Swiss firms lauded for climate protection measures

Nestlé, Givaudan, Panalpina and the Bern Cantonal Bank are among 179 companies given a top “A” rating in a global survey of transparency and action on climate change.

On Monday, non-profit group Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) published its study of 8,000 companies worldwide. Only 2% of them made it onto the A-list, the organisation said.

Seven Swiss companies received an A, and another nine got an A-, among them UBS, Swiss Re, Barry Callebaut and Novartis.

Globally, top companies include Microsoft, Orsted, Sainsburys, Sony, Samsung Engineering, Unilever and Walmart. The companies on the A-list had achieved this position by disclosing their environmental data in a transparent and comprehensive manner.

They also showed a “thorough” awareness of climate risks, according to CDP. For example, they had switched to renewable energies, invested in low-CO2 product innovations, or provided incentives for their suppliers to reduce emissions.

Japan and the US were the nations with the headquarters of the most “A List firms, while regionally, Europe was home to the highest number.

Once a year, CDP collects data and information on CO2 emissions and climate risks and publishes them on the Monday ahead of the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, which brings together leading figures from business, government and civil society.

CDP was founded in London in 2000. Its aim is to encourage companies and communities to publish their environmental data.