In the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (PDF: 85.12 Kb) published today, DSM once again tops the list for the Chemical Industry sector. This is the third year in a row that DSM has been named the worldwide sustainability leader in the chemical industry. The company was able to retain its No. 1 position because it continued to successfully integrate sustainability into its business strategy.

The assessment report on DSM’s sustainability performance includes the following comment:

“Sustainable development at DSM is driven by the Triple P: People, Planet and Profit approach, which devotes special attention to corporate governance and risk management, innovation, occupational health & safety as well as human capital development. In 2005 and as part of DSM’s new strategy program Vision 2010 – Building on Strengths, the company set new environmental targets for the period until 2010 including switching from petroleum derived to renewable raw materials via white (or industrial) biotechnology.”

“We are very pleased that we have been able to retain our top position for the third year in a row,” said Peter Elverding, chairman of DSM’s Managing Board. “It is a clear recognition of our performance and transparent reporting in the field of sustainability and our ambition to be a sustainability leader in the industry. I especially welcome the attention that has been given to our efforts in white biotechnology, because DSM is of the opinion that innovation is key to sustainable development .”

The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index includes over 300 companies from 34 countries that rank among the top 10% in their industries in terms of corporate sustainability.

In 2003 DSM was the sustainability leader for the chemical industry in the Dow Jones STOXX sustainability index for Europe. In the two years thereafter DSM achieved a leadership position in the global index, and it has retained this position this year.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes track the performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide through a thorough assessment of these companies’ economic, environmental and social performance and accounts for more than 50 general as well as industry-specific criteria in each sector.