Atos included in S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2023

Digital transformation and services company, Atos, has been included in S&P’s Global Sustainability Yearbook, for the 10th consecutive year, ranking it as one of the most sustainable companies in the world.

Atos has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies globally, ranking in the top 10% of its industry after a review of 7,800 companies.

The result adds to the IT firm’s other awards, including an ‘AAA’ rating from MSCI in their ESG Ratings assessment for 2022, and a Platinum Award from EcoVadis, placing it in the top 1% of companies in its industry.

“Our commitment to sustainability and the transparent communication of our progress has helped set Atos apart.” said Diane Galbe, senior executive vice president at Atos, “We are extremely proud to rank among the top 10% of companies in the IT Services Industry worldwide, which is testament to our continuous development and commitment towards sustainability and our excellence in ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) practices.”

The multinational tech firm started its corporate social responsibility journey over ten years ago and is now a recognised leader in its industry across ESG criteria. Their website lists a wide range of key performance indicators across the spectrum. 

The Global Sustainability Assessment

S&P Global’s annual assessment, now in its 24th year, recognises companies grouped by industry that have demonstrated strong corporate sustainability.  The process is “built on the principles of transparency, reliability, and comparability,” with a “record number” of companies having participated in the latest edition. 

Together with Dow Jones Indices (now S&P Dow Jones Indices), the assessment has been used to create a global sustainability benchmark. Companies are selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), S&P 500 ESG and several other sustainability indices in part based on their results in the assessment.

This year, over 7800 companies were assessed across 61 industries and rankings were chosen after a staggering 14m collected data points. Companies receive scores ranging from 0 to 100 and percentile rankings for approximately 20 financially relevant sustainability criteria across economic, environmental and social dimensions.

Confusion in reporting

The industry is currently grappling with reporting inconsistencies due to a variety of national and global reporting providers. This poses significant challenges for customers and investors seeking to make meaningful comparisons across companies in pursuit of their values. 

A recent regulatory barometer from professional services network KPMG revealed risks associated with diverging economies such as the UK and EU post Brexit. However, Douglas Peterson, president and CEO of S&P Global, points out progress in this area, specifically with the not-for-profit International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

“The work the International Sustainability Standards Board and others are doing is essential to reduce global fragmentation in sustainability reporting generally and establishing an international baseline for enterprise value reporting specifically.” he said. 

Additionally, the adoption of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) last year offers the potential to align sustainability reporting and provide a clearer picture for all large companies operating in the EU.