Social Benchmark
Moving towards a world where companies value all people and leave no one behind.
The Social Benchmark assesses the world’s 2,000 most influential companies on their responsibility to meet society’s fundamental expectations towards respecting human rights, providing decent work, and acting ethically.
Top 20 companies span nearly 15 sectors, and all are European
The 20 best performing companies on the Social Benchmark come from a range of industries, from apparel and footwear, extractive and utilities companies; however, they are all headquartered in Europe. This is in contrast to the previous iteration, where several companies with headquarters in Canada, Morocco, Singapore and US and ranked among the top 20.
Many companies risk overlooking human rights risks in their supply chains
Only one in ten of the 2,000 companies identify and assess human rights risks in their supply chains, and only 14% in high-risk sectors such as food and agricultural products, apparel and footwear, automotive manufacturers and ICT manufacturers.
Less than 5% of major companies report paying living wages
Among these 2,000 globally influential companies, which employ over 107 million workers, less than 5% disclose that they guarantee a living wage for their workforce. Out of these, four out of five are headquartered in North America or Europe.
Affected stakeholders are rarely consulted on human rights problems and often excluded from decisions about solutions
While only 13% of companies involve stakeholders in identifying or assessing human rights risks, a mere 4% include them in decisions about how to respond. Establishing mechanisms based on engagement and dialogue is essential for ensuring actions effectively address the needs of those most affected.
Social Benchmark latest
Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB)
The CHRB spotlights respecting human rights in high-risk sectors. Unlike the Social Benchmark assessing 2,000 companies’ fundamental steps, CHRB evaluates about 100 high-risk companies more deeply on performance and implementation of the full UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, holding them accountable for progress.
Gender Benchmark
The Gender Benchmark, part of WBA’s social transformation, provides deeper analysis of gender issues. Building on the Social Benchmark’s foundational, large-scale assessment, it introduces a specific gender lens. This combined approach enables WBA to balance breadth and depth, strengthening accountability for how companies affect people through gender-related practices and outcomes.
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