Morningstar Sustainalytics identifies companies with the strongest ESG performance every year, awarding leaders at the global, industry, and regional levels. The leadership badges aim to provide stakeholders with a deeper understanding of what strong ESG risk management looks like and how leadership is evolving.

Sustainalytics has reviewed several years of data on the badges, providing insights on emerging and long-term trends across categories. This report provides analysis on how companies maintain ESG risk leadership, how new leaders emerge, and how structural factors influence awarding. 

Readers of the report will learn about:

• Sustainalytics’ rigorous screening criteria for the leadership badges.
• The companies and subindustries that continue to dominate the list of global leaders.
• Which regions and industries saw the largest influx of leaders in 2026.
• Where the companies with the best ESG management are situated.