Denmark's Ørsted, the global leader in offshore wind, surpassed more than 7,500 international, billion-dollar companies to rank fourth in the Corporate Knights' 2019 index of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.
The ranking also makes Ørsted the most sustainable energy company in the index, said a press release from the largest energy company in Denmark.
According to Corporate Knights, Ørsted performs particularly well in the ranking because a high share of the company's revenues is earned from products or services that have environmental or well-defined social benefits.
"Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. We must dramatically accelerate the transformation of the world's energy systems from fossil fuels to renewables to help protect our planet for future generations," says Henrik Poulsen, CEO of Ørsted.
He continues: "At Ørsted, we have reduced our carbon emissions from our energy production by 67% over the past decade towards our vision of a world that runs entirely on green energy. Being ranked among the world's most sustainable companies makes us both humble and proud and encourages us to pursue our global investments in sustainable energy."
"Over the past decade, Ørsted has transformed from a coal- and gas-intensive utility to a global green energy company. The company has reduced the carbon intensity of its power and heat generation by more than two-thirds in comparison with 2006, and it is well on track to meet its target of more than 95% green energy by 2023," said the release.