FirstGroup rises up the ranks of Europe’s 50 Most Sustainable Corporations [localised copy]

The report, produced by sustainable business media group Corporate Knights, ranks Europe’s largest publicly listed companies, drawn from the STOXX Europe 600 Index and the top 100 Europe-headquartered publicly traded companies.

The Europe 50 ranking is based on a sustainability assessment of more than 620 publicly listed European companies. It looks at measures covering environmental impact, social responsibility, and good corporate governance.

As one of the UK’s leading bus and rail companies, carrying over two million passengers a day, FirstGroup has a vital role to play in sustainability, through the transition of its own fleets to low/zero emission technologies, as well as electrification of depots across the UK and investment in new sustainable and renewable technology.

This achievement in the Europe 50 ranking follows on from FirstGroup’s earlier recognition in Corporate Knights’ Carbon Clean 200 list, which placed FirstGroup at number 118, making it the UK’s 4th top company. The ranking assesses global companies based on revenue generated from sustainable products and services such as renewable energy, electric vehicles and energy efficiency.

Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Our bus and rail operations have a critical role in creating a connected, healthy, zero carbon world. That’s why we are leading the way by decarbonising our fleet, reducing emissions, improving air quality and protecting the environment.

“We’re proud to again be recognised for our commitment to environmental and social responsibility, as we play our part resolving some of society’s most important challenges - climate change, congestion and air quality.”