When will sustainability rankings become more accurate?

Macleans recently published a list of the 50 most socially responsible companies with a strong presence in Canada.

Among the leaders are Adidas Group, Ballard Power Systems Inc., BCE Inc., BMO Bank of Montreal and BMW.

Some of their CSR practices are worth sharing. However, there are a number of critiques on their methodology. This is commonly the case with corporate ranking schemes.

Yes, it is good to recognise socially and environmentally productive activities. But it is time that we stop labelling a giant corporation as an overall sustainable leader based on a few activities.

It’s time we start rewarding companies that have embedded sustainable practices into their company’s strategy, operations and culture. At a minimum, let’s put a company’s praise into context.

Does such a ranking of ‘embeddedness’ exist?