12 September 2016
Wesfarmers has achieved its highest score in the recently released 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index – 82 out of 100, a jump of 11 percentage points on the previous year. This is the highest result for an Australian company in the food and staples sector and two points off the global leader, Metro AG of Germany.
Launched in 1999, the DJSI is a respected benchmark for corporate sustainability. It is the first global index to track the leading sustainability-driven companies based on analysis of financially relevant environmental, social, and governance factors. The world’s largest 3,400 companies from developed and emerging markets are invited to take part in the annual assessment.
Wesfarmers was ranked among the top four companies in the world in the food and staples retailing sector which form part of the DJSI World Index. It also took out the single place that is available in the DJSI Australia index for a food and staples retailer.
This assessment recognises Wesfarmers as a global leader in sustainability, with our strongest performances in:
Economic dimension
- Health and nutrition (98/100)
- Information security and cybersecurity (97/100)
- Risk and crisis management (89/100)
- Customer relationship management (88/100)
- Supply chain management (86/100)
Environmental dimension
- Environmental policy and management systems (100/100)
- Operational eco-efficiency (91/100)
- Environment reporting (89/100)
Social dimension
- Labour practice indicators and human rights (90/100)
- Corporate citizenship and philanthropy (89/100)
The result reflects particularly on Coles because a significant amount of the assessment directly related to that business.
Wesfarmers Managing Director Richard Goyder said the record score was recognition for improvements that had been made.
“Over the past several years, we’ve made a number of changes to the way we manage and disclose our environmental, social and governance performance,” Mr Goyder said. “For us, sustainability is about understanding and managing the ways we impact the community and the environment, to ensure that we will be creating value in the future.”
For more information about the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, please visit http://www.djindexes.com/sustainability/