may be helping to set the world on fire and we are seeing this especially in millennials and women.

Andreas Utermann, chief executive of Allianz Global Investors, which manages US$600 billion, says, “Clients have changed their tune. They have said we need to take this more seriously, and that has sharpened the minds of asset managers.”

With all this action, we hope that the Clean200 can to do two things:

• provide a useful North star for investors looking to pinpoint the companies leading the way to a clean energy future.
• to dispel the myth that clean investing is about sacrificing returns.

Efficient market theorists caution that if you add any non-financial considerations to portfolio selection, you are at a financial disadvantage. The trouble with this theory is that investing in a time of transition is like hitting a curveball. Putting on a clean energy lens gives the batter a better sense of the ball’s trajectory and increases the chance of making solid contact.

To make things easier, Corporate Knights and As You Sow are proud to present the latest edition of the Clean200.

While we’re not promising any home runs, we are happy to report that the Clean200 now has more than a three-year track record of outperforming its high-carbon global counterparts.

Clean 200 returns

Since inception (July 1, 2016), the Clean200 has generally been ahead of the MSCI ACWI Energy Index.

Source: S&P IQ Capital, Corporate Knights

Overall, the model presented in the form of the Clean200 continues to indicate that demand and market forces are driving growth for low carbon companies. Since its inception two and a half years ago, the Clean200 has generally outperformed the MSCI ACWI Energy Index. It will be interesting to see how the trends unfold over the next few months.

The Clean200 list 

Rank	Company	Sector	Country
1	Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co	Information Technology	Taiwan
2	Alphabet Inc	Communication Services	United States
3	Siemens AG	Industrials	Germany
4	Toyota Motor Corp	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
5	HP Inc	Information Technology	United States
6	Iberdrola SA	Utilities	Spain
7	Cisco Systems Inc	Information Technology	United States
8	Tesla Inc	Consumer Discretionary	United States
9	Schneider Electric SE	Industrials	France
10	Unilever PLC	Consumer Staples	United Kingdom
11	Lenovo Group Ltd	Information Technology	China
12	Abb Ltd	Industrials	Switzerland
13	Vestas Wind Systems A/S	Industrials	Denmark
14	Umicore SA	Materials	Belgium
15	Valeo SA	Consumer Discretionary	France
16	Intel Corp	Information Technology	United States
17	Banco do Brasil SA	Financials	Brazil
18	Air Liquide SA	Materials	France
19	Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA	Industrials	France
20	Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais CEMIG	Utilities	Brazil
21	Hitachi Ltd	Information Technology	Japan
22	Sanofi SA	Health Care	France
23	Canadian National Railway Co	Industrials	Canada
24	Accenture PLC	Information Technology	Ireland
25	Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson	Information Technology	Sweden
26	Byd Co Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	China
27	Kimberly-Clark Corp	Consumer Staples	United States
28	Kering SA	Consumer Discretionary	France
29	Panasonic Corp	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
30	Alstom SA	Industrials	France
31	Samsung SDI Co Ltd	Information Technology	South Korea
32	Aisin Seiki Co Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
33	BT Group PLC	Communication Services	United Kingdom
34	Nokia Oyj	Information Technology	Finland
35	Johnson Controls International PLC	Industrials	Ireland
36	Orsted A/S	Utilities	Denmark
37	Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co	Information Technology	United States
38	SAP SE	Information Technology	Germany
39	Konica Minolta Inc	Information Technology	Japan
40	Kone Oyj	Industrials	Finland
41	Adidas AG	Consumer Discretionary	Germany
42	Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA	Industrials	Spain
43	Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
44	Koninklijke KPN NV	Communication Services	Netherlands
45	Smurfit Kappa Group PLC	Materials	Ireland
46	Ecolab Inc	Materials	United States
47	Prysmian SpA	Industrials	Italy
48	Natura Cosmeticos SA	Consumer Staples	Brazil
49	Ball Corp	Materials	United States
50	Sims Metal Management Ltd	Materials	United States
51	Keppel Corporation Ltd	Industrials	Singapore
52	Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd	Industrials	Canada
53	Signify NV	Industrials	Netherlands
54	Bombardier Inc	Industrials	Canada
55	Ricoh Co Ltd	Information Technology	Japan
56	Emerson Electric Co	Industrials	United States
57	Asahi Kasei Corp	Materials	Japan
58	Danaher Corp	Health Care	United States
59	Sekisui House Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
60	Avangrid Inc	Utilities	United States
61	Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd	Industrials	China
62	Koninklijke DSM NV	Materials	Netherlands
63	Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd	Industrials	China
64	Dassault Systemes SE	Information Technology	France
65	Osram Licht AG	Industrials	Germany
66	Ingersoll-Rand PLC	Industrials	United States
67	Skanska AB	Industrials	Sweden
68	Verbund AG	Utilities	Austria
69	CSX Corp	Industrials	United States
70	Canadian Solar Inc	Information Technology	Canada
71	China Longyuan Power Group Corp Ltd	Utilities	China
72	Akzo Nobel NV	Materials	Netherlands
73	JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
74	Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd	Health Care	Japan
75	Shimizu Corp	Industrials	Japan
76	LG Chem Ltd	Materials	South Korea
77	Sekisui Chemical Co Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	Japan
78	Solvay SA	Materials	Belgium
79	Fanuc Corp	Industrials	Japan
80	Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd	Information Technology	Japan
81	City Developments Ltd	Real Estate	Singapore
82	LONGi Green Energy Technology Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
83	Kingspan Group PLC	Industrials	Ireland
84	West Japan Railway Co	Industrials	Japan
85	Cascades Inc	Materials	Canada
86	American Water Works Company Inc	Utilities	United States
87	Waste Management Inc	Industrials	United States
88	Electrolux AB	Consumer Discretionary	Sweden
89	GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd	Information Technology	Hong Kong
90	Aptiv PLC	Consumer Discretionary	United Kingdom
91	SMC Corp	Industrials	Japan
92	Parker-Hannifin Corp	Industrials	United States
93	VMware Inc	Information Technology	United States
94	Biomerieux SA	Health Care	France
95	McCormick & Company Inc	Consumer Staples	United States
96	Legrand SA	Industrials	France
97	Lite-On Technology Corp	Information Technology	Taiwan
98	Wartsila Oyj Abp	Industrials	Finland
99	Koninklijke Philips NV	Health Care	Netherlands
100	MLS Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
101	Capitaland Ltd	Real Estate	Singapore
102	Melrose Industries PLC	Industrials	United Kingdom
103	Rexel SA	Industrials	France
104	Sino-American Silicon Products Inc	Information Technology	Taiwan
105	Tianneng Power International Ltd	Consumer Discretionary	China
106	Air Products and Chemicals Inc	Materials	United States
107	H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB	Consumer Discretionary	Sweden
108	Autodesk Inc	Information Technology	United States
109	Spie SA	Industrials	France
110	China Everbright International Ltd	Industrials	Hong Kong
111	China Railway Signal & Communication Corp Ltd	Information Technology	China
112	Kao Corp	Consumer Staples	Japan
113	Eaton Corporation PLC	Industrials	United States
114	Atlas Copco AB	Industrials	Sweden
115	Doosan Co Ltd	Industrials	South Korea
116	Andritz AG	Industrials	Austria
117	Workday Inc	Information Technology	United States
118	Norsk Hydro ASA	Materials	Norway
119	FirstGroup PLC	Industrials	United Kingdom
120	Analog Devices Inc	Information Technology	United States
121	United Natural Foods Inc	Consumer Staples	United States
122	NARI Technology Co Ltd	Industrials	China
123	NSK Ltd	Industrials	Japan
124	Aalberts NV	Industrials	Netherlands
125	Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
126	AB SKF	Industrials	Sweden
127	Zhejiang Chint Electrics Co Ltd	Industrials	China
128	Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co Ltd	Information Technology	South Korea
129	Green Plains Inc	Energy	United States
130	LG Innotek Co Ltd	Information Technology	South Korea
131	Brookfield Renewable Partners LP	Utilities	Canada
132	Acuity Brands Inc	Industrials	United States
133	China Agri-Industries Holdings Ltd	Consumer Staples	Hong Kong
134	Nexans SA	Industrials	France
135	MTR Corp Ltd	Industrials	Hong Kong
136	Sandvik AB	Industrials	Sweden
137	eBay Inc	Consumer Discretionary	United States
138	Applied Materials Inc	Information Technology	United States
139	THK Co Ltd	Industrials	Japan
140	Wacker Chemie AG	Materials	Germany
141	Nordex SE	Industrials	Germany
142	Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd	Industrials	South Korea
143	Omron Corp	Information Technology	Japan
144	Xinte Energy Co Ltd	Industrials	China
145	Keikyu Corp	Industrials	Japan
146	Delta Electronics Inc	Information Technology	Taiwan
147	Huaneng Renewables Corp Ltd	Utilities	China
148	Nitto Denko Corp	Materials	Japan
149	Guodian Technology & Environment Group Corp Ltd	Industrials	China
150	Essity AB (publ)	Consumer Staples	Sweden
151	Air Water Inc	Materials	Japan
152	Kansas City Southern	Industrials	United States
153	Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd	Materials	Japan
154	GCL System Integration Technology Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
155	ASML Holding NV	Information Technology	Netherlands
156	CIMIC Group Ltd	Industrials	Australia
157	Nidec Corp	Industrials	Japan
158	Amcor PLC	Materials	Australia
159	Weyerhaeuser Co	Real Estate	United States
160	NTN Corp	Industrials	Japan
161	Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd	Industrials	China
162	Shunfeng International Clean Energy Ltd	Information Technology	China
163	Metso Oyj	Industrials	Finland
164	NCC Ltd	Industrials	India
165	DSV A/S	Industrials	Denmark
166	Siemens Ltd	Industrials	India
167	TE Connectivity Ltd	Information Technology	Switzerland
168	Dover Corp	Industrials	United States
169	Suzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
170	Suzlon Energy Ltd	Industrials	India
171	Risen Energy Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
172	GEA Group AG	Industrials	Germany
173	Evoqua Water Technologies Corp	Industrials	United States
174	China Lesso Group Holdings Ltd	Industrials	China
175	Jindal SAW Ltd	Materials	India
176	Clariant AG	Materials	Switzerland
177	Pearson PLC	Communication Services	United Kingdom
178	Fortive Corp	Industrials	United States
179	Ebara Corp	Industrials	Japan
180	Nibe Industrier AB	Industrials	Sweden
181	Chr Hansen Holding A/S	Materials	Denmark
182	STMicroelectronics NV	Information Technology	Switzerland
183	COFCO Biochemical Anhui Co Ltd	Materials	China
184	Shenzhen Desay Battery Technology Co Ltd	Industrials	China
185	Sika AG	Materials	Switzerland
186	Graphic Packaging Holding Co	Materials	United States
187	SNC-Lavalin Group Inc	Industrials	Canada
188	EDP Renovaveis SA	Utilities	Spain
189	Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi AS	Consumer Discretionary	Turkey
190	Renewable Energy Group Inc	Energy	United States
191	Transcontinental Inc	Industrials	Canada
192	Itron Inc	Information Technology	United States
193	LS Corp	Industrials	South Korea
194	Stantec	Industrials	Canada
195	Peab AB	Industrials	Sweden
196	Sanan Optoelectronics Co Ltd	Information Technology	China
197	Jiangsu Zhongli Group Co Ltd	Industrials	CHINA
198	ON Semiconductor Corp	Information Technology	United States
199	China Datang Corp Renewable Power Co Ltd	Utilities	China
200	Xuji Electric Co Ltd	Industrials	China

For full results, including last year’s Clean 200 companies that didn’t make the cut this year, this year’s new entrants and companies excluded from our 2020 list, click here:

Clean 200_2020_Download.

THE CLEAN200 Methodology

The Clean200 are the largest 200 public companies ranked by green energy revenues. It was first calculated on July 1, 2016 and publicly released on August 15, 2016 by Corporate Knights and As You Sow. The current list has been updated with data through the end of 2019 (December 31, 2019).

The Clean200 companies are listed by their estimated green revenues in USD. The dataset is developed by multiplying a company’s most recent year-end revenues by its clean revenue estimate, primarily sourced from Corporate Knights Research. In order to be eligible, a company must have USD revenue of at least $1 billion (most recent available fiscal year end data) and earn more than 10% of total revenues from clean sources.

The Clean200 uses negative screens. It excludes all oil and gas companies and utilities that generate less than 50 percent of their power from green sources, the top 100 coal companies measured by reserves, the top 100 oil & gas companies as measured by reserves, as well as all fossil fuel companies, majority fossil-fired utilities, pipeline and oil field services companies, and other fossil fuel-related companies screened on As You Sow’s Fossil Free Funds. In addition, the Clean200 excludes weapons companies including major military arms manufacturers found on the SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services list, as well cluster munitions, nuclear weapons, and civilian firearm manufacturers screened on As You Sow’s Weapon Free Funds. The Clean200 also excludes palm oil, paper/pulp, rubber, timber, beef, and soy producers that are screened on As You Sow’s Deforestation Free Funds, companies using child or forced labor, and companies who engage in negative climate lobbying are not included. The full list of exclusionary screens is provided below.

The post The Carbon Clean200: Leading the transition to a clean energy future appeared first on Corporate Knights.

Source: Bloomberg, Corporate Knights

 

Overall, the model presented in the form of the Clean200 continues to indicate that demand and market forces are driving growth for low carbon companies. Since its inception two and a half years ago, the Clean200 has outperformed by 3.78 percent against the S&P Global 1200 Energy Index. The Clean200 ex-China which returned 20.4 percent since inception beats the S&P Global 1200 Index by 0.73 percent over the same time period. It will be very interesting to see how the trends unfold over the next few months.

 

The post Introducing the 2019 Clean200 appeared first on Corporate Knights.

Marc Grynberg

Chief Executive Officer, Umicore

GICS Industry: Chemicals

The public sector – through smart regulation – can provide an essential framework for the low carbon economy while the private sector is best placed to provide the innovation and technologies to bring the low carbon revolution to life. Umicore provides materials and recycling solutions that enable low carbon technologies. Our cathode materials are key ingredients in determining the performance and cost of the batteries in electric cars and buses. We also contribute to overall lower carbon footprints for the production of precious and scarce metals thanks to our unique recycling processes.

Peder Holk Nielsen

Chief Executive Officer, Novozymes

GICS Industry: Chemicals

We are witnessing a fascinating global shift in the role of businesses. A realization that some of the world’s most pressing challenges – climate change, dwindling natural resources, rising population – both represent risk and some of our biggest future business opportunities.

It is clear that the private sector plays a key role and bears a big responsibility to drive the global sustainability agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) point towards the many opportunities for companies that spring from this agenda. They point companies in the right direction to deliver solutions that contribute to sustainable growth. Seen in this way, they are a trillion-dollar business opportunity for the companies that get it right.

The SDGs have guided Novozymes’ own long-term targets for fulfilling the company’s stated purpose of finding biological answers for better lives in a growing world. Among those targets is an ambition to reach six billion people with our biological solutions, deliver 10 transformative innovations, catalyze five global partnerships for change, educate 1 million people about the potential of biology, and save 100 million tons of CO2 through the use of our products – all by 2020. This is our interpretation of where we can make a difference in the world.

Michel Letellier

President & Chief Executive Officer, Innergex Renewable Energy

GICS Industry: Independent Power & Renewable Electricity

Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. has been an active leader in the renewable energy sector since 1990. We are proud of our success in fostering economic development opportunities working in partnership with First Nations and rural communities. We believe that the transition to a low carbon economy is essential to the future growth of not only a healthy society and environment, but a robust and growing economy and that’s’ why we have been and will continue to be committed to produce renewable energy exclusively.

Independent power producers need to keep engaging governments to adopt policies that will make it easier for clean energy to replace traditional sources of energy. We have the ability to leverage our creativity and capital to get clean energy to the market and at the same time help government achieve climate change goals.

We firmly believe that private investment will continue to drive the shift toward a low-carbon future.

Henrik Poulsen

Chief Executive Officer, DONG Energy

GICS Industry: Electric Utilities

Climate change is already impacting millions of lives through extreme weather events and poor air quality. Political agreements to fight climate change are crucial, but corporations also need to take action and do their part. On the demand-side, many leading corporations are setting the example by investing in green power purchase agreements or renewable energy assets. And on the supply-side, energy companies like ourselves must push forward on the shift from fossil fuels to renewables. DONG Energy has come a long way in making offshore wind competitive to fossil fuels, and we recently announced our ambition to completely phase out coal by 2023.

Eric Rondolat

Chief Executive Officer, Philips Lighting

GICS Industry: Electrical Equipment

Philips Lighting contributes to a low-carbon future in two ways. First, we deliver sustainable offerings to our customers. For example, our connected lighting systems can improve energy efficiency up to 80 per cent. No other industry can do that. It therefore was logical to take the second step, making our operations more sustainable. In 2016, we reduced our carbon footprint by 39 per cent to 406 kilotonnes, bringing us much closer to our goal of becoming carbon neutral in 2020.

Together these are cornerstones of our purpose to unlock the extraordinary potential of light through our `Brighter Lives, Better World’ program, which sets ambitious targets on sustainable revenues and operations leading up to 2020. We are proving on a daily basis that the private sector can shape and lead the market for a low-carbon future,” said Eric Rondolat, CEO of Philips Lighting.

Anders Runevad

Chief Executive Officer, Vestas Wind Systems

GICS Industry: Electrical Equipment

To Vestas, the private sector’s role is to ensure that sustainable energy at all times is the obvious choice to satisfy energy demand. The technological progress within the area has been remarkable and onshore wind energy is today often the cheapest energy source available. As products, services and solutions continue to drive energy cost down, the private sector needs to work with policy makers and regulators to ensure energy systems are fit for high penetration of renewables, meaning meeting demand even where the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining.

The technology of today can with a little help from the technology of tomorrow create a low carbon future – let’s make sure that the power markets are ready.

Jean-Pascal Tricoire

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric

GICS Industry: Electrical Equipment

Regarding climate, I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic, I am activist. Climate needs business solutions. By 2040, cities will host 70% of the world population. In the past 20 years, the Internet has connected 3.5 billion people together while, by 2020, it will connect 30 billion devices. Solar and storage systems will account for 70 per cent of new capacity addition by 2040 for rural areas, and 57 per cent of consumers are considering becoming energy self-sufficient, which will lead to the need for more microgrids. At Schneider Electric, we co-create the future for a new energy world. One that is more electric, digital, decarbonized, and decentralized, and we strive to meet the energy challenge — keeping global average temperatures below 2°C increase. We are a pure player in energy transition technologies and our mission is to make sure that Life is On for everyone, everywhere and at every moment.

Frans van Houten

Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips

GICS Industry: Industrial Conglomerates

We can see the effects of climate change across the world, and we owe it to our children to do something about it. I am therefore proud that last year, Philips launched its new multi-year sustainability program ‘Healthy people, sustainable planet’ which includes Philips’ commitment to achieve carbon neutrality for its global operations by 2020. The five-year program builds on our ambitious mission to improve the lives of three billion people a year in 2025 by making the world healthier and more sustainable through innovation.

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