2019

Corporate Human Rights Benchmark

Preventing adverse impacts on workers, communities and consumers is one of the most pressing challenges almost every company faces in today’s globalised marketplace. The CHRB seeks to tap into the competitive nature of the market as a powerful driver for change in confronting this challenge.

2018 Results

The 2018 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assesses 101 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world on a set of human rights indicators.

View banding table

Why a benchmark?Guide to the Benchmark

OVERALL SCORES

Companies (n=100)

27

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Tapestry, Phillips 66, PetroChina, BRF, Costco Wholesale, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Falabella, Devon Energy, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, Gazprom, Ross Stores, Kraft Heinz, China Petroleum & Chemical, China Shenhua Energy, Macy's, Shoprite, Prada, CNOOC, Hermes International, Surgutneftegas, EOG Resources, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Valero Energy, Monster Beverage, Heilan Home, Kweichow Moutai

0-10
19

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: The Hershey Company, Target, Suncor Energy, Exxon Mobil, Ahold Delhaize, PTT, Grupo Mexico, LVMH, Aeon Company, L Brands, Sysco, Compass Group, Norilsk Nickel, TJX Companies, Anadarko Petroleum, Marathon Petroleum, Yum! Brands, Canadian Natural Resources, Kohl's

10-20
17

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Archer Daniels Midland, Kering, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Fast Retailing, Wesfarmers, Coal India, Associated British Foods, Mondelez International, Carrefour, Sasol, Lukoil, Wal-Mart Stores, Occidental Petroleum, Rosneft Oil, McDonald's, Pernod-Ricard, Kroger

20-30
11

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: ConocoPhillips, Next, Ecopetrol, Danone, Equinor, Tesco, Nike, Goldcorp, Chevron Corporation, General Mills, Under Armour

30-40
12

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Hennes & Mauritz, BP, Nestle, Hanesbrands, Total, Repsol, Glencore, PepsiCo, Diageo, Heineken NV, Petrobras, Woolworths

40-50
7

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: The Coca-Cola Company, Kellogg, Royal Dutch Shell, Inditex, Freeport-McMoRan, Anglo American, Gap

50-60
4

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Marks & Spencer Group, Unilever, ENI, VF

60-70
2

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton

70-80
1

Companies in this band

Adidas

80-90
90-100

Score range (%)

2018 Key Findings Report

A detailed briefing on the 2018 results. Find the highest and lowest scoring companies, the results by industry and by measurement theme, an analysis of trends, some leading practices, some commentaries from experts and companies and more.

Note: The Key Findings Report should be read in conjunction with the Report on the 2018 Appeals Process, available on the news section of the website.

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Industry Scores

The companies from 3 industries - Agricultural Products, Apparel, and Extractives - were chosen for the first Benchmark on the basis of their size (market capitalisation) and revenues. The charts below show the number of companies in each band per industry.

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Agricultural Products

Total 38

Companies

9

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: BRF, Costco Wholesale, Starbucks, Falabella, Kraft Heinz, Shoprite, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Monster Beverage, Kweichow Moutai

0-10
7

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: The Hershey Company, Target, Ahold Delhaize, Aeon Company, Sysco, Compass Group, Yum! Brands,

10-20
10

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Archer Daniels Midland, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Wesfarmers, Associated British Foods, Mondelez International, Carrefour, Wal-Mart Stores, McDonald's, Pernod-Ricard, Kroger

20-30
3

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Danone, Tesco, General Mills

30-40
5

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Nestle, PepsiCo, Diageo, Heineken NV, Woolworths

40-50
2

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: The Coca-Cola Company, Kellogg

50-60
2

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Marks & Spencer Group, Unilever

60-70
70-80
80-90
90-100

Score range (%)

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Apparel

Total 30

Companies

9

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Tapestry, Costco Wholesale, Nordstrom, Falabella, Ross Stores, Macy's, Prada, Hermes International, Heilan Home

0-10
6

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Target, LVMH, Aeon Company, L Brands, TJX Companies, Kohl's

10-20
4

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Kering, Fast Retailing, Associated British Foods, Wal-Mart Stores

20-30
4

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Next, Tesco, Nike, Under Armour

30-40
2

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Hennes & Mauritz, Hanesbrands

40-50
2

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Inditex, Gap

50-60
2

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Marks & Spencer Group, VF

60-69
70-80
1

Companies in this band

Adidas

80-90
90-100

Score range (%)

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Extractives

Total 40

Companies

11

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Phillips 66, PetroChina, Devon Energy, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, Gazprom, China Petroleum & Chemical, China Shenhua Energy, CNOOC, Surgutneftegas, EOG Resources, Valero Energy

0-10
8

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Suncor Energy, Exxon Mobil, PTT, Grupo Mexico, Norilsk Nickel, Anadarko Petroleum, Marathon Petroleum, Canadian Natural Resources

10-20
5

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Coal India, Sasol, Lukoil, Occidental Petroleum, Rosneft Oil

20-30
5

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: ConocoPhillips, Ecopetrol, Equinor, Goldcorp, Chevron

30-40
5

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: BP, Total, Repsol, Glencore, Petrobras

40-50
3

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Royal Dutch Shell, Freeport-McMoRan, Anglo American

50-60
1

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: ENI

60-70
2

Companies in this band

Highest score >> Lowest score: Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton

70-80
80-90
90-100

Score range (%)

Banding Table

This table presents companies in bands by their overall score. Nearly two thirds of companies score under 30% and over a quarter score under 10%. Several companies lead the way and score above 60%. However, the stark gap between leaders and those in the lower scoring bands highlights the disparity in approaches to respecting human rights and transparency in general.

Note: This table was updated on 26 March 2019 to reflect the outcome of the appeals process. For more information, see the Report on the 2018 Appeals Process, available on the news section of the website.

Score Key

  • Governance and Policy (score out of 10)
  • Respect and Due Diligence (score out of 25)
  • Remedy and Grievance Mechanisms (score out of 15)
  • Performance: Practices (score out of 20)
  • Performance: Responses (score out of 20)
  • Transparency (score out of 10)

80 - 90%

70 - 80%

60 - 70%

50 - 60%

40 - 50%

30 - 40%

20 - 30%

10 - 20%

0 - 10%

2018 Methodology

The 2018 Methodology is a revised version of the 2016 Pilot Methodology. It is the result of several months of internal reflexions and consultations, and served as the basis of the 2018 assessment.

More information and useful links

Measurement Theme Scores

Companies were assessed across 6 Measurement Themes which have different weightings. Even though average scores are low across the board, overall companies tend to perform more strongly on policy commitments and management systems than on remedy or dealing with key risks in practice.

Governance & Policy Commitments

2018 Highest Score :
9.1 / 10

2018 Average score :
2.9 / 10
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2017 Average Score :
2.1 / 10

This Measurement Theme focuses on a company’s human rights related policy commitments and how they are governed. It includes two related sub-themes: Policy Commitments and Board Level Accountability.

Embedding Respect & Human Rights Due Diligence

2018 Highest score :
22.6 / 25

2018 Average score :
6.8 / 25
""
2017 Average score :
4.0 / 25

This Measurement Theme assesses the extent of a company’s systems and processes established to implement the company’s policy commitments in practice. It includes two related sub-themes: Embedding Respect and Human Rights Due Diligence.

Remedies & Grievance Mechanisms

2018 Highest score :
15.0 / 15

2018 Average score :
3.4 / 15
""
2017 Average score :
2.1 / 15

This Measurement Theme focuses on the extent to which a Company provides remedy in addressing actual adverse impacts on human rights. It covers a Company’s approach to providing or cooperating in remediation when human rights harms – actual human rights impacts – have occurred.

Performance: Company Human Rights Practices

2018 Highest score :
16.3 / 20

2018 Average score :
4.9 / 20
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2017 Average score :
2.8 / 20

This Measurement Theme focuses on selected human rights related practices specific to each industry. The indicators seek to assess the actual practices occurring within companies to implement key enabling factors and business processes, and to prevent specific impacts on human rights.

Performance: Responses to Serious Allegations

2018 Total number of allegations :
96

2018 Companies with allegations :
48
""
2017 Companies with allegations :
41

This Measurement Theme focuses on responses to serious allegations of negative impacts a Company may be alleged or reported to be involved in by an external source. Indicators in this Measurement Theme seek to assess a Company’s response to an allegation that an impact has occurred, and do not seek to assess the allegation itself. For some companies, the CHRB did not identify allegations that met the severity threshold to be included in the assessment. For these companies, their Measurement Theme E score is a proxy score calculated from the average scores the company gets in other Measurement Themes.

Transparency

2018 Highest score :
8.5 / 10

2018 Average score :
3.2 / 10
""
2017 Average score :
3.0 / 10

This Measurement Theme seeks to recognise companies that disclose relevant information on human rights. It assesses the companies' willingness to disclose information, whether they use existing good practice reporting frameworks as well as the quality of their disclosures.

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How did we do it?

The CHRB assessment is based on the CHRB Methodology, which was developed and improved through extensive consultations and engagement. Read more about our methodology to measure corporate human rights performance.

Read more