Safeway Inc. Among 'World's Most Ethical Companies'

Safeway Inc. has been named one of the 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies (WME) by the Ethisphere Institute for going beyond legal requirements and instituting practices that support a healthy workforce, benefit the public and respect the planet, according to Ethisphere.

This is the second time that Safeway has made the prestigious list.

"We are honored to be placed on Ethisphere Institute's list of the World's Most Ethical Companies," said Larree Renda, Safeway EVP and chair of the Safeway Foundation. "Maintaining superior business practices is not only instrumental to the company's success, but also benefits our employees, the communities in which we operate and the people we serve each day."

The Ethisphere Institute is a think tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Each year it selects companies from throughout the world for its WME list. This year's list of 145 companies will appear in Ethisphere Magazine's Q1 issue.

"Safeway represents clear ethical leadership within its industry and in the business world as a whole," said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. "We applaud Safeway for maintaining a corporate culture that recognizes that making profits and doing the right thing can and should go hand in hand."

Through a rigorous, multi-step evaluation process, Ethisphere's researchers and analysts reviewed more than 1,000 companies in order to determine the finalists. The methodology includes reviewing each company's ethics and compliance program, as well as evaluating their reputation, leadership, innovation, governance practices, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and culture of ethics. The 2012 WME Methodology Advisory Committee is comprised of leading attorneys and government officials, professors and organization leaders who care about ethical and honest business practices.

View the complete list of the 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies

Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway operates 1,678 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $43.6 billion in 2011.