10 Most 'Accountable' Companies
1. BP Accountability score: 75.2
2006 rank: 2
Global 500 rank: 4
The world's second-biggest company reclaims the top spot on our list from Vodafone, the leader on last year's list. BP has led its industry in the research and development of wind, solar, and carbon-dioxide sequestration technologies. But new CEO Tony Hayward's core focus is getting new oil and gas projects online, like fields in Azerbaijan, Angola, Indonesia, and the Gulf of Mexico. That pleases shareholders and helps to lower prices for consumers through increased supply - a goal BP considers a core part of its social responsibility. Despite two years of major accidents - a pipeline spill in 2006 and a refinery explosion in 2005 - BP earned points for replacing several executives at those businesses.
2. Barclays Accountability score: 68.5
2006 rank: N/A
Global 500 rank: 83
The British bank is new to the list this year. Barclays scores points for being a member of the Equator Principles, a coalition of banks that discourage lending to infrastructure projects which displace communities or disrupt ecosystems. But the bank ranks above its competitors for its stated commitment to responsible credit lending, agreeing not to offer teaser credit-card or mortgages at interest rates consumers can't really afford. It was the first bank to include a statement in credit-card offers making all interest rates and finance charges explicit. 3. ENI
Accountability score: 67.9
2006 rank: 28
Global 500 rank: 83
Italy's ENI, an oil and gas producer, made a huge leap last year. It established a Sustainability Group within the company to outline procedures and goals for all of its businesses. As a result, it produced its first sustainability report detailing its greenhouse-gas emission and was asked to join the FTSE4Good and Dow Jones Sustainability Index, two stock indices of companies that lead their industries in stakeholder engagement. The environmental impacts were tangible as well: The company shrank its carbon footprint by 21.5% and reduced the energy used by its refineries.4. HSBC
5. Vodafone
6. Shell
7. Peugeot
8. HBOS
9. Chevron
10. DaimlerChrysler
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This entry was posted by David Choi, on
Thursday, November 1, 2007.
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