Five REITs have been named to 3BL Media’s annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizing leading environmental, social, and governance (ESG) transparency and performance amongst the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies.
The REITs named to the list, in order of ranking, are: Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR); Healthpeak Properties, Inc. (NYSE: PEAK); Weyerhaeuser Co. (NYSE: WY); AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE: AVB); and Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL).
Ventas was one of 16 companies that was new to the list in 2020.
“Our performance reflects our actions to curb our environmental impact, mitigate climate change risks, and ensure the well-being and inclusion of our diverse employees,” said Ventas Chairman and CEO Debra Cafaro.
Weyerhaeuser, meanwhile, is one of only 22 companies that have made the ranking each year since 2009.
Meanwhile, Thomas DeRosa, chairman and CEO of Welltower, noted that “with the historic challenges our nation has faced since the beginning of 2020, there is no more important time to remember the responsibility of all public companies to strive to be agents of change for the better.”
This year’s ranking considered 141 ESG factors across eight pillars: climate change; employee relations; environment; ESG performance; financial; governance; human rights; and, stakeholders and society. Due to timing, no factors related to COVID-19 responses were included.