Are the 613 Largest U.S. Public Companies Actually Working on Sustainability?

The trends described in a new report that evaluates the actions of 613 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S., representing 75% of the the total market capitalization of all public companies in the country, are simultaneously fascinating and a bit discouraging.

The analysis, a collaboration between sustainable business nonprofit Ceres and the research firm Sustainalytics, assesses companies across four strategic areas and compares progress since the first report in 2012.  Based on performance and considerations by sector, the report divides companies into four tiers ("setting the pace," "making progress," "getting on track," "starting out").

We're seeing a change, but not fast enough and not to the extent that we think is really possible.

"We're seeing companies improve across many of the expectations, but at the same time, we're not seeing the scale of change that we really need," says Ceres's corporate program vice president Andrea Moffat. "We're seeing a change, but not fast enough and not to the extent that we think is really possible for U.S. companies."

Are the 613 Largest U.S. Public Companies Actually Working on Sustainability?