Oekom sees signs of progress on corporate responsibility

Corporate sustainability experts, Oekom Research, has found signs of overall improvement on corporate governance in its corporate responsibility review for 2017.

Oekom said that a possible reason for the progress made, which it said is most notable among mid-rated businesses, is greater pressure for increased sustainability from several sources. The pressure sources include international initiatives, such as UN Sustainable Development Goals, national regulations, demand for sustainable capital markets and a general rise in sustainability awareness.

In its ninth annual study, Oekom found 43.3% of companies continue to show an inadequate commitment to sustainability, but constituents of this group has dropped by 105 overall in the past four years. At the other end of the scale, the proportion of companies Oekom rated as a good, or very good, for sustainability performance has stayed relatively constant, at 16.5% in 2016, up from 16.3% in 2015. The amount of companies in the middle, with at least rudimentary sustainability management systems, has risen from 35.8% in 2015 to 40.1% in 2016.

In terms of countries, France leads with the way with 16 companies in the better-rated category, ahead of Germany, with 12 companies, and the UK, with 11 companies. In terms of sectors, automobiles and household & personal product sectors lead the industry rankings, with the worst performers in the raw materials sector.