HERSHEY, Pa.—The Hershey Company has been recognized among the World’s Most Ethical Companies as rated by Ethisphere, the company announced.

The Hershey Company joins a list of 135 companies, spanning 19 countries and 46 unique industries. The award is bestowed upon publicly traded companies that demonstrate a connection between ethical practices and financial performance.

“Among our most treasured aspects of Milton Hershey’s legacy is the concept of doing well by doing good,” said Lauren Lacey, vice president and chief compliance officer, Hershey. “Operating with a relentless focus on ethics and compliance, and a commitment to sustainability, inclusion and integrity, helps ensure we are doing good while excelling financially.”

“At Hershey, we are committed to making more moments of goodness,” said Sonia Zeledon, AGC privacy and compliance, Hershey. “Our ethics and integrity have guided how we do business for more than 125 years, and today we are more committed than ever to living our values.”

The World’s Most Ethical Companies historically outperform their peers and competitors financially, according to the statement, demonstrating a tangible return on investment for doing the right thing. This year’s honorees outperformed a comparable index of large-cap companies by 13.6 percentage points over a five-year period.

Earlier this month, Hershey announced steps it was taking to mentor women and girls as future CEOs.