The Ethisphere Institute, a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, announced its sixth annual selection of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, highlighting organizations that show leadership in promoting ethical business standards. These companies go beyond making statements about doing business “ethically” and translate those words into action, introducing innovative ideas to benefit the public and compelling their competitors to follow suit.
The World’s Most Ethical Companies have incorporated ethics into business practices whether domestic or international, retail or B2B, and have been able to thrive despite an ever-changing global regulatory environment. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright shared her insights on the geopolitical environment in her keynote speech at the World’s Most Ethical Companies Honoree Dinner held Thursday, March 15, 2012.
“Each year the competition for World’s Most Ethical Companies intensifies as the number of nominations submitted for consideration grows,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of Ethisphere. “This year’s winners know that a strong ethics program is a key component to a successful business model, and they continue to scrutinize their ethical standards to keep up with an ever-changing regulatory environment.”
A record number of nominations and applications this year is evidence of both the award’s growing prominence and companies’ desire to be acknowledged for their high ethical standards. The 2012 list is the largest since the award’s inception in 2007.
"Ethics, at EDP, is not a matter of quiet consciousness. It is a matter of consistency. It is what differentiates winning companies. EDP's positioning is based on total transparency while establishing its business goals and communicating with stakeholders and on the adoption of values, from which the Company, under no circumstance, shall give up” said António Mexia, CEO of EDP - Energias de Portugal.
Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World’s Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.
Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2012 World’s Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme. The World’s Most Ethical Companies will also be featured in the Q1 issue of the quarterly magazine Ethisphere.
 

The research-based Ethisphere® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World’s Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification™. The Institute’s premier membership group, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance™, is a business ethics forum that includes more than 100 leading corporations, universities and institutions that collectively leverage their experience, expertise and innovative ways to address emerging compliance challenges. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.