U.S. Bank, 3M, Ecolab, Thrivent named among 'most ethical' businesses

Four Twin Cities firms made a list of the world's most ethical companies announced Monday.

U.S. Bancorp, 3M, Ecolab and Thrivent Financial each made the 2015 World's Most Ethical Companies list published by the Ethisphere Institute, a group that attempts to define and advance the standards of ethical business. The latest list includes 132 companies representing more than 50 industries spanning 21 countries and five continents.

Ecolab made the list under the chemical company category along with Eastman Chemical. 3M, along with John Deere, General Electric and Johnson Controls made the industrial manufacturing company list. Thrivent made the financial services list.

U.S. Bank was the largest American bank to make the list.

"I am especially proud of our 67,000 employees who personally reflect a high standard of ethics and integrity every day," Richard Davis, CEO of U.S. Bancorp, said in a statement. "As a financial institution, the trusted relationship that we have with our customers represents the foundation upon which we operate. Acting ethically and bringing our core values to life in every customer interaction is how we earn and keep that trust."

The World's Most Ethical Companies is a distinction that honors superior achievement in transparency, integrity, ethics and compliance, according to Ethisphere.

The assessment is based on information collected from the company. The EQ framework and methodology is determined, vetted and refined by an expert panel of attorneys and government officials, professors and organization leaders who care about ethical and honest business practices.