In today’s fast-paced business world, many companies strive to be at the forefront of ethical business practices and environmental sustainability. Many multi-million dollar corporations are being recognized for their significant achievements being made to reduce environmental impacts and creating an inclusive employment strategy and utilizing clear, concise ethics policies. Here are 6 award winners from the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies® according to Ethisphere.

We’ve also included a few others known for their ethics. And one thing many of these brands have in common is that they have ethics hotlines and whistleblower policies in place.

AFLAC

Known for its robust offerings of supplemental life and health insurance, this company is also known for its pursuit of sustainable practices and community-minded involvement. AFLAC diligently observes fair employment practices and contributes annually to children with cancer in both the United States and Japan.

Ecolab

Virtually a household name, Ecolab is well-known for its water purification, hygiene, and infectious disease prevention products. Their state-of-the-art manufacturing technology strives to minimize environmental impact. This is achieved by minimization of greenhouse gases, food-borne illness prevention, and water conservation.

International Paper

Best known for its products consisting of paper, packaging materials, and forestry, this company is also lauded for its continuous efforts toward forestry preservation, investing in the communities and people in their forestry areas, and striving to preserve our planet Earth by sustainably managing forests and observing a reduction in solid waste to landfills.

Kao Corporation

In business since 1887, this Japanese company is known for its health and beauty products. Its unique business strategy model is named Kirei, which simply stated means, making every day more beautiful, making thoughtful choices for society, and making the world healthier and cleaner. Reflecting this mission statement is their commitment to developing products that have zero waste, such as recyclable refill packs and all-natural, sustainable cleaning products. Kao Corporation is also known for its gender equality employment practices.

Milliken & Company

Milliken is known for their floor covering products, chemicals, and specialized textiles that offer industrial protection to the wearer. Milliken’s dedication to the inclusivity of their employees and associates, and fierce environmental protection and sustainability efforts puts this company high on the list of ethical companies. They are supportive of renewable energy usage, water conservation, and eliminating solid waste from landfills.

PepsiCo

A household name in the food and beverage industry, PepsiCo is also known as a pioneer in sustainable agricultural practices to encourage soil and water conservation. This company is also commended for its product packaging improvements that encourage the recycling of all of its packaging materials.

Other Brands with Great Ethics Policies

A few other brands worth mentioning, known for their company transparency and robust ethics policies, include:

· Warby Parker

· TOMS

· Ben & Jerry’s

· The Body Shop

· Patagonia

· Zoetis

These companies illustrate just how powerful a business model can become by following ethical strategies. And it isn’t just employment standards that are being held to an ethical example. The water, air quality, and plant life are all necessary components of a solid, transparent ethics policy. Make no mistake, your company does not have to be a multi-billion dollar international corporation to compose an ethics policy.

All businesses should strive to do their part in not only creating an inclusive work environment for their employees but also maintaining stewardship of our planet. Ethical Advocate can help your company create an ethics policy and supporting hotline that is tailor-made to fit your business’s needs, so you can achieve these elevated levels of ethics operations. Contact us today!