Companies are not just appreciated and prized for the products and services it provides or for the sales it generates. How it does so, how it positively impacts society, and all stakeholders are equally important aspects of a firm.

Ethisphere published its list of the World's Most Ethical Companies and it contains 124 names. Of these 124, 13 firms are what it calls "eleven-time honorees," or have been on the list every year, and 8 are "first-time honorees."

These 13 names are insurance provider Aflac Incorporated, industrial manufacturer Deere & Company, water and energy provider Ecolab Inc, construction firm Fluor Corporation, conglomerate GE, manufacturer International Paper Company, healthy and beauty firm Kao Corporation, manufacturer Milliken and Company, soda giant PepsiCo, coffee company Starbucks, manufacturer Texas Instruments, delivery firm UPS, and lastly Xerox Corporation.

The 8, on the other hand, are telecom company Brightstar, medical equipment manufacturer Edwards Lifesciences, pharmaceuticals firm Eli Lilly, baking company Grupo Bimbo, chemicals company Praxair Inc, waste disposal firm Republic Services, research firm RTI International, and lastly apparel company VF Corporation.

For the full list of 124 firms that made it to the World's Most Ethical Companies, click here.

According to its official website, Ethisphere has been honoring companies since 2007. They recognize every company's efforts in driving significant and positive changes to society and the business environment.

Using a survey, Ethisphere evaluates the many companies based on five criteria, writes Forbes. These are a firm's ethics and compliance program, whether or not ethics is embedded into the culture, corporate citizenship and responsibility, corporate governance, and lastly leadership, innovation, and reputation.

In order to be included in the list, interested companies must pay an application fee. According to Forbes, firms that make less than $500 pay $1000, while bigger firms pay $1,500. For more job-related news and updates, follow Jobs & Hire.