German carmaker BMW, consumer goods giant Unilever, Siemens and Spanish utility Iberdrola are among the companies named as leaders in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI).
The indexes, which are split into 19 categories from banking to travel, score companies companies on a broad range of sustainability issues from corporate governance to climate change mitigation, and supply chain standards.
Swiss investment company SAM, which develops and publishes the indexes on an annual basis in partnership with Dow Jones Indexes, invites the world’s largest 2500 companies to report on their sustainability performance.
“The participation rate for this year’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment was 8.4% higher than last year. We see this as a strong signal of the increasing recognition that integrating sustainability into corporate strategies is essential to the bottom line,” says Guido Giese, head of indexes at SAM.
The latest listing adds 41 new members including Microsoft and Target, but sees the removal of IBM, GlaxoSmithKline and United Technologies Corporation.
Commenting on Unilever’s top spot in the food and beverage sector, which recognises its record on environmental policy and management and packaging, chief sustainability officer Gail Klintworth said:
“This is a great testament to… our ambition of doubling the size of our business while reducing our environmental impact and increasing our positive social impact in the world. [But] there’s still plenty of room for improvement. We won’t be resting on our laurels as we work in partnership with our stakeholders to achieve our sustainable growth mission.”
For further information:
www.sustainability-indexes.com/
www.djindexes.com/sustainability/
www.unilever.com
Related stories:
Bayer and Nestlé top carbon disclosure list (17-Sept)
Multinationals need to reduce emissions from supply chain, says report (3-Feb)
UK government and business must work together on resource efficiency, says CBI (13-Dec 2011)
European Commission sets out path to sustainability (20-Sept 2011)
Article source: http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/5374/
