External verification & recognition 2008

The 2008 ICIS Innovation Awards for Best Business Innovation has been awarded to DSM Nutritional Products and the World Food Programme (WFP) for the MixMe™ micronutrient powder. In a joint initiative, DSM and WFP have developed MixMe™ sachets to provide people in developing countries with micronutrients that can be mixed with food at home. This "home fortification" is a novel approach to the enrichment of food with micronutrients, as food is usually fortified industrially during the processing stage. Press release.

In the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index published on 4 September 2008, DSM was once again listed as one of the leaders in the chemical industry sector. In 2003 DSM was included in the Dow Jones STOXX sustainability index for Europe for the first time. Since 2004 DSM has been listed in leading positions in both the European and the global index every year.

FTSE Group confirms that DSM has been independently assessed according to the FTSE4Good criteria, and has satisfied the requirements to remain a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series. Created by the global index company FTSE Group, FTSE4Good is an equity index series that is designed to facilitate investment in companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards. Companies in the FTSE4Good Index Series have met stringent social, ethical and environmental criteria, and are positioned to capitalise on the benefits of responsible business practice.

In June 2008 DSM's Scotland based vitamin manufacturing facility was awarded the Carbon Trust Standard Certification. The Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s first accreditation scheme designed to allow companies to measure the carbon footprint of their operations and facilitate an independent, specialist review of energy management practices. The Standard is awarded by The Carbon Trust, an independent organization set up by the UK Government in 2001 to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organizations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies.

On 4 June 2008 the VNCI (Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry) awarded DSM Agro with the prestigious Responsible Care Award 2008.

Responsible Care is a global chemical industry performance initiative that is implemented in the Netherlands through the VNCI.

The Sustainability Report 2007 was reviewed by KPMG Sustainability and obtained an Assurance Report (PDF: 47 Kb).