USA - Vestas leads the Dow Jones Sustainability index

Vestas is now considered the most sustainable company in the world in the segment Renewable Energy Equipment by the world’s leading stock market index, Dow Jones. The leading American stock market index Dow Jones has placed Vestas first on its 2011 Sustainability chart. The stock market experts looks at both Social, Economic, Environmental and Health & Safety initiatives to score listed industrial companies, and especially on the Environmental and Economic parameters Vestas scores high.

“Looking at the figures behind our new position it is obvious, that our comprehensive work with the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) on the V112-3.0 MW turbine and targets for reducing our carbon footprint has paid off,” says Lilian Harbak, Reporting Specialist with Vestas’ Sustainability department. “Another important area of improvement is our dedicated efforts to increase reliability of turbines. Detailed tracking of turbine performance has led to well documented increases in availability and thereby minimal loss of potential production capacity for our customers”.

Vestas' overall score in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index has gone from 68 to 77 in a year.

Being number one in a Dow Jones index may also influence investors who are looking for green shares.

“It is of course very nice indeed for Vestas to be considered best in a focus area,” says Lars Villadsen, Senior Specialist with Vestas Investor Relations. “Some investors want a share of their stock portfolio to be in the renewable/green segment. And being number one in a Dow Jones index for sustainability surely will not harm Vestas.”

Villadsen adds that he can’t comment on a possible effect on the Vestas share price, but points to the fact that investments in so-called ‘responsible shares’ have risen with a factor four – from 2.6 trillion US-dollars in 2002 to 10.1 trillion US-dollars in 2010.

2500 listed companies are invited to fill in questionnaires for Dow Jones indexes each year. Among the other listed companies in the Renewable Energy Equipment industry are First Solar from the USA and runner-up Gamesa CT from Spain.

“No doubt this motivates us internally in Vestas,” Lilian Harbak states. “Particularly on the social dimension we still have work to do. But to know that your work and efforts are noted places like the Dow Jones makes you hungry for more.”

Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) launched in September 1999 and is part of the family of indexes under the Dow Jones Company - created by Wall Street Journal editor Charles Dow.

DJSI evaluates the performance of the world’s leaders in sustainability. They are the longest-running global sustainability benchmarks worldwide and have become the key reference point in Sustainability Investing for investors and companies alike.

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