Loblaw has been named one of the most responsible companies in Canada for 2025, despite a year of backlash and controversies.
Newsweek revealed its first annual list of Canada’s Most Responsible Companies 2025 this week, and the grocery giant cracked the top 50.
The ranking says consumers “want to feel confident that the businesses they engage with are ethically run, treat employees fairly and leave an overall positive impact on society.”
“Companies worldwide have responded by advertising socially responsible practices, but it can be difficult to discern which are making real strides when it comes to their global impact,” reads the report.
So, Newsweek partnered with Statista to rank the most responsible Canadian companies, recognizing 150 organizations across 13 industries for their commitment to climate, social welfare and responsible governance.
Loblaw placed 33rd with an overall score of 72.72 out of 100, It scored 56.89 under environmental concerns, 80.66 for social concerns, and 81.74 for corporate governance.
These stats may come as a surprise for Canadian shoppers, many of whom have had a turbulent relationship with the grocer over the past year.
One of the biggest stories from this year surrounding the corporation was the May-long boycott hosted by a community of frustrated customers.
The creator of Loblaws Is Out of Control, which is nearing 100,000 members on Reddit, told Daily Hive in March that they decided to boycott Loblaw in particular because it had become the face of Canada’s cost of living crisis.
The boycott received international attention, including coverage from the BBC.
Leading up to the boycott, a petition demanding that the Canadian government formally investigate the company for “profiteering and greedflation” accumulated nearly 100,000 signatures.
After the protest, shoppers continued to express their anger towards Loblaw online, whether it was about outrageously priced turkey or mouldy and expired food being sold at stores.
The grocer isn’t the only company on the list that has received backlash this year.
Air Canada took the 124th spot with an overall score of 61.07, an environmental concerns score of 54.97 and a corporate governance concerns score of 80.91.
The carrier has been called out for its unfair treatment of some passengers and narrowly averted a pilot strike this year.
The top three spots on the ranking went to Alberta-based engineering company Stantec, followed by Scotiabank and Telus.