OTTAWA, Ontario, April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Export Development Canada (EDC) has been ranked first among the Corporate Knights Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada.

Corporate Knights is a research organization which annually assesses the sustainability of organizations in Canada. The Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders index recognizes organizations with revenues of less than $2 billion, or less than 2,000 employees. This year there were 187 organizations considered for the category.

The sustainability of each organization is determined based on publicly available data across 12 sector-specific performance indicators, such as greenhouse gas emissions, health and safety, pay equity, leadership diversity and innovation.

EDC is Canada's trade finance agency, and the leading provider of financing, insurance and bonding for Canadian companies of all sizes that do business outside of Canada.

"This assessment reflects EDC's continuous practice of improvement," says Signi Schneider, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility. "As an organization we strive to be a model of good corporate citizenship. Our investment in this area has contributed to our continued success, and that of the Canadian businesses we work with."

"EDC stands out for the extensive public disclosure of its operational information, but mostly of its corporate social responsibility performance and achievements," said Michael Yow, Lead Analyst, Corporate Knights. "It is therefore not a surprise that EDC claimed the top spot in the 2015 Future 40 ranking. EDC should be viewed as a model for public and private corporations alike."

"This award is really for every EDC employee," says Schneider. "This ranking not only recognizes our Corporate Social Responsibility practices, but also the role of our employees as engaged community members, and the efforts of our executive to support sustainable business."

This assessment recognizes the organizations which may one day be considered for the annual 'Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada', a ranking of organizations with annual revenues of more than 2 billion, also released by Corporate Knights.

For a full outline of the Corporate Knights methodology, please visit
http://www.corporateknights.com/future40

Pour le communiqué en Français cliquez ici.

About EDC 

EDC is Canada's trade finance agency, providing financing and insurance solutions locally and around the world to help Canadian companies of any size respond to international business opportunities. As a profitable Crown corporation that operates on commercial principles, EDC works together with private and public-sector financial institutions to create greater capacity for Canadian companies to engage in trade and investment.

Phil Taylor, Export Development Canada (Ottawa), +1(613)598-2904, ptaylor@edc.ca; For more information about how EDC can help your company, call us at +1-888-434-8508 or visit http://www.edc.ca

SOURCE Export Development Canada (EDC)