TORONTO — Corporate Knights ranked McCormick & Co. No. 6 in its 2021 Global 100 Sustainability index, the highest finish among all companies in the packaged and processed foods and ingredients sector.

“Five years after our debut on this prestigious list, I'm proud to see that McCormick has achieved its highest ranking yet,” said Lawrence E. Kurzius, president and chief executive officer of McCormick & Co., Hunt Valley, Md. “This honor underscores McCormick's continued commitment to purpose-led performance and to doing what's right for people, the communities where we live, work and source and the planet we share.

“Standing together for the future of flavor and reducing our impact on the planet has never been more important. McCormick continues to drive our clean revenue, deliver renewable energy projects and transition to 100% circular packaging. Supporting people also remains a top priority with a sustained focus on employee health and well-being, diversity and inclusion, and helping our communities."

McCormick & Co. had an overall score of 79.3%. Schneider Electric SE, with a score of 83.2%, held down the No. 1 ranking overall and received praise for moving away from high-voltage electrical distribution to focus on data centers and decentralized electrical distribution. Corporate Knights had McCormick & Co. at No. 22 last year.

Toronto-based Corporate Knights, Inc. includes a sustainable business magazine called Corporate Knights and a research division that produces rankings and financial product ratings based on corporate sustainability.

The Global 100 rankings assessed all publicly listed companies with a gross minimum revenue of $1 billion in fiscal year 2019. Corporate Knights determines the top 100 through 24 performance indicators, including resource management, employee management, financial management, clean revenue and clean compliance, and supplier performance.

Other companies involved in the food industry that were ranked included Chr. Hansen at No. 24, Novozymes at No. 36, Vitasoy International Holdings, Inc. at No. 62 and Unilever PLC at No. 79. F