April 20th, 2009

By Laura Elizabeth May
Green Right Now

The Ethisphere Institute announced its annual selection of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2009. The companies selected must promote ethical business standards and practices by going beyond legal minimums, introducing innovative ideas benefiting the public and forcing their competitors to follow suit.

Ethisphere examined 35 different industries and selected 99 companies that demonstrated the sustained and real leadership worthy of the distinction. This year 22 new companies received the honor such as Dell, Best Buy and T-Mobile. An impressive 44 firms have retained the recognition for three years in a row including General Electric, American Express, PepsiCo, McDonalds, Starbucks and Ikea.

Researchers at the institute reviewed over 10,000 companies’ codes of ethics, investment in innovation and sustainable business practices as part of their research.

They evaluated the companies’ for good corporate “citizenship”, innovations that contribute to the public well being, industry leadership and integrity track record. See more about the methodology at the Ethisphere website.

“After a rigorous and competitive selection process, the companies on this year’s list have demonstrated an understanding that ethical practices are not only necessary, but can support a stronger and more sold business overall,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute in a statement.

Ethisphere began identifying the ethical companies in 2007. A full list is available at their website.

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