Nestlé has been named as the global food brand with the highest sustainability perceptions, according to the latest edition of the Sustainability Perceptions Index from Brand Finance.
With a sustainability perceptions value of $1.388 billion, the Swiss food giant tops the list, followed by China’s Yili ($774 million), Lay’s ($768 million), Danone ($530 million) and Tyson ($498 million).
The remainder of the top ten is comprised of Quaker, Kellogg’s Mars Wrigley, Mengniu and Doritos.
Sustainability Perceptions Index
The Sustainability Perceptions Index is compiled using data from Brand Finance’s Global Brand Equity Monitor (GBEM), which evaluates how sustainability influences brand consideration across sectors. It provides insights into which brands global consumers perceive as most committed to sustainable business.
For individual brands, the Index reveals the proportion of brand value that is attributable to sustainability perceptions. This measure, known as the Sustainability Perceptions Value, reflects the financial value linked to a brand’s reputation for sustainable practices.
Gap value
Brand Finance’s analysis also incorporates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data from CSRHub to determine a brand’s ‘gap value’—the difference between public perception and actual sustainability performance.
Lay’s emerges as the brand with the highest positive gap value, of $67 million, of all the brands in the rankings.
A positive gap value indicates that a brand’s sustainability efforts are stronger than perceived, suggesting potential value growth through improved communication of these efforts.
Lay’s gap value suggests that it could generate an additional $67 million in potential value through enhanced communication of its impact and accomplishments in sustainability.
“The food and beverage industry is undergoing a rapid transformation driven by evolving consumer preferences,” commented Savio D’Souza, valuation director at Brand Finance. See the full rankings here.
