Amid the world’s growing climate crisis, experts predict global temperatures will continue to rise, reaching about 2.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
Increased greenhouse gas emissions and pollution will lead to more extreme weather, drought and crop failure. As the situation becomes more dire, companies around the world are taking steps to mitigate their impact on the environment.
Newsweek recently compiled the World’s Greenest Companies 2025 ranking, in partnership with market data research firm Plant-A Insights and GIST Impact, a globally recognized impact intelligence provider that measures and quantifies corporate impact via a team of scientists, engineers, data scientists and environmental economists.
This list highlights the top 750 companies across 26 countries that are committed to improving their environmental sustainability to decrease their impacts on climate change. The companies included on the list received a 4-, 4.5- or 5-star rating based on the applied criteria.
Companies were evaluated based on their greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, waste generation and other public commitments and disclosures. Only operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) were included for this ranking. Scope 3 upstream or downstream emissions were not taken into account.
The companies were also screened based on the exclusion criteria in the European Union Paris-Aligned benchmarks which exclude companies with activities related to controversial weapons, tobacco production, nuclear weapons or nuclear energy and those that derive a certain percentage of revenue from the exploration, extraction, distribution and/or manufacturing of oil fuels, gaseous fuels, hard coal or lignite or CO2.
Newsweek’s ranking includes companies across 75 industries. One of the most represented industries in the ranking was financial institutions. Other top industries included consulting services, manufacturing, construction, IT services, pharmaceuticals and retail. (As a disclaimer, the methodology acknowledges that each industry has its own distinct characteristics and emissions profiles.)
Plant A notes in its methodology that certain industries are naturally more polluting than others, but this should not diminish the recognition of companies within these sectors that are actively working to reduce their environmental impact. Companies are, therefore, evaluated based on their performance relative to the average within their respective industry.
Many of these companies are part of the United Nations’ Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), a 2021 global member-led initiative of banks committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, in alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Of the 26 countries in the ranking, 10 had a large share of the representation. Below are the top-rated financial institutions in the most represented countries in the World’s Greenest Companies ranking.
FRANCE
France had 50 companies on the list. In addition to companies in food and beverage manufacturing and luxury retail, the top-rated financial institutions include AXA, BNP Paribas, CNP Assurances, Crédit Agricole and Edenred.
GERMANY
There are 40 German companies on the list, mostly in the financial, manufacturing and transportation sectors. Aareal Bank, Allianz, Deutsche Bank, Munich Re and Talanx are the top financial institutions in the ranking.
INDIA
Thirty-two companies on the list are headquartered in India. Among them are leaders in the IT services, transport, consulting and hospitality industries.
There are several 4.5-star banks and other financial institutions in India in the ranking. These include Infosys, Aditya Birla Capital, ICICI Bank, IIFL Finance and L&T Finance.
ITALY
Among the 29 Italian companies on the list, textiles and apparel, retail, IT and electronic manufacturing were popular industries. Italy’s top financial institutions include Banco BPM, Credito Emiliano, FinecoBank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario and UniCredit.
Fiona Melrose, the head of group strategy and ESG at UniCredit, told Newsweek that the bank is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2030 and is making “tangible and consistent progress” to cut greenhouse gas emissions by procuring its own electricity from renewable sources and improving the energy efficiency of its premises and data centers.
“We have outlined targets for seven of our most carbon-intensive client sectors, including an industry-leading phase-out policy for coal, as we continue to embed ESG in our financing activities and implement our net zero transition plan,” Melrose said in an emailed statement. “As part of this, we have also committed to specific ESG penetration targets for our lending, investment products and sustainable bonds, all of which are designed to help our clients progress with their own transition plans.”
JAPAN
Japan had the second most companies included in the ranking, with 69. Electronics and machinery manufacturing and pharmaceuticals were among the most represented.
Japan’s top financial institutions include Daiwa Securities, Mizuho Financial Group, MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Nomura Holdings and Tokio Marine Holdings.
SPAIN
Spain has 28 companies on the list in industries like IT, entertainment, construction, renewable energy and manufacturing.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Banco de Sabadell, Santander Bank and Bankinter are the top financial institutions.
Bankinter told Newsweek that it has had an environmental and climate change policy and management system in place for nearly two decades that includes regular monitoring of environmental indicators, emission and consumption reduction targets and proper waste management. It also helps support clients, both individuals and businesses, in their decarbonization processes, to help transition to a low-emissions economy.
Its strategic sustainability plan for 2024–2025 was inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda, regulatory requirements such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and voluntary commitments like the Net-Zero Banking Alliance.
“The benefits of such policies and targets include the development of new business opportunities with clients and new financial products with sustainability criteria that address clients’ transformation needs,” Bankinter told Newsweek in an emailed statement. “From a risk management perspective, considering climate and environmental risks and integrating them into the risk management system enhances resilience to potential issues affecting counterparties.”
The bank added that managing these issues effectively, performing well in sustainability and being recognized as one of the world’s most sustainable banks is “highly valuable” from a reputation standpoint for clients and other stakeholders, such as employees and analysts.
SWEDEN
There are 24 Swedish companies featured in the ranking, in industries like manufacturing, IT services and retail.
All three financial institutions listed have a 5-star rating: Swedbank, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) and Svenska Handelsbanken.
Swedbank’s ambition is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, aligning its lending and investment portfolios with the 1.5-degree target. By 2030, decarbonization targets are in place for six key sectors — addressing both exposure and climate impact. The bank also aims to triple its volume of sustainable finance by 2027, compared to a 2022 baseline.
To support this transition, Swedbank continues to expand its offering of sustainable financing products and services. In 2024 alone, the bank’s Sustainable Asset Register grew by 73 percent.
“As a bank with a vital role in society, Swedbank sees sustainability as central to our long-term strategy,” Swedbank’s head of sustainability, Johanna Fager Wettergren, told Newsweek in an emailed statement. “With financial health and the energy transition as key focus areas, sustainability is embedded across our operations. Swedbank and our customers share a strong commitment to advancing the sustainability transition. Our commitment is steadfast—and now is the time to accelerate.”
SWITZERLAND
Nestlé, Logitech and Novartis are some of the 36 companies in Switzerland in the Greenest Companies ranking. There are a range of industries represented, like electronics, iron, steel, food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
The top financial institutions include Julius Bär, St. Galler Kantonalbank, Swiss Life Holding, Swiss Re, Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) and Zurich Insurance.
“At UBS, we are guided by our ambition to be a leader in sustainability,” the bank told Newsweek in an emailed statement. “This is reflected in our vision to be the bank for the next generation. We support our clients in the transition to a low-carbon world and embed considerations of climate risks and opportunities into our firm for the benefit of our stakeholders. We have drawn up a climate transition plan for UBS, including our overarching climate approach as well as specified policies, guidelines, frameworks, targets and actions.”
UNITED KINGDOM
The U.K. has the third most companies listed in the ranking. The 64 companies are in industries like rail logistics, consulting services, entertainment and food and beverage manufacturing.
Aviva, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, Paragon Banking Group, Standard Chartered and Virgin Money are the U.K.’s top financial institutions.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The U.S. tops the list with over 230 companies in the ranking, including companies in industries like consulting, manufacturing, IT, health care, pharmaceuticals and retail.
The financial institutions include banks as well as credit card, investment and insurance companies like American Express, Apollo Global Management, Bank of America, Bread Financial, Cboe Global Markets, Elevance Health, Goldman Sachs, The Hartford Financial Services, Horace Mann Educators, Humana, Invesco, LPL Financial, Mastercard, MetLife, Nasdaq, Principal Financial, State Street, Unum and Visa.
Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, however, are two of the six U.S. banks that left the Net-Zero Banking Alliance after Donald Trump was elected president in November 2024.
Chief Sustainability Officer at Mastercard Ellen Jackowski told Newsweek in a statement that “a thriving economy depends on a healthy planet.”
“Our path to net zero by 2040 involves not just transforming our operations and supply chain to decouple growth from emissions but creating innovative solutions that can empower our partners to reduce waste and pollution too,” she said in an emailed statement. “Advancing environmental sustainability is fundamental to how we define success.”
Other countries on the list include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands and Singapore, with 10 to 20 companies represented.
Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all had less than 10 companies listed.
Some of the other top-rated financial institutions include Bank of Montreal, Danske Bank, DNB Bank, Qatar National Bank, Suncorp Group and Great Eastern.
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