BATTLE CREEK, Mich. -- Kellogg Company has been recognized as one of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.
This marks the 10th year Kellogg has been recognized in the Food, Beverage and Agriculture category, and the Company is one of only six honorees in the category this year – underscoring Kellogg's commitment to leading with integrity and prioritizing ethical business practices.
In 2018, 135 honorees were recognized, spanning 24 countries and 57 industries. The twelfth class of honorees had record levels of involvement with their stakeholders and their communities around the world. Measuring and improving culture, leading authentically and committing to transparency, diversity and inclusion were all priorities for honorees.
"At Kellogg, we are honored to receive this award in recognition of our ongoing commitment to being an ethical business," said Steve Cahillane, CEO, Kellogg Company. "We have always focused on doing business the right way, using our K Values and our Global Code of Ethics to guide us with integrity and leadership on our path to success."
"While the discourse around the world changed profoundly in 2017, a stronger voice emerged. Global corporations operating with a common rule of law are now society's strongest force to improve the human condition. This year we saw companies increasingly finding their voice. The World's Most Ethical Companies in particular continued to show exemplary leadership," explained Ethisphere's CEO, Timothy Erblich. "I congratulate everyone at Kellogg for being recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies."
Ethics & Performance
Once again, the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies have proven that operating with integrity leads to greater financial performance. Research has found that, when indexed, listed World's Most Ethical Companies outperformed the U.S. Large Cap Index over five years by 10.72 percent and over three years by 4.88 percent. Ethisphere refers to this as the Ethics Premium.