Wall Street Journal names BMO in Top 15 of ranking of sustainably managed companies
In its first ever ranking of the most sustainably managed companies in the world, the Wall Street Journal has recognized BMO 15th overall, the only Canadian company in the top 20, the only bank globally in the top 50, and the only Canadian bank to be listed in the rankings.
To create the rankings, the Journal examined more than 5,500 publicly traded businesses based on a range of sustainability metrics, taking a broad view of sustainability, assessing a company’s leadership and governance practices for their ability to create value for shareholders over the long term.
This recognition indicates that BMO was judged amongst the best in class for management of financially material issues across the key sustainability dimensions with a high degree of transparency and disclosure, driving long term value. It’s a critical part of fulfilling BMO’s Purpose-driven Bold Commitment to support progress toward a sustainable future, a thriving economy and a more inclusive society with zero barriers.
Of particular note, BMO’s highest score was in the area of management of Social Capital, in which it ranked third overall. For the Journal, performance in the area of Social Capital means a company has a high degree of achievement in how it measures and monitors the social impact of its business activities, customer welfare, human rights and community relations, product access, affordability, quality and safety, as well as data security and customer privacy. The definition is based on SASB guidelines, a framework that aligns sustainability disclosure with financial relevance. BMO released a SASB aligned disclosure in 2019, one of the first banks to do so and the most comprehensive SASB disclosure amongst Canadian banks.
BMO has been recognized among our international peers by a number of organizations in 2020, including as one of the global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world by Corporate Knights, and as one of the world’s most ethical companies by Ethisphere Institute. BMO has been ranked on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 15 years.
