2024 Year in Review: Sustainability Magazine’s Best Top 10s

What a year 2024 has been.

With the year drawing to a close, we look back on the back on the 12 Top 10s that have been featured in each month’s Sustainability Magazine.

Sustainability Magazine in Top 10s

January
Top 10: B Corp Companies​​​​​​​

Kicking off 2024, Sustainability Magazine highlighted the success of the B Corp movement.

B Lab is the nonprofit network building a community of engaged businesses — known as B Corps — and forming the B Global Network.

The B in the names refers to benefit, highlighting the benefit that these organisations bring to workers, the community and the environment.

Patagonia, TOMS and Ben & Jerry’s are among the 10 that made the list.

February
Top 10: CEOs in Sustainability

Applauding the work of sustainability-thinking leaders, in February Sustainability Magazine shone a spotlight on the top CEOs for their sustainable business influence and seniority in corporate ESG management.

This is because CEOs today are responsible for envisioning, nominating and enabling a company’s vision and sustainability strategy.

Who made the cut? Ørsted’s Mads Nipper, Henrik Andersen of Vestas and Radius Recycling’s Tamara Lundgren have all been celebrated.

March
Top 10: Chief Diversity Officers

In March, Sustainability Magazine charted its top 10 Chief Diversity Officers, along with their journeys and the impacts their leadership has had on their companies as well as the wider corporate world at large.

Renata Spada of ENGIE, Glenn Williams from HP and Karima A. Bryant from Kyndryl, among others, were selected for their commitment to diversity and the positive impact this fosters. 

April
Top 10: Sustainable Technology Companies

April was the turn of technology companies, with behemoths of the industry not only championed for their tech prowess, but for ensuring sustainability played a key — and successful — role in its operations.

None of the 10 companies will be strangers to you either — Microsoft, Schneider Electric and Google are among the leaders appreciated for their technology dominance and sustainability drive.

May
Top 10: Sustainability Consultants

Sustainability consultants got the Top 10 treatment in May, with key industry players like PwC, BCG, McKinsey and EY among the ranks.

Consultants play a significant role in the sustainability landscape as sustainability increasingly becomes a focus for companies, regardless of their industry.

Accenture — incidentally also on the list — reports that 98% of CEOs agree sustainability is their responsibility, but only 18% of companies are cutting emissions quickly enough to reach net zero by 2050.

June
Top 10: Sustainable Supply Chains

Supply chains were next to step into the spotlight when June rolled around, with L’Oréal, Danone, Tesla and IKEA all held in high regard.

This comes as Scope 3 emissions — or those that come from companies across a supply chain — becomes an increasingly hot topic in sustainability. This is because reducing Scope 3 emissions is essential if companies want to reach net zero. 

July
Top 10: Climate Tech Unicorns

In response to climate change, climate tech unicorns — companies valued over US$1bn — are pioneering sustainable solutions. 

A wave of climate tech unicorns are pioneering technologies that promise to mitigate environmental damage and drive the global transition to a sustainable future. 

Some well-known names on the list include OLA Electric, Octopus Energy and Bolt.

August
Top 10: Sustainability Influencers

In August, sustainability influencers took centre stage, with famous faces from all walks of life featuring on the Top 10 list. 

For her six decades of conservation, Dame Jane Goodall ranks, with Elon Musk, David Attenborough, Leonardo DiCaprio and environmental activist Greta Thunberg joining her.

These individuals’ philanthropic pursuits have driven climate awareness, turning their burning vision into a movement for change.

September
Top 10: Sustainability Investors

The top sustainability investors helping to fund the transition to a sustainable world include BlackRock, Vanguard and Morgan Stanley.

Why? Because transitioning to a sustainable world is not a small — or cheap — task. As well as this, investors do not just have the money to finance this shift, but also the influence to start aligning financial markets with climate goals. 

October
Top 10: Women in ESG

Research shows that gender-diverse leadership teams make better decisions, outperforming others in financial performance and ESG progress.

With that being said, the women celebrated in this list have been recognised in Sustainability Magazine's Top 100 Women in Sustainability supplement as leaders in not just sustainability, but specifically environmental, social and governance (ESG). 

Kyndryl’s Faith Taylor, Elena Valderrábano of Telefónica and Tesla’s Samantha Harris are among those recognised.

November
Top 10: Ethical Investment Companies

In 2023, ESG-focused funds attracted US$234bn globally — proving that sustainability pays.

As financial institutions increasingly turn their attention to sustainability strategies and environmentally-focused partnerships.

Those putting their money where their mouth is include Legal & General, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and BlackRock.

Nate Hurst, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer, Managing Director of BlackRock Foundation, says: “The ‘E’ and ‘S’ of ESG are two sides of the same coin. We can’t talk about climate change and the energy transition without recognising their impacts on people and communities."

December
Top 10: Sustainable Brands

Brands across the world are moving from goal-setting to change-making. 

The time to act well and truly is now, underscored by New York Climate Week’s 2024 theme, “It’s Time”.

Ten sustainable companies taking real action include IKEA, Apple, Nestlé, Unilever and IBM join the ranks, with Patagonia taking the top spot.

"I am proud that IBM is leading the way by taking actions to significantly reduce emissions," says Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO at IBM. 

"The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time.”

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