New Zealand has been named one of the world's most "responsibly competitive" nations.
The report was released by the London-based research institute AccountAbility , which says on its website that "responsible competitiveness occurs if an economy's productivity is enhanced by businesses taking explicit account of their social, economic and environmental performance".
Nordic nations topped the ranking, which looked at whether countries had ratified international environmental and labour treaties, and assessed their carbon dioxide emissions, auditing standards, civil liberties and other social measures.
Britain was placed fifth, behind Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. Norway, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia and Canada rounded out the top 10.
The study was released at a United Nations meeting of more than 1,000 business and government leaders in Geneva on ways to improve corporate governance.
The top 10
1 Sweden
2 Denmark
3 Finland
4 Iceland
5 United Kingdom
6 Norway
7 New Zealand
8 Ireland
9 Australia
10 Canada
