Puma has been named the world’s most sustainable large company in a new ranking that leaves global giants Apple, Google, and Walmart languishing near the bottom of the list.

The German sports-goods manufacturer leads a list of 50 companies compiled by research firm EIRIS ahead of the Rio+20 conference in June. EIRIS based the rankings of the world’s 50 largest companies on its weighted Sustainability Ratings, which cover a broad range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.

Puma’s pioneering environmental profit and loss statement helped it score an A, along with the rest of the top 10, which included UK transport companies FirstGroup and the GoAhead Group, pharmaceutical industry leaders GSK, Roche and Novartis, and National Australia Bank, owner of Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in the UK.

EIRIS said all these companies had shown major improvements in reducing their environmental impacts by implementing strong reporting rules and company-wide green policies that are increasingly popular with investors.

It added that UK companies’ sustainability performance came out well in comparison to the rest of the world. A fifth of UK firms scored an A grade, ahead of the 12 per cent of firms on mainland Europe scored, and 10 times better than the US, where just two per cent of companies rated highest. The performance was even weaker in Asia, where only one per cent of the businesses assessed achieved an A.

At the bottom of the rankings, the failure of oil major Exxon-Mobil, the world’s largest company, to tackle biodiversity, climate change, and water management impacts, along with the location of its activities, saw it clock up an E – the lowest possible rating.

It was joined by other large oil companies, including Chevron and ConocoPhillips, although BP provided a notable exception for the sector, outperforming most of its peers in securing a B rating.

Interestingly, Apple and Google, two of the world’s most celebrated technology companies were only ranked one grade above Exxon with a D grade. This was primarily due to lack of action to address human rights and supply chain labour issues, although Apple was last month also accused by Greenpeace of using coal-derived electricity to power its datacentres.

EIRIS said there was evidence companies were trying to be good global citizens, but said investors would have to use their influence to accelerate the progress made so far.

“Big differences in corporate sustainability performance exist at the global and regional level. Tighter sustainability legislation in Europe and more public awareness contributes to this difference,” added Mark Robertson, report author and head of communications at EIRIS.

“Given these differences it is vital that investors use their influence as shareholders to drive improvements in sustainability performance.”