Key findings

• High performance in the about us-section: The about us-section remains a strong point for European companies, fulfilling an average of 62% of the criteria. Nearly all companies clearly communicate foundational elements such as purpose, vision, and competitive positioning, enhancing trust and stakeholder understanding.
• Growing focus on innovation and digitalisation: With increased focus on corporate responsibility in technology, 80% of companies now report on digitalisation efforts, while 79% discuss emerging technologies like AI and blockchain. Notably, 73% detail their R&D initiatives, indicating a substantial commitment to transparency around innovation.
• Accessibility as an emerging standard: Ahead of the European Accessibility Act in 2025, we expanded our criteria to assess digital inclusivity in more detail. While only 35% of companies currently publish an accessibility statement, 76% scored highly on accessibility in technical scans, suggesting a proactive trend towards broader digital inclusion.
• Challenges in risk management disclosure: Risk management information is limited on many corporate websites. While 44% of companies provide a general overview of risk processes, only a minority disclose specific risks, leaving considerable room for improvement.
• Leadership visibility and trust: Despite the growing importance of executive visibility in fostering trust, only 11% of companies include direct leadership commentary in business strategy presentations on their websites, compared to 36% in sustainability strategy discussions. This suggests a missed opportunity to connect with stakeholders on broader strategic goals.

Challenges and opportunities for improvement

Risk management information falls short in IR sections

A significant gap on many European companies' websites is the limited information provided about risk management. While 44% of companies provide a general overview of their risk management routines and processes, further information about individual risk types is shared far less frequently. The evaluated types of risks, including operational, strategic, environmental, geopolitical, health and safety, and regulatory, receive notably low fulfilment rates, with no more than 18% of companies addressing these areas.

By providing more in-depth information on specific risk areas, companies can demonstrate a proactive stance on handling uncertainties. This enhances trust and reassures investors, analysts, and other stakeholders about their long-term stability and resilience.

Swisscom's risk management page is organised into clear sections, covering risk governance, identification, and monitoring processes. This structure helps stakeholders navigate complex information more easily and allows them to understand their approach to managing various risk types.

Managing and disclosing sustainability risks

Another risk management perspective revolves around presenting how you manage sustainability risks from a more dedicated sustainability perspective. Such risks could also be viewed from a more general risk management perspective and be presented with the previously mentioned risk overview, but here we are looking for more specific information. Only 36% of the ranked companies present this information, which leaves room for improvement.

Stakeholders, ranging from investors to clients and analysts—expect to find current and specific information about sustainability risks and governance structures in a centralised, easily navigable format rather than buried in lengthy reports, such as annual/sustainability reports.

Nordea's page for sustainability risk governance offers clear, detailed, and easily accessible information, enabling stakeholders to understand their risk management approach.

Trust in leadership and thought leadership

The Edelman Trust Barometer 2024 also emphasises that CEOs and business leaders play a critical role in building trust, particularly by openly addressing societal and business challenges, especially in areas such as innovation, sustainability, and the ethical use of technology. Leadership visibility fosters trust, as it reflects accountability and commitment.

Webranking data highlights a gap in fulfilling this expectation. While 36% of companies include executive commentary in their sustainability strategy presentations on their corporate websites, only 11% do so in their business strategy presentations.

This suggests that companies are more attuned to showcasing thought leadership in sustainability than in broader business strategy, even though both areas are crucial for stakeholder trust. Including a CEO's quote in the presentation of the business strategy personalises the strategy, demonstrating that it is driven from the top and that the company’s leadership stands behind the direction it is taking.

Iberdrola present a dedicated “chairman’s area” in their press room with news, pictures, videos and a detailed profile. A dedicated area featuring the chairman allows stakeholders to gain insights directly from company leadership, strengthening transparency and credibility.

Best climber

Vonovia have emerged as the best climber in this year’s ranking, achieving a remarkable increase of 18.2 points over last year’s score. This improvement reflects significant enhancements across their corporate website.