In the 2025 edition of the Global 100 ranking, a list of the 100 most sustainable corporations of the world that Corporate Knights develops. The result confirms a structural change: the companies at the top of the list already obtain the majority of their revenues and capital expenditure from activities aligned with the energy transition and the circular economy.
Together, the Global 100 companies allocated 58% of their capex and R&D spending to green projects in 2023, compared to just 15% of the rest of the 8,259 firms analyzed by the Canadian consulting firm. The signal to the markets is unmistakable: sustainability has become a hard criterion for capital allocation.
Top 5 corporate sustainability
- First place in 2025 goes to Schneider Electric, French multinational of energy management and automation solutions. The company climbed from seventh position thanks to a high level of sustainable income (74%) and sustainable investment (79%), strong carbon productivity – income per ton of CO2 emitted – and a board of directors with 50% women. Schneider also becomes the first corporation to top the Global 100 twice.
- The second place is for the Australian Sims Ltd, metal recycling specialist. Its model is based on collecting and processing scrap metal to return it to the industrial chain, reducing the extraction of virgin minerals. Corporate Knights classifies 100% of its income and investment as sustainable, an almost pure case of circular economy applied on a global scale.
- In Third place is Vestas Wind Systems, Danish wind turbine manufacturer. Vestas directs its entire business to the expansion of onshore and offshore wind energy. Like Sims, it reports 100% sustainable revenue and investment, being fully focused on renewable technologies, while advancing solutions to recycle end-of-life turbine components.
- He Fourth place is occupied by BramblesCHEP’s Australian parent company, which operates a global pooling system for pallets and reusable containers for supply chains. The model reduces waste and emissions associated with the use of disposable pallets. In this edition, the company once again ranks among the top five, with 100% of revenue and capex classified as sustainable, in addition to improvements in greenhouse gas and waste productivity.
- The fifth position is for Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp, operator of the high-speed train that crosses Taiwan from north to south. The ranking recognizes the role of rail transport as a low-emission alternative to domestic flights and road transfers. The company also reports 100% sustainable income and investment within the Corporate Knights taxonomy and maintains a low CEO to average worker pay ratio.
Beyond the photo of the top 5, the 2025 edition reflects a changing geography of corporate sustainability. France and Denmark stand out among the European countries with the highest concentration of companies on the list, while Australia consolidates itself as a reference in circular business models.
How is the ranking constructed?
The Global 100 uses a purely quantitative methodology. The starting point is the universe of all listed companies with revenues exceeding $1 billion. Financial filters are then applied (such as Piotroski’s F-score) and companies involved in activities incompatible with sustainable development are excluded, including deforestation or lobbying against climate policies.
Eligible signatures are evaluated with up to 25 key performance indicators (KPIs) that cover: energy, carbon, water and waste productivity; employee management; financial strength; percentage of sustainable income and investment; and supply chain performance.
Several of these indicators have been analyzed in academic studies as inputs to understand the relationship between ESG metrics and financial performance. Each KPI receives a different weighting depending on the sector, to avoid bias in favor of naturally light carbon industries.
Dimensions as clean income, clean investmentrepresentation of women in senior management and on boards, and rating of sustainable suppliers receive relevant fixed weights within the model.
The final result is an index that, according to Corporate Knights, has achieved outperform stock indices broad over long-term periods, which reinforces the thesis that integrating environmental, social and governance criteria can be compatible with competitive returns.
