Utility company tops Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index and makes Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for third consecutive year
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CHICAGO – (Sept. 30, 2008) – In recognition of Exelon Corporation’s leadership in disclosing climate change risks and opportunities, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) ranked it the top U.S. utility on the 2008 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI). This is Exelon’s fourth consecutive year on the CDLI. In addition, the company recently was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI) for the third consecutive year. |
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“We are pleased to have our efforts recognized once again by these independent experts,” said Exelon Chairman and CEO John W. Rowe. “Addressing climate change and embracing corporate sustainability are not only socially and environmentally beneficial, they are business imperatives. Exelon is honored to be counted among the world’s leading companies in corporate responsibility.”
The Carbon Disclosure Project collects data from 1,550 major companies worldwide on their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategies. Exelon received a score of 78 based on the 2008 survey — the highest score for any U.S. utility and the second highest for any carbon-intensive U.S. company that participated.
Transparency in reporting is part of Exelon’s strategic plan, outlined in Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap, to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020. This is more than the company’s current annual carbon footprint and equivalent to taking nearly 3 million cars off the road. Integrating climate change into Exelon’s corporate strategy will position the company to benefit from the transition to a low-carbon economy.
“Good disclosure practices are synonymous with good management,” said Paul Dickinson, chief executive of the Carbon Disclosure Project. “As carbon regulation in the U.S. appears increasingly likely, those companies that have implemented climate change-related strategies are clearly going to be in a far better position to meet the challenge of carbon constraints in the future than companies that have procrastinated.”
The DJSI North America index presents the leading 20 percent in each sector of the 600 largest North American companies, in terms of sustainability. Exelon achieved an overall sustainability performance score of 71 percent, compared to the average score of 57 percent for the electricity sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. Companies are selected according to a systematic corporate sustainability assessment that identifies the leading sustainability-driven companies in each of 57 industry groups. The annual review is based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing such issues as corporate governance, risk management, climate change strategy, corporate citizenship and labor practices.