FAQs

Click here to download the 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2023 ranking methodology, including a review of changes from last year, the complete list of factors considered and an outline explaining how we process the ranking.

3BL creates the methodology based on the latest developments in corporate sustainability, extensive feedback from corporate and NGO stakeholders and guidance from Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ESG. Our goal is to ensure the methodology advances ESG transparency and performance each year using factors relevant to all industries.

There are seven pillars in the ranking, each comprising a set of 184 factors that measure a company’s performance and transparency in a specific area. While we provide the weight of each pillar, we do not disclose the weight of each factor so that the ranking methodology cannot be replicated or reverse engineered.

3BL builds its custom methodology with factors carefully selected from the ISS ESG E&S Disclosure QualityScore and Governance QualityScore. The intent is to reduce the administrative burden on companies to verify data and information for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking since they are already doing so for the ISS ESG E&S and Governance QualityScores.

We welcome feedback on our methodology. Please complete the contact form at the bottom of the website.

For information on licensing the 100 Best Corporate Citizens logo and other promotional opportunities, please email: 100best@3blmedia.com.

No. 3BL develops the methodology and our partner ISS ESG researches and ranks all Russell 1000 companies (except tobacco companies) using only publicly available data and information. Russell 1000 companies are the 1,000 largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. equity market.

No. All Russell 1000 companies (except tobacco companies) are researched and ranked at no cost. Also, there’s no cost for Russell 1000 companies to verify data and information collected by ISS ESG.

Email ESGHelpdesk@iss-esg.com to request online portal access and add users to verify information and data for the ranking.

The 2023 methodology consists of seven pillars containing 184 factors. While we provide the weight of each pillar, we do not disclose the weight of each factor so that the ranking methodology cannot be replicated or reverse engineered.

Factors look for specific types of ESG disclosures including: data, management approach, performance, policies and codes, strategy and targets. Factors used to determine the ranking must be applicable and relevant to the majority of Russell 1000 Index companies to enable a fair comparison.

To view the specific factors within each pillar, click here to download the 2023 methodology.

Yes. Many factors across our Employees & Governance Pillars directly address diversity and equity. To see the specific factors, download the 2023 methodology.

Complete the contact form at the bottom of this website to provide feedback on the methodology.

Yes. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens Ranking measures both disclosure of key climate metrics and a company’s engagement on climate policy.

For the 2023 ranking, 3BL has elevated the weight of the Climate Change pillar, which now accounts for 22% of available points. We will also continue to work with subject matter experts at InfluenceMap to screen companies to identify whether or not their lobbying is supportive or oppositional to Paris Agreement-aligned policy benchmarks. Companies determined to have positive lobbying positions will receive a five-point bonus to their final score, while those who intensely lobby counter to Paris Agreement-aligned policy will have 10 points deducted from their score.

InfluenceMap welcomes engagement with corporations. Engagement can involve explanation of their methodology in more detail, how InfluenceMap assess a company and your contributions of information you think InfluenceMap may have missed. Email info@influencemap.org to connect.

Download the 2023 methodology.

Companies in the Russell 1000 Index are divided into 24 industry groups for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking:

Automobiles & Components; Banks; Capital Goods; Commercial & Professional Services; Consumer Durables & Apparel; Consumer Services; Diversified Financials; Energy; Food & Staples Retailing; Food & Beverage; Healthcare Equipment & Services; Household & Personal Products; Insurance; Materials; Media & Entertainment; Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences; Real Estate; Retailing; Semiconductor & Semiconductor Equipment; Software & Services; Technology Hardware & Equipment; Telecommunication Services; Transportation; Utilities.

Calculating the Ranking

Three types of factors are used in the ranking, examples include:

1. Disclosure: Does the company’s climate change disclosure specifically address climate change risks?

2. Policy: Does the company indicate it applies the same human rights policy standards to suppliers and vendors?

3. Performance: Does the company’s climate change disclosure specifically address climate change performance?

Data and information takes three forms to process the ranking:

1. Binary: ‘True’ counts as a positive value; ‘False’ and ‘Black/Not Provided’ count as neutral weight.

2. Numeric: Numeric values compare to all other company numeric value to generate a ranking; Non-reporters rank worse than the worst numerical respondent in any factor.

3. Qualitative: ‘Full credit’ for robust disclosures; ‘Partial credit’ for insufficient disclosures; ‘Blank / Not Provided’ rank worse than the worst ‘Partial Credit’ respondent.

Processing the Ranking

1. Weight each individual factor within a pillar. Some factors have higher relative weights.

2. Calculate the underlying score for each pillar, then rank the full Russell 1000 Index within that pillar in ascending order, ‘1’ is the best rank.

3. Apply the pillar weightings to generate an overall weighted average ranking for each company. The higher the weighted average, the better a company’s ranking.

4. When several company scores tie, there is a gap between that score and the next closest score. For example, if two companies tie for the top rank, the company or companies that earned a second-place rank will place third. Second place is sacrificed for the tie-gap, so third is the next available rank after the tie-gap.

5. The controversy score (part of the ESG Performance pillar) is applied. If ISS ESG identifies a Severe or Very Severe controversy, the company is penalized 10 points on its final, overall weighted score and the overall weighted score is adjusted accordingly. Controversy penalties are not publicly disclosed in the final ranking.

6. The lobbying screen is applied. Our partners at InfluenceMap will measure the intensity of company lobbying and whether this lobbying is supportive or oppositional to Paris Climate Agreement-aligned policy benchmarks.

• Companies with high lobbying intensity and oppositional lobbying will receive a “red flag” and will be penalized 10 points on its final, overall weighted score. The “red flag” and subsequent penalty are not publicly disclosed in the ranking.
• NEW: Companies determined to be using their influence and lobbying efforts with high intensity to support Paris Climate Agreement-aligned policies will receive a “green flag” and will have 10 points added to their final overall weighted score.

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking uses data publicly reported in the 12 months. 3BL specifically moved the 2023 ranking to October in order to capture all data reported during the 2023 reporting season.

The Data Verification period will begin on July 10th, 2023 and extend to July 21st, 2023 at 8pm PST. No new data will be considered once the period ends.

Companies ranked in the 100 Best Corporate Citizens will be contacted to review their results prior to the announcement of the ranking on October 18th, 2023.

Yes. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking was first published in 1999 in Business Ethics Magazine and then by Corporate Responsibility Magazine from 2007 to 2019. In 2017, 3BL acquired Corporate Responsibility Magazine. In 2019, 3BL made the difficult decision to retire the Corporate Responsibility Magazine print and digital publication but to continue the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking.

Companies can verify data and information researched by ISS ESG at any time during the year. The deadline to verify data and information used for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2023 ranking is 8:00 p.m. PST on July 21, 2023. Data and information used for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens must be publicly available through websites, reports, policies, etc.

New source material submitted on July 21, 2023 may not be reviewed by ISS ESG in time to be considered for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking. If you plan to make new source material publicly available in time to be considered for the ranking, please know ISS ESG requires at least five business days to review new materials.

New source material submitted on July 21, 2023, may not be reviewed by ISS ESG in time to be considered for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking. If you plan to make new source material publicly available in time to be considered for the ranking, please know ISS ESG requires at least five business days to review new materials.

ISS ESG is happy to receive any reports or data you wish to send. However, ISS ESG will have already reviewed your corporate responsibility (CR), ESG or sustainability report as part of its research process. The information you can verify includes data and management approaches found on your corporate website, in SEC documents or in your company’s CR or sustainability reports.

New source material submitted on July 21, 2023, may not be reviewed by ISS ESG in time to be considered for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking. If you plan to make new source material publicly available in time to be considered for the ranking, please know ISS ESG requires at least five business days to review new materials.

No. All Russell 1000 Index companies (except tobacco companies) are evaluated for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking. Russell 1000 Index companies are the 1,000 largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. equity market.

3BL’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranks the Russell 1000 Index, excluding tobacco companies. Russell 1000 companies are the 1,000 largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. equity market.

Privately held and non-U.S. companies are not part of our research scope. Enterprise companies are considered for the ranking but not brands (e.g. Kimberly-Clark Corporation is considered for the ranking but not Huggies, one of its brands.)

ISS ESG researches publicly available disclosures, policies and performance on ESG topics. This data is collected using industry-standard research methodologies and is primarily sourced from online information made available by companies through primary corporate websites, reports (e.g. 10-K reports and annual sustainability or CR reports), statements and policies. Public websites of subsidiary companies and brands are not considered for the ranking.

To supplement corporate data, information is also retrieved from reliable third parties, including: CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project); GRI (Global Reporting Initiative); UN Global Compact; U.S. EPA EnviroFacts and Toxics Release Inventory and other government agencies; Compustat and FactSet for financial information; select NGOs and professional organizations.

ISS ESG is the responsible investment research and advisory arm of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS). ISS ESG provides corporate research to institutional investors according to different sustainability criteria, covering environmental, social and corporate governance standards. ISS ESG data is used to support the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management, Eaton Vance and others.

ISS ESG applies its environmental, social and governance research to solutions that allow investment managers to screen, rate and rank companies based on criteria defined by the user. In turn, this data is applied by investment professionals to evaluate opportunities, identify risks and comply with a broad range of investment guidelines and client concerns.

Data verification is done through an online data verification portal run by ISS ESG. There is no cost to verify data with ISS ESG for the ranking. At any time, please contact ESGHelpdesk@iss-esg.com to request access to your data verification portal or additional company logins.

There are factors used for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking methodology that cannot be verified because the data source is a third party used by ISS ESG (e.g. data from CDP or financial information from FactSet or Compustat) or ISS ESG conducts the research but the factor is not yet part of the E&S Disclosure QualityScore or Governance QualityScore. In the ranking methodology, these factors are marked “N/A” in the “ISS ESG Factor ID” column. 

A company can review the data collected by ISS ESG, submit any necessary corrections and offer supporting links to publicly available information. This process is free and available online. ISS ESG will review your request and make any changes that are consistent with ISS ESG’s methodology and definitions. 

Contact ESGHelpdesk@iss-esg.com to request access to your data verification platform or additional company logins. Please note: ISS ESG may contact your company to clarify verification comments.

After you review the data collected, all submissions are made through the ISS ESG online data verification platform. Please contact ESGHelpdesk@iss-esg.com to request access to this platform or additional company logins.

ISS ESG is happy to receive any reports or data you wish to send. However, ISS ESG will have already reviewed your corporate responsibility (CR), ESG or sustainability report as part of its research process. The information you can verify includes data and management approaches found on your corporate website, in SEC documents or in your company’s CR or sustainability reports.

If you plan to make new source material available publicly, ISS ESG needs at least five business days to review. New source material submitted on March 18, 2022, may not be reviewed by ISS ESG in time to be considered for the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking. If you plan to make new source material publicly available in time to be considered for the ranking, please know ISS ESG requires at least five business days to review new materials. Therefore, please submit new material no later than Thursday, March 10, 2022.

Researchers and academics are welcome to analyze the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking but we do not provide the complete Russell 1000 ranking to any parties, even under a non-disclosure agreement.

Visit Past Rankings to download 100 Best rankings dating back to 2009.

Please complete the contact form at the bottom of this website to submit questions and feedback.