Export Development Canada tops the Corporate Knights second-annual Future 40 ranking

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Apr 01, 2015, 08:00 ET

TORONTO, April 1, 2015 /CNW/ - Corporate Knights, the premier business and sustainability magazine in North America, congratulates Export Development Canada (EDC) for taking top spot on the second-annual Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada ranking. A profile of EDC's sustainability accomplishments appears in the just-released Spring Issue of Corporate Knights, which can be found as an insert in today's Globe and Mail or downloaded from corporateknights.com.

In the increasingly complex world of international financing, EDC stands out for the attention it devotes to sustainability performance, and for issuing its first green bond, valued at $300 million (U.S.), to help Canadian firms export products and services devoted to tackling climate and environmental problems in foreign markets.

"For me, sustainability cuts across all elements like capital, policy, governance, operations and people," said Benoit Daignault, president and chief executive officer of EDC. "It's imperative we place equal importance on all elements."

The Future 40 has a similar methodology to Corporate Knights' flagship Best 50 ranking, but is focused on Canadian companies that don't meet the Best 50's $2-billion revenue threshold. The aim of the Future 40 is to encourage more small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada to begin tracking their sustainability performance, while recognizing those that are already showing leadership.

One interesting finding from this year's ranking is that 84 per cent of companies disclosed their energy consumption, compared to 71 per cent for the same companies assessed last year. An impressive 85 per cent disclosed greenhouse-gas emissions, versus 73 per cent last year. Improved disclosure was seen for waste and water indictors as well.

"The message is getting out that, at some point in time, this information will have to be disclosed," said Michael Yow, director of research at Corporate Knights Capital. "The leaders in this year's group are being proactive, and for some, it's just the right thing to do."

This is a positive trend for socially responsible investors and their portfolios, Yow added.

Another noteworthy finding: CEOs of Best 50 companies in the Energy, Financials, Industrials, Materials, Telecom Services, and Utilities sectors make, on average, substantially more than their Future 40 peers when measured against average worker pay. Find out by how much in today's issue, or by visiting corporateknights.com.

Also in the spring issue of Corporate Knights:

Your Kids, The Influencers by award-winning journalist John Lorinc looks at how companies are bypassing expensive sports stars and celebrities and instead recruiting "teen influencers" with huge social media followings as their marketing mules.
Cola Kids Need a Fix by contributing editor Roberta Staley looks at rising rates of childhood obesity, gum disease and tooth rot in El Salvador, where soft drinks are cheaper and more popular than water and dental care is too expensive or lacking.
How to Make a Killing Shorting Coal Companies by managing editor Jeremy Runnalls profiles Goldman Sachs' former risk chief, Bob Litterman, who has figured out how to make money by betting against fossil fuel companies.
Jane Goodall writes about how her institute, through its Roots & Shoots program, is working to get youth more engaged in their communities – and why this is more important than ever.

Founded in 2002, Corporate Knights Inc. is a Toronto-based media, research and financial products company focused on clean capitalism. Canada's "Magazine of the Year" in 2014, Corporate Knights is the premier publication focused on the intersection of business, economy and sustainability.

SOURCE Corporate Knights Inc.

Image with caption: "Youth is the dominant theme in the spring issue of Corporate Knights, released on April 1. The issue features the Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders list, and our second-annual Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada ranking. (CNW Group/Corporate Knights Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150401_C2142_PHOTO_EN_13703.jpg