Samsung Electronics, British American Tobacco and ASML Holding are the largest of the companies that were added to the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for 2017; meanwhile, Enbridge Inc., Reckitt Benckiser Group and Rio Tinto dropped from the list. The results of the 19th annual DJSI were announced today.
While companies come and go on the list, some are mainstays of the lists. Adidas, for example, for the 18th year in a row. The company was included as best in the “Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods Industry,” based on criteria including supply chain management, environmental policy and management systems, materiality, corporate citizenship, and human rights. Adidas attributes efforts such as its partnership with Parley For The Oceans, via which the company has committed to create one million pairs of shoes made from Parley Ocean Plastic, as one of the elements of the company’s strong sustainability platform. In 2016, Adidas announced a sustainability strategy which translates its sustainable efforts into tangible goals and measurable objectives through 2020.
Semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corporation is on the DJSI for the tenth consecutive year. DJSI awarded UMC with the industry’s highest scores for “Environmental Policy & Management System” and “Environmental Report,” with the foundry earning perfect scores in multiple other categories. UMC’s overall scores have continued to increase in recent years, illustrating the company’s continued excellence in sustainable operations. This accomplishment sets a standard for leading global companies and is recognized by international investors. DJSI-World 2017 evaluated approximately 2,500 global enterprises, with only five semiconductor companies selected worldwide.
UMC says the company develops risk and opportunity plans for sustainable development and puts them into practice to increase competitiveness. The company follows the UN’s set of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). UMC says it has reached its Green 2020 goal for energy saving, water and waste reduction within the first year of setting the targets.
Sodexo has been named the top-rated company in its sector on DJSI for the 13th consecutive year. The DJSI results recognize Sodexo for ESG efforts including a program to drive diversity among suppliers and merchants across the world and a commitment to reducing carbon emissions by 34% by 2025.
RobecoSAM, a global investment group focused exclusively on sustainability investing, works in collaboration with S&P Dow Jones Indices to assess the world’s largest companies via its Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), which uses a rules-based methodology to analyze about 600 data points per company into one overall score. “Growth in ESG indices across regions and strategies demonstrates that global investors are exploring ways to integrate ESG factors into their investments – aiming to generate not only positive return but also positive impact,” according to Seeking Alpha.