The Hartford was named to the 2018 JUST 100 list by Forbes and JUST Capital. The list is a ranking of the top 100 publicly-traded, U.S. corporations that, according to Forbes, produce quality goods, treat customers well, minimize environmental impact, support the communities they operate in, commit to ethical and diverse leadership, and above all, treat workers well.
“At The Hartford, we are proud of our history of doing the right thing and engaging on issues when we can make a difference and influence change,” said The Hartford’s head of Corporate Sustainability Diane Cantello. “We continually set measurable goals to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce, reduce our impact on the environment and hold all aspects of our business to the highest ethical standards.”
The Hartford is included on this year’s list, outperforming many other companies on issues such as fair pay and employee benefits, customer treatment and privacy, beneficial products, environmental impact, community support as well as ethical leadership and long-term financial growth. JUST Capital evaluated companies selected from the Russell 1000 Index, which represents over 90 percent of the U.S. stock market value, and rankings are based on more than four years of market research including responses from 81,000 respondents across the U.S.
“Trust in our institutions is more important than ever right now. The JUST 100 recognizes companies that are doing right within society,” said Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane. “The Rankings help companies gauge their progress on benchmarks that go far beyond quarterly earnings towards long-term value-creation for all stakeholders.”
As one of America’s Most JUST Companies, The Hartford is also included in Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF – the first ever exchange-traded fund based on just business behavior, constructed from JUST Capital’s rankings.
“America’s Most JUST Companies consistently outperform their peers in job creation, wages, work-life balance, environmental impact, and return on equity,” said Martin Whittaker, CEO of JUST Capital. “Aligning corporate behavior with the priorities of the American people is good for communities and good for business.”
The Hartford’s sustainability strategy is built on measurable goals intended to both create long-term shareholder value and contribute positively to society at large, as outlined in the most recent Sustainability Highlight Report. Earlier this year, The Hartford was included in the FTSE4Good Index Series, a Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) series designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong environmental, social and governance practices and was one of only 200 companies included in the inaugural portfolio of the Impact Shares YWCA Women’s Empowerment Exchange Traded Fund. WOMN tracks the Morningstar Women’s Empowerment Index, a rule-based index that selects leading companies in women’s empowerment across all sectors of the US economy, using the Gender Equality Score provided by Equileap, an organization aiming to accelerate progress toward gender equality.