Discover Top ESG-Ranked Countries
What are the most sustainable countries in terms of human rights, environment, and health? While Finland, Iceland, and Norway rank highest in the new global risk profile, France falls to 17th place due to its lack of consideration for imported emissions and environmental standards.
A new study published on March 8 by Global Risk Profile (GRP), a Swiss company specialising in the assessment and management of third-party risk, proposes that countries be evaluated based on ESG criteria.
According to Novithek Sonia Thorneherr, Head of Research and Development at GRP, this is in response to the Duty of Vigilance Act, which mandates that large companies mitigate ESG risks throughout their value chain, requiring an external analysis by country.
In the fifth edition of the report, the news is bleak: global sustainability performance is on the decline, despite the growing emphasis on CSR topics and sustainability goals, along with the implementation of CSR initiatives and binding legislation worldwide, as noted by the report's authors.
While the assessment is based on three pillars—environment, human rights, and people's health and safety—the latter two remain relatively stable. It is the first pillar, the environment, that presents a challenge.
As in previous years, Finland, Iceland, and Norway claimed the top three spots. China and India both fell behind, ranking 118th and 145th, respectively. Mongolia experienced the most significant drop, falling 27 places due to human rights challenges exposed by measures to control the spread of COVID-19, including limitations on freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and treatment of healthcare workers.
To create the ranking, the Swiss company consulted 65 databases from nearly two dozen internationally recognised organisations, including the World Bank, Word Economic Forum, and the World Health Organisation. Overall, Europe dominates the ranking, surpassing South America and North America by a significant margin.
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Source: The Informant
