Nasdaq Selected for Dow Jones Sustainability Index
Nasdaq is one of 16 companies that were recently added to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index in 2016. The index is comprised of 146 companies, which included Nasdaq-listed companies such as Adobe, Intel, and Starbucks. Participating companies in the Index 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 an ongoing effort, Nasdaq actively supports its 3,500 listed companies in their efforts to become more sustainable.
In addition, the company strives to create an open dialogue between listed companies, investors, analysts, regulators, and academics on the overall economic value of sustainability. Working closing with groups like the World Federation of Exchanges, The United Nations Sustainability Stock Exchange Initiative, and the UN Global Compact, Nasdaq has looked for paths for public companies to disclose their 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.”
The Dow Jones Sustainability Index was launched in 1999 and was the first global index to track leading sustainability-driven companies. It has become one of the major benchmarks in global sustainability measurement. Their annual review is based on analysis of financially relevant Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and Standard & Poor's Dow Jones Indices robust index methodology.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.