3BL Media has named Cigna to its annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizing leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance among the 1,000 largest publicly traded companies in the United States. Within the Health Care Equipment and Services group, Cigna ranks first in five of the eight pillars [PDF]: Employee Relations; Human Rights; ESG Performance; Governance; and Financial. This is the seventh consecutive year that Cigna has appeared on the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list.

“ESG is more than a societal responsibility, it is critical to business success and at Cigna, it is central to achieving our mission and exceeding stakeholder expectations,” said Mary Engvall, Cigna’s senior director of corporate responsibility. “While there is always more progress to be made, this recognizes our continued commitment to our employees, our partners, our communities and our planet.”

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens methodology is set by 3BL Media and based on 146 ESG transparency and performance factors. There are also several factors within the 2021 methodology that account for the response to social issues emerging during the pandemic.

“One of our early actions last year was to help protect our customers and our global workforce by removing cost as a barrier to COVID-19 care and supporting their physical and mental well-being during an incredibly stressful time,” said Julia Brncic, senior vice president, chief counsel and corporate secretary for Cigna. “Our employees have always been integral to our business, but the past year brought that into even greater focus.”

“In response to the many intersectional crises of 2020, the demands for corporate transparency, accountability and leadership have never been louder. Stakeholders at all levels are interested in how companies are engaging on issues from COVID-19 and climate change to systemic racism and voting rights,” said Dave Armon, CEO of 3BL Media, which owns the 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking. “That is why we’ve moved to measure performance on these emergent issues and increase our scrutiny of political actions, to ensure that corporate citizenship is defined by both internal action and external lobbying efforts.”

Read more on Cigna’s ESG efforts in Cigna Connects, our annual corporate responsibility report.