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2024 has already been a big year for environmental and climate action in the private sector. Governments of all sizes have implemented new measures that will require certain companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks. 

Following last year’s adoption of the EU’s and California’s (the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that requires some companies to disclose both greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks to their business, the specifics of which are still being challenged in court. 

A majority of Americans favor more disclosure from companies on these issues. Our Polling of the American Public found that 73% of Americans strongly or somewhat favor federal requirements for disclosure on environmental data like greenhouse gas emissions. Other research indicates that that the CSRD and SEC rules will drive better investment decisions. 

We evaluated the 10 companies with the best environmental performance in our 2024 ºù«Ӱҵ of America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies. All 10 of these companies have set an emissions reduction target and we also found that these leaders are outperforming the remainder of the Russell 1000: 

• Eight of the Top Ten have a verified 1.5-degree Science-Based Target.
• Only 13.4% of the Russell 1000 have achieved this best practice.
• Our Top Ten Companies for the Environment use 7x more renewable energy (as a percent of their total energy use) than the rest of the companies in our universe.

Read more about how these companies are taking action. The top 10 are listed below in ranked order on environmental performance based on the 2023 ºù«Ӱҵ:

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company

• Ranked 1st in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Computer Services Company based in Spring, Texas 

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is a top-performing company on the Environment Stakeholder, in addition to leading the Russell 1000 on overall performance, ranking first overall in our 2024 ºù«Ӱҵ. HPE has committed to multiple ambitious climate goals, including achieving across its entire value chain by 2040, a in Scope 1 & 2 emissions from 2020-2030, and a in Scope 3 emissions from 2020-230. HPE was the first company within its industry to set a , and in 2022 even moved up their commitment date for achieving Net Zero from 2050 to 2040. HPE is focused on finding and partnering with suppliers who have their own science-based targets, while also pushing out for their customers to reduce the company’s scope 3 emissions. 

Johnson & Johnson

• Ranked 697th in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Pharmaceutical & Biotech Company based in New Brunswick, New Jersey 

Johnson & Johnson has been a continued leader in the environmental space, being the 2nd top-performing company in the Russell 1000, moving up from the 8th spot on last year’s rankings. Johnson & Johnson’s climate action plan revolves around improving operational performance and optimizing their value chain. This plan includes sourcing from renewable resources by 2025, with already achieving this, and launching the . The company’s long-term goal is to achieve across all of its value chain by 2045, recognizing that to achieve , there needs to be a focus on tackling climate issues.    

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Microsoft Corporation

• Ranked 42nd in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Software Company based in Redmond, Washington 

Microsoft Corporation has committed to the most robust climate commitments, pledging to be . The pledge goes beyond this, as the company has pledged to from the atmosphere of all of its historical emissions by 2050. Microsoft has disclosed detailed plans of how they going to achieve these goals and is to move forward in the field of carbon removal. Microsoft has also pledged to be by 2030. Since initiating this program, they have secured contracts for projects expected to deliver over throughout the lifespan of these initiatives.

McCormick & Co Inc

• Ranked 115th in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Food, Beverage & Tobacco Company based in Hunt Valley, Maryland 

McCormick & Co. Inc. is focused on creating sustainability within the Food, Beverage, and Tobacco industry, honing in on the increased use and branding of sustainable herbs and spices. McCormick has of their most iconic branded ingredients and is leading research on how to minimize the environmental impact of their product with the largest carbon footprint, The company is also partnering with vanilla farmers in Madagascar to in the region through providing the local farmers training on agricultural practices that meet third-party sustainability certifications. All of these efforts are being pursued to ensure the company meets its . 

Accenture plc

• Ranked 3rd in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Commercial Support Services Company based in Chicago, Illinois 

Accenture has , achieving a 57% reduction in total emissions based on a 2016 baseline and reduced scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 91%, significantly surpassing their goal of a 65% absolute reduction target. The company has since committed to even more reductions, and has gotten approval from SBTi for another near-term target . Accenture has also , that are predicted to remove millions of metric tons of carbon over the next 20 years. In addition, in 2023 Accenture did achieve its goal of in all of its offices. 

Adobe Inc

• Ranked 34th in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Software Company based in San Jose, California

Adobe Inc. has adopted a three-tiered approach to sustainability, focusing on product sustainability, operational sustainability, and policy advocacy/thought leadership. Through these efforts, Adobe has a . The company’s associated with physical software manufacturing, packaging, and distribution, which contributes to their goal of reducing scope 3 emissions associated with product use. Operationally, are LEED or green building certified, and they are committed to . Adobe has also advocating for the deployment of clean renewable energy in areas where they have digital supply chain operations  

Bank of America Corporation

• Ranked 2nd in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina

is leveraging its position as a leading financial organization to invest in . The company collaborates with enterprises in agriculture, transportation, and aviation fuel sectors, offering education and services to help them integrate sustainability into their investments and develop resilient infrastructure. Bank of America has also pledged to reach within their finance activities, operations, and supply chain. They remain dedicated to advancing their , having pledged $445 billion in financing by 2030 for low-carbon, sustainable business endeavors, addressing climate change and other pressures on natural resources.

The Procter & Gamble Company

• Ranked 79th in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Personal Products Company based in Cincinnati, Ohio 

The Procter & Gamble Company climate action plan includes achieving , with additional science-based targets to be achieved by 2030. The company aims to and. In order to tackle waste, Procter & Gamble is aiming to have in all consumer products by the same deadline. The company is also focused on reducing water use operationally, specifically in areas where there is a high level of water stress. Through partnerships, Procter & Gamble has embarked on a to identify which water basins are most at risk and has to help restore these essential water sources. 

Edwards Lifesciences Corp

• Ranked 175th in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Medical Equipment & Services Company based in Irvine, California

Edwards Lifesciences Corp is aiming to achieve and has made to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for emission reductions aligned with the 1.5 Degree Warming Scenario. The company prioritizes efforts to diminish its waste and water footprints, striving to to minimize production waste and regularly across its operations. Additionally, Edwards Lifesciences is enhancing the sustainability of its operations by implementing at its facilities and attaining for its Irvine campus.

Biogen Inc

• Ranked 33rd in America’s Most ºù«Ӱҵ Companies 
• Pharmaceutical & Biotech Company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Biogen Inc. has rolled out its initiative, to increase sustainability within their organization and have a positive impact on overall public health. As part of their initiative, they have committed to reaching as verified by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In year two of the initiative they have madeand sustained within their operations. Biogen is participating in strategic collaborations with the , , and – which Biogen co-chairs, all to assess and understand the impacts of climate issues on public health.