Sustainable Food Brands – Ranked

Brand Finance's Sustainability Perceptions Index suggests an increasing recognition among retailers and brands of the financial benefits of an ESG agenda. In the second of three features, we explore the leading food brands based on their Sustainability Perceptions Value. This article appeared in ESM’s November/December 2023 edition.

Retailers and consumer goods brands are increasingly integrating the sustainability agenda into their core operations, committing to improving their impact on the environment and promoting broader social change.

As the decade progresses, there is likely to be an increased focus on how sustainability not only aligns with ethical considerations but also contributes to business success, driving profits and offering both comprehensive and financial security. Earlier this year, Brand Finance released the Sustainability Perceptions Index, a thorough report assessing the value of sustainability perceptions for some of the world's biggest brands.

How It Works

The sustainability perceptions score (SPS) for each brand is determined using inputs from Brand Finance’s Global Brand Equity Monitor study. Consumers familiar with a brand are asked about its strength of commitment to protecting the environment, supporting communities and wider society, and governance. Responses are combined on a geographically weighted basis, resulting in a score out of 10.

Following on from this, Brand Finance uses drivers’ analysis to determine the relative role of sustainability in determining consumer choice in each sector: the output here is a percentage figure that ranges from approximately 2% to 25%.

This, coupled with that particular brand’s SPS relative to its sector average, are multiplied with the brand value, to determine the sustainability perceptions value (SPV). The SPV represents the portion of brand value attributable to a brand’s sustainability perceptions.

Amazon has the highest sustainability perceptions value (SPV) across all categories, of $19.9 billion (€18.9 billion) with a sustainability perceptions score (SPS) of 4.40. Tesla follows with an SPV of $17.8 billion (€16.9 billion) and an SPS of 5.43. Apple holds the third position with an SPV of $14.7 billion and an SPS of 4.50, while Google has an SPV of $14.6 billion and a score of 4.74. Microsoft completes the top five with an SPV of $9 billion and an SPS of 4.28.

Read More: Top Supermarket Retailers Ranked By Sustainability Perceptions

Top Food Brands

In terms of the leading food brands to make Brand Finance’s sustainability perceptions value list, Nestlé, which ranks 100th in the list overall, is the strongest performer, holding an SPV of $1,353 million (€1.285 billion) and an SPS of 4.10.

It is followed by Chinese dairy firm Yili (156th), with an SPV of $953 million (€903.1 million) and an SPS of 5.22, Lay’s, which boasts an SPV of $716 million (€679.1 million) and an SPS of 4.40, Danone (260th), with an SPV of $597 million (€566.2 million) and an SPS of 4.54, and Tyson (306th), which boasts an SPV of $510 million (€483.7 million) and an SPS of 3.98.

Other food brands to make the top 500 include Quaker (310th), Mengniu (345th), Kellogg’s (352nd), Haitian (387th), CJ Group and GS Group, from South Korea (395th and 433rd, respectively), Wrigley (451st) and Japan’s Kikkoman (463rd).

Sustainability Perceptions Rankings: Food

Discover the full Brand Finance Sustainability Perceptions Index here, or click here to read the latest edition of ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.