SCA named among world’s most ethical companies

SCA has been named as one of the world's most ethical businesses by the American Ethisphere Institute for the fifth consecutive year.

Following an assessment of thousands of companies from more than 40 industries, SCA was selected as one of the organisations that routinely outperforms its rivals in terms of ethical business practices.

Ethisphere's criteria for including companies in its list include a willingness to go "beyond the ordinary" and to show that business ethics are an integral part of a company's branding and profitability strategy.

Jan Johansson, president and chief executive officer of SCA, said the firm's work to improve its corporate social responsibility efforts help to make it more attractive to consumers and investors, while also delivering savings benefits.

He added: "SCA's track record in ethical business practices and sustainability work is a business differentiator that strengthens our competitive advantage."

Last year, the healthcare company generated 105.75 billion Swedish kronor (9.87 billion pounds) in net sales, up by four percent on 2011 when excluding exchange rate effects and divestments.