Eight members of Associated Industries of Massachusetts were today named to the ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’ list unveiled at Davos, Switzerland.

Andover-based Philips, the diversified health-care and consumer-products company, was the highest ranked Massachusetts organization, taking seventh spot on the list compiled by Toronto publisher Corporate Knights. Other companies with a significant presence in Massachusetts making the Top 100 list include Biogen Idec of Cambridge (8); Intel Corporation (14); Cisco Systems (20); Siemens (31); General Electric (51); AstraZeneca (72); and Repsol (84).

Philips was cited for continued investments in innovation, efficiency and transparency within the supply chain and focus on positive customer experiences that consistently place sustainability at the core of the company’s business practices. Under the program name EcoVision, Philips focuses on three sustainability targets for 2015 in the areas of care, energy efficiency and recycling.

The approach, combined with performance in energy, carbon and water productivity, increased Philips’ ranking by six positions, up from 13th in 2012.

“Securing this ranking illustrates our ongoing achievements and leadership in sustainability,” said Greg Sebasky, chairman, Philips North America, and a director of AIM. “We aim to improve the lives of 3 billion people per year by 2025, and apply environmental and community considerations throughout our operations to achieve this objective.”

Robert Paine, Senior Vice President of Membership for AIM and director of the association’s Sustainability Roundtables, said the presence of eight major Massachusetts employers on the Top 100 list reflects rapidly growing interest in sustainability.

“Well-run companies like those in the Top 100 have been operating in a sustainable manner for years because it’s good business. Today, these companies are requiring their suppliers to do the same,” Paine said.

“The AIM Sustainability Roundtables are giving employers throughout Massachusetts the opportunity to learn from world-class sustainability players such as Philips and Cisco.”

Philips has implemented its EcoVision program in Massachusetts by:

• Using renewable wind energy to produce 70 percent of the electricity needed for its Lightolier facility in Fall River;
• Recycling more than 340 tons of waste, such as light bulbs, paper and construction debris;
• Composting more than 22,000 pounds of food materials, the equivalent of 54 55-gallon barrels;
• Supporting local communities through volunteer and service programs, such as the employee garden and food drive collection that donated more than 2,700 pounds of food to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry; and
• Maximizing efficient use of facility space, for instance with a Work Place Innovation program (which enables flex-working) on the Andover campus.

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