10 Socially Responsible Companies

In recent years, consumers have begun to weigh the social impact of different businesses when deciding where they want to shop. One survey earlier this year from three consulting firms found that the majority of consumers (55%) would rather purchase a product from a socially responsible company than buy the same product from a company that is not socially responsible.

Of course, it can be difficult to determine which companies truly give back to society, so we’ve compiled a list of the 10 most socially responsible companies currently doing business based on three criteria: charitable donations, environmentally friendly policies and the fairness of their hiring practices.

The companies are

3rd Most Charitable: Abbott Laboratories
2nd Most Charitable: Tyson Foods
The Most Charitable: Pfizer
3rd Best Hiring Practices: AT&T
2nd Best Hiring Practices: Johnson & Johnson
The Best Hiring Practices: Sodexo
3rd Greenest Company: Timberland
2nd Greenest Company: General Electric
The Greenest Company: Stonyfield
The Wild Card: IBM

[via Zacks, 11/22/10]