m-cause

What company is NOT in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index?

I am all for sustainability indexes and rankings as they tend to increase accountability and transparency, but when I flipped through the DJSI index and realized that British American Tobacco is included in the DJSI I had to (sadly) question the overall validity of the index.  I am sure BAT has some great internal programs, and I bet that they they donate a lot of money to charity, but how can any tobacco company be considered responsible?

No company is perfect…but tonight as I watch CNN, I am wondering what companies will benefit from the huge Obama stimulus plan.  Will these companies be judged according to a new, higher Obama-led sustainability standard?  If so, what standard will the new administration advocate?

Why not look harder at B Corporations?  These companies seem to really go beyond the CSR call of duty to:

* Meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards.
* Institutionalize stakeholder interests.
* Build collective voice though the power of a unifying brand.

B Corporations are charting the future for corp. responsibility…go take a look at the website and check out the 170 companies who have made the B Corp. cut thus far.  Many of these companies are really building sustainability into their core operations vs. just adding on another program.