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Nasdaq (Nasdaq:NDAQ) today announced it has been selected to join the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). Nasdaq is one of 16 companies added to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index in 2016, which is comprised of 146 companies.
Nasdaq actively supports its 3,500 listed companies in their sustainability efforts, and strives to create an open dialogue between listed companies, investors, analysts, regulators, and academics on the economic value of sustainability. Nasdaq also works closely with international groups such as the World Federation of Exchanges, The United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, and the UN Global Compact, in search of smarter guidance for public company disclosures, which include energy efficiency, pay equity, and board diversity.
“Investors are increasingly aware of the connection between sustainability and financial performance, which incentivizes companies to promote responsible corporate practices,” said Adena Friedman, President and COO, Nasdaq. “Sustainability helps to create better markets, efficient capital flow, greater data transparency, and longer term investment. Nasdaq remains committed to creating sustainable value for our companies, our investors, our customers, and our employees.”
Participating companies were scored on 22 categories across 24 industry groups. Nasdaq’s marks were distinctly higher than its peers in three major categories: Corporate Governance, Environmental Business Risk Analysis, and Corporate Citizenship.
“As the markets focus more on long-term value creation, we constantly search for more insightful and comprehensive performance metrics,” said Evan Harvey, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Nasdaq. “The DJSI criterion underlines the real value of these metrics.”
Launched in 1999, DJSI is the first global index to track leading sustainability-driven companies, and is one of the major global sustainability benchmarks. The annual DJSI review is based on analysis of financially relevant Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and Standard & Poor’s Dow Jones Indices robust index methodology.
