There are various reports about the most ethical firms in the world. One of the most comprehensive such reports is compiled by the Ethisphere® Institute.

According to its Web site:

“The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. We have a deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere believes integrity and transparency impact the public trust and the bottom line of any organization. The World’s Most Ethical Companies is a distinction that honors superior achievements in transparency, integrity, ethics and compliance.”

“The World’s Most Ethical Companies® program honors companies that excel in three areas – promoting ethical business standards and practices internally, enabling managers and employees to make good choices, and shaping future industry standards by introducing tomorrow’s best practices today. Honorees have historically out-performed others financially, demonstrating the connection between good ethical practices and performance that’s valued in the marketplace. In 2016, 131 honorees were named spanning 21 countries and five continents and representing over 45 industries. In its 10th year, the list includes 14 ten-time honorees and 13 first-time honorees.”

Of the 131 honorees for 2016, these are among the retail or retail-related firms (in alphabetical order):

* Allstate Insurance 

* H&M Hennes

* Dell Inc. 

* H&M

* illycaffe spa

* Levi Strauss

* Marks & Spencer

* Marriott International

* Northern Trust

* Petco Animal Supplies

* Prudential Financial

* Starbucks

* T-Mobile U.S.

* Target

* U.S. Bank

* Visa

* Wyndham Worldwide

Click the image to see all of the 2016 honorees.