A clutch of med-tech titans made the grade for Corporate Responsibility magazine’s 100 best corporate citizens for 2012.
CR selected companies based on their recent track record in areas such as human rights, philanthropy, employee relations and environmentalism, encompassing 318 data elements in total.
Among the honorees was Minneapolis, Minn.-based Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), the world’s largest pure-play medical device maker, which came in at #50.
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“Being a good corporate citizen is an important part of our mission,” Medtronic chairman & CEO Omar Ishrak said in prepared remarks.
“We are proud of our accomplishments in corporate citizenship, in particular the significant steps we’ve taken in transparency and citizenship performance related to philanthropy, environmental stewardship, inclusion and good corporate governance,” he added.
Slightly higher up the chain was cross-town rival Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), which ranked 36th.
Others on the list included:
#6: Accenture plc
#18: Kimberly-Clark Corp.
#20: Abbott (NYSE:ABT)
#29: 3M Co. (NYSE:MMM)
#58: Baxter (NYSE:BAX)
#73: GE (NYSE:GE)
“We believe it’s vital for investors, regulators, customers, suppliers, employees, and neighbors to know as much as possible about the companies they invest in, do business with, and work for,” according to CR’s website. “By advancing accountability and transparency through this research we empower those closest to these companies to make better decisions and ultimately judge these companies and their behaviors.”
The rankings are built by collecting and analyzing data from company websites, sustainability reports and yearly reports.
“Our inclusion in this global best corporate citizens list is the result of the exceptional talent and collaboration of our more than 57,000 employees worldwide,” Kimberly-Clark global sustainability VP Suhas Apte said in a statement. “Being responsible stewards of the environment and positive contributors to our communities is an essential part of our culture at K-C.”
Breast implant maker Allergan (NYSE:AGN) received a “red card,” marking expulsion from the top 100 list for 3 years due to a “significant adverse event or judgment in the research year against the company, an event so widely recognized that no reasonable person would expect to find the company on a listing of the best corporate citizens,” according to the CR guidelines.
Allergan was expelled for issues relating to its admitted mis-labeling of the Botox aesthetic injections. The company earlier this month celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the FDA’s approval of Botox, according to a press release.