World’s most sustainable businesses revealed

Unilever, Siemens and Akzo Nobel are among 24 companies that have been topped their respective industries in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) review.


The overall index, produced in collaboration with RobecoSAM, features 319 eco-conscious corporations. The 2014 edition saw 32 companies make their debuts, including British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, while 46 companies were removed, including Bank of America and General Electric. 

Launched in 1999, the DJSI tracks the financial performance of leading sustainability-driven companies, based on analysis of economic, environmental, and social factors.

S&P Dow Jones Index Committee chairman David Blitzer said: “Both the importance and the understanding of sustainability has grown dramatically over the past decade and a half. During that time the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices have been established as the leading benchmark in the field.”

Growing influence

Unilever, Siemens and BT were also among the major companies recognised for being in the DJSI list for all 15 years of its existence.

RobecoSAM’s head of indices Guido Giesesaid: “Since 1999, we have helped investors realize the financial materiality of sustainability and companies continue to tell us that the DJSI provides an excellent tool to measure the effectiveness of their sustainability strategies.

“In 15 years, the total number of companies we assess has more than quadrupled.”

DJSI: Industry Group Leaders 2014-15

Brad Allen

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe