Unilever top of Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Unilever has been named as the sustainability leader in the Food & Beverage super-sector of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI).

This year, the company reached an overall score of 86 percent, five percentage points higher than its 2011 score, and substantially ahead of the average Food Producers industry score of 46 percent.

The result also marks the 14th consecutive year that Unilever has led the Food Producers sector of the DJSI.

Unilever scored 100 percent for its record on health and nutrition, environmental policy and management system, and packaging. It also scored over 90 percent in five criteria: strategy for emerging markets, supply chain management, environmental reporting, operational eco-efficiency and social reporting.

The performance scores are the result of an annual review of a broad range of sustainability issues. Analysts assess areas such as corporate governance, risk management, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labor practices – with a strong focus on long-term shareholder value.

The super-sector leader report said that Unilever has ‘exhibited exemplary performance aimed at integrating sustainability throughout its business model’ and that ‘the company’s philosophy of sustainable living is backed by its consistent efforts to address its consumers’ needs in the areas of health and hygiene, nutrition and access to safe drinking water’.

Gail Klintworth, chief sustainability officer at Unilever, said: ‘This is a great testament to the hard work and dedication of our people at Unilever who are working every day to help us achieve our ambition of doubling the size of our business while reducing our environmental impact and increasing our positive social impact in the world.‘

The SAM / Dow Jones report also reminds us that while we are above the average industry scores in all of the criteria set, 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, as set out in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.’

The 2012 assessment was conducted by SAM, a Swiss investment company focused on sustainability investing, in partnership with the Dow Jones Indexes.

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