AUSTIN, Texas. (Sept. 30, 2015) Whole Foods Market has been named among the most reputable companies for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the United States, according to the US CSR RepTrak® list released today by Reputation Institute. The US CSR RepTrak® rankings measure the public’s perception of companies based on three dimensions: workplace, governance, and citizenship.
“For decades Whole Foods Market has stayed true to its mission by putting a clear set of core values into practice that actively help make our planet a healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable place,” said A.C. Gallo, president and chief operating officer of Whole Foods Market. “We are pleased Reputation Institute has ranked our business as being an American leader in corporate social responsibility because we’ve long been a driving force for the adoption of sustainable agriculture and animal welfare standards. We are also proud to have launched the Whole Planet, Whole Cities, and Whole Kids foundations, which partner with communities in the U.S. and around the world to alleviate poverty through microcredit, expand access to fresh, nutritious foods in underserved communities, and educate children so that they can make healthier food choices.”
Reputation Institute’s RepTrak® model is considered a gold standard for reputation measurement, providing a one-of-a-kind measurement of how the public views the world’s best-known companies. The RepTrak® database is normative, examining 15 stakeholder groups in more than 25 industries and more than 50 countries for more than 7,000 companies. The 2015 US CSR RepTrak® examines perceptions of companies by the US general public based on over 55,000 interviews.
Whole Foods Market placed No. 25 on the 2015 list of companies with the best CSR reputations among the U.S. public, which is compiled annually by Reputation Institute, a leading research and advisory firm focused solely on corporate reputations.
“The top U.S. companies proactively manage their reputations by investing as much in corporate dimensions like governance, citizenship and workplace as they do in their products and services,” says Brad Hecht, Chief Research Officer at Reputation Institute. “Companies with high CSR reputation scores have a demonstrated track record of ethical behavior and leadership that makes consumers want to engage with them and provides a buffer of goodwill during a crisis.”
In June, Reputation Institute ranked Whole Foods Market America’s third most reputable company in the retail industry and the third-strongest retail brand in America.
Other accolades the company has received in 2015 include:
• Fortune magazine ranked Whole Foods Market No. 30 on its list of 50 companies that “Change the World” by being at the forefront of food consciousness, noting the company’s role in creating the market for natural, healthy food.
• Greenpeace named Whole Foods Market the top retailer for seafood sustainability in the nonprofit’s annual ranking of U.S. supermarkets. Whole Foods Market has topped the seafood sustainability list for three consecutive years.
• Compassion in World Farming recognized Whole Foods Market with a Good Sow Commendation and Global Good Egg Award for the company’s animal welfare efforts.
• The Better World Shopping Guide awarded Whole Foods Market an “A” rating in its latest edition.
The complete ranking of the US CSR RepTrak® companies can be found at
https://www.reputationinstitute.com/research/CSR-RepTrak.
