Hankook Tire named one of Time's World's Best Companies 2026

Hankook Tire & Technology has been named to Time magazine's "World's Best Companies 2026" list, with the recognition reflecting three consecutive years of sales growth and progress on sustainability, including an expansion of renewable energy use.

The company announced Friday that it was included in the "World's Best Companies 2026" list, jointly compiled by Time and global market research firm Statista.

Time and Statista have evaluated companies worldwide each year since 2023, selecting 1,000 firms annually. This year's assessment drew on employee satisfaction surveys of more than 200,000 workers across more than 50 countries, combined with three-year sales growth figures and sustainability-related indicators.

Hankook Tire has sustained strong earnings momentum in recent years. Its tire division posted sales of 10.32 trillion won ($7.61 billion) last year, surpassing 10 trillion won for the first time in the company's history. The growth was driven by stronger sales of higher-value products — including large-diameter tires and electric vehicle-dedicated tires — as well as increased sales in key overseas markets.

The growth has continued this year. Tire division sales reached 2.81 trillion won in the second quarter, a record high on a quarterly basis. Operating profit came in at 483.2 billion won, with an operating profit margin of 17.2 percent. Sales of tires with a rim diameter of 18 inches or larger and EV-dedicated tires rose, particularly in Europe and China.

On the environmental front, the company has been expanding its shift to renewable energy in manufacturing. In February, it signed a long-term power purchase agreement at its Hungary factory to increase renewable energy procurement.

Hankook Tire has also extended the reach of ISCC PLUS certification — an international standard verifying the sustainability of raw materials and finished products — to four global production facilities: its Geumsan and Daejeon factories in South Korea, as well as plants in Hungary and Jiaxing, China.

The company is also pursuing carbon reduction targets. Hankook Tire has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and its medium- and short-term greenhouse gas reduction plan through 2030 received approval from the Science Based Targets initiative in 2023.

Environmental standards in motorsports are part of the picture as well. The company earned the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's top-tier "3-Star Environmental Accreditation" for the first time in 2024, and renewed the certification last month, extending it through 2028.

Hankook Tire was also recognized in 2024 on Time and Statista's list of the world's best sustainability leaders, as well as the Financial Times and Statista's ranking of Asia-Pacific environmental leaders.