Ant Financial has ranked 6th on Fortune's third annual Change the World list, which highlights companies that are "making measurable progress addressing important social problems as a core part of their business strategy."

Ant, a first-time entrant and the highest ranked Asia-headquartered company on the list, was recognized for the environmental impact of Ant Forest, the world's largest platform for tracking individuals' carbon footprint.

Ant Forest allows users to collect "energy points" through their actions in the real world that can be used to grow virtual and, ultimately, real trees. To date, 230 million users of Alipay have activated their Ant Forest account. Ant Financial and its partners have planted 10.25 million trees so far. It is equivalent to a 1.22 million-ton reduction in CO2 emissions.

The Change the World list features some of the largest companies from around the world in sectors from healthcare and household products to finance and IT.