Sweden has been named as the most sustainable country in the world, with a recent report praising its low CO2 emissions and willingness to use renewable energy sources.
The study, which was conducted by Swiss investment firm RobecoSAM, looked at 59 countries – 21 developed nations and 38 from emerging markets – on a number of factors including governance, social and environmental.
Australia was ranked as the second-placed country, while it was a good performance by northern European countries in general, with Denmark, Norway and Finland all making the top ten.
According to RobecoSAM, the ratings provide and insight into the investment opportunities and risks associated with each country that was studied, and offers investors the chance to compare the countries.
Sweden scored well in nearly all the criteria, particularly on environmental factors like low CO2 emissions and using renewable energy sources. It also got good marks in income inequality, education and labour participation. Furthermore, the Swedish government got the highest score for its institutional framework.
With Sweden and Australia taking up the top two places, Switzerland came in third, followed by Denmark and Norway in fourth and fifth respectively. Sixth place went to the UK, while Canada and the US were in seventh and ninth place respectively with Finland sandwiched in between them in eighth. The Netherlands made up the top ten.
Zurich-based RobecoSAM is an investment organisation focused on sustainability investing.