CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—Essilor announced today that it was ranked No. 5 in the 2016 Newsweek Green Rankings, created in partnership with Corporate Knights and HIP Investor. Since 2009, the Newsweek Green Rankings have been one of the world’s foremost corporate environmental rankings which assess the overall environmental performance of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. and the 500 largest publicly traded companies globally.

With 61,000 employees in 63 countries, nearly 540 production sites on five continents and more than $2.4 billion in purchasing, Essilor’s “footprint” is larger and more diverse than ever. The company said in a statement that its significant growth in recent years, along with changes in regulations and stakeholder expectations, has led it to raise the bar in terms of its environmental sustainability responsibilities.

“For nearly 170 years, Essilor has demonstrated that a commitment to sustainable development is part of our DNA,” said Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, chief mission officer at Essilor International. “We are honored to be recognized by the Newsweek Green Rankings for our accomplishments. These clearly support what we believe to be our fundamental contribution to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, namely our mission to improve lives by improving sight.”

On a global basis, each Essilor entity works to reduce water and energy consumption as well as promote diversity, ensure quality working conditions and connect suppliers and customers to its mission. The company said it has reduced water consumption by 40 percent and energy consumption by 22 percent in its mass production plants over the last seven years.

In 2015, Essilor was ranked, for the fourth consecutive year, among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World (Global 100) Index by Corporate Knights. Forbes also ranked the company among the World’s Most Innovative Companies for the fifth year running, and Fortune magazine selected Essilor as one of 50 companies that are changing the world in the first edition of its “Change the World” list.