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Nvidia Climbs to No. 1 in TIME and Statista Sustainable Growth Ranking
ReNvidia Climbs to No. 1 in TIME and Statista Sustainable Growth Ranking
The third annual TIME and Statista list places Nvidia first and E.L.F. Beauty second among 500 companies assessed for growth and environmental responsibility.
Nvidia topped the third annual World's Best Companies in Sustainable Growth list, jointly compiled by TIME and Statista. Last year, the company ranked sixth. The ranking covers 500 companies and combines financial growth with responsibility toward the environment and society.
The methodology considers revenue growth rates, financial stability, and environmental impact. To make the list, companies must transparently disclose environmental data. According to the compilers, this combination shows how much a business grows without harming its sustainability. The assessment uses both financial indicators and environmental reporting, so a company cannot simply rely on growth and stay silent about its footprint.
Nvidia rose from sixth place to first. According to its report on the second quarter of fiscal 2027, its revenue grew 106 percent compared with the previous year. The main driver was artificial intelligence infrastructure based on the Blackwell Ultra architecture. The company reports that enterprise AI accounts for about half of its business and is growing 100 percent annually. Thus, the company's growth is closely tied to demand for computing power, which an entire industry is now shaping.
Among Nvidia's environmental steps is the development of "energy-flexible" AI factories, which are intended to ease the load on the electricity grid during peak hours. The company is working on this because the growth of data centers puts pressure on power systems. In its data centers, it uses a closed-loop liquid cooling system, which reduces water consumption. Nvidia has also committed to sourcing gold, tantalum, tungsten, and tin without conflict origins, and it has dropped smelter suppliers that did not meet its requirements.
At the same time, Nvidia's shares fell after an investigation into alleged ties between its chief executive and a Chinese spy. For this reason, the stability of its position in the ranking remains an open question: the compilers note that its standing could change depending on the outcome of this investigation. For now, however, the company remains at the top of the list.
E.L.F. Beauty took second place, rising from thirteenth. Its net sales grew 51 percent in the quarter ended in September, according to its November report. The company marks 31 consecutive quarters of sales growth, making it one of the most consistent examples of sustained development on the list. Its brands include Rhode, acquired last year, and Naturium.
E.L.F. Beauty's CDP climate rating improved from C to B in its second reporting year. The company attributes this to some suppliers switching to renewable energy, the use of hydrogen trucks on the West Coast, and a shift to recyclable packaging. Thus, sales growth is accompanied by concrete changes in the supply chain and logistics.
Several companies entered the top ten for the first time. Wavestone from France, a management consulting firm, took fifth place. Sweden's helmet maker Mips placed sixth. Taiwan's Aspeed Technology, a developer of chips for remote server management, came seventh. Britain's LondonMetric Property, a real estate company, ranked ninth. The appearance of such companies at the top of the list shows that sustainable growth is being assessed not only in the technology sector.
The ranking appeared against the backdrop of growing investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure and the pressure created by climate change. The compilers consider these two factors the key contexts in which sustainable business growth is assessed today. It is the combination of rapid development and environmental requirements that determines which companies end up leading.
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