Johnson & Johnson Earns 5-Star Spot in Newsweek’s World’s Greenest Companies 2026

Johnson & Johnson was named among the 5-star winners in Newsweek’s World’s Greenest Companies 2026, a ranking that identifies the top 850 publicly listed companies across 28 countries based on environmental sustainability performance, according to a June 4 announcement. The recognition places the company alongside firms including Goldman Sachs, MetLife, Ralph Lauren, Hitachi, T-Mobile and Zillow, the release said.

Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group said the 2026 ranking draws on self-disclosed sustainability data and independent research. The study screened more than 8,000 companies before selecting the 850 highest-scoring names for inclusion. The evaluation used information “available up to April 2026,” and it considered only companies whose latest sustainability data were published on or after January 31, 2025, the release stated.

The ranking’s scoring approach relies on analysis across more than 25 parameters organized into four categories: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water usage, waste generation, and sustainability data disclosure and commitments. Newsweek said the assessment also incorporated EU Benchmark exclusion criteria and applied exclusions for certain activity types and controversies, including involvement in controversial weapons, nuclear energy, tobacco, major fossil fuel activities, or environmental misconduct. The release also said companies with fewer than 500 employees were excluded and that Newsweek and Plant-A verified exclusions through media monitoring and review.

A separate Plant-A project page describing the same initiative says the companies are evaluated and scored on more than 25 parameters spanning those four categories. It also says the group used an industry media monitoring platform to screen press coverage for potential issues tied to greenwashing, corporate fraud, regulatory violations, and environmental disasters. The page further states that all winners’ scores and details were verified by Plant-A’s research team and Newsweek’s editorial and rankings team, and that Plant-A maintains a “no-pay-to-play” policy, with no applications required.

For Johnson & Johnson specifically, the company markets its sustainability strategy under its “Health for Humanity” environmental sustainability effort. In its climate action materials, J&J says it reduced the carbon footprint of its operations by 23% between 2021 and 2023. It also reports that 87% of its electricity needs came from renewable sources over that period, and that it reached 100% renewable electricity in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The company also said it avoided approximately 265,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually through efficiency projects completed between 2005 and 2023.

J&J’s disclosures also describe a continued push toward renewable energy and decarbonization, including an objective to increase renewable electricity usage with a “goal to reach 100% by 2025.” The company also cites efforts aimed at fleet electrification and supplier engagement on decarbonization strategies, and it references a “CO2 Capital Relief Program” described as continued investment of up to $40 million per year in low-carbon technologies and operational energy efficiency. Those items speak to the types of emissions, operational efficiency, and disclosure topics that environmental rankings typically weight heavily.

Even with the new recognition, the public release does not disclose Johnson & Johnson’s specific score, category breakdown, or whether its 5-star designation reflects particular year-over-year improvements versus overall standing. The Newsweek methodology summary also emphasizes that scores are derived from publicly available sustainability reporting, which means differences in how companies measure and report data can affect comparability across industries. What is clear is that the ranking is centered on disclosed sustainability metrics, screened by eligibility rules and exclusion criteria, and capped at the top-scoring 850 firms worldwide.