NEW YORK and ZURICH, Sept. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Dow Jones Indices, one of the world's leading providers of financial market indices, and RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, today announced the results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices ("DJSI") review. This year marks the 15 year anniversary of the DJSI.

Launched in 1999, the DJSI World is the first global index to track the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide based on an analysis of financially material economic, environmental, and social factors. The three largest additions and deletions (by free-float market capitalization) to the DJSI World this year include:

Additions: Amgen Inc, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, GlaxoSmithKline PLC
Deletions: Bank of America Corp, General Electric Co, Schlumberger Ltd

Guido Giese, Head of Indices, RobecoSAM: "We are proud to celebrate 15 years of providing investors with sophisticated benchmarks for corporate sustainability. Since 1999, we have helped investors realize the financial materiality of sustainability and companies continue to tell us that the DJSI provides an excellent tool to measure the effectiveness of their sustainability strategies. In 15 years, the total number of companies we assess has more than quadrupled. We have also developed new sustainability benchmarks for investors such as country and regional indices."

David Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the S&P Dow Jones Index Committee: "Both the importance and the understanding of sustainability has grown dramatically over the past decade and a half. During that time the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices have been established as the leading benchmark in the field. S&P Dow Jones Indices is pleased to work with RobecoSAM in combining S&P DJI's experience with indices and RobecoSAM's expertise in assessing corporate sustainability programs."

RobecoSAM recognizes the following 15 companies for being in the DJSI World all 15 years:

The DJSI follow a best-in-class approach, including companies across all industries that outperform their peers in numerous sustainability metrics. Each year over 3,000 companies, including 800 companies from emerging markets, are invited to participate in RobecoSAM's Corporate Sustainability Assessment, which provides an in-depth analysis of financially material economic, environmental, and social practices.

Following this assessment, RobecoSAM identifies the top company in each of the 24 industry groups (according to GICS):

The following changes will be made to the DJSI Family, effective on September 22, 2014:
 

For additional information on the DJSI, please visit:
http://www.sustainability-indices.com/ and http://www.djindexes.com/sustainability/.

Additional methodology information:
Corporate Sustainability Assessment homepage: where you can download criteria weightings, 2014 criteria changes, list of invited companies, measuring intangibles brochure, key facts, benefits of participation, and more.

About S&P Dow Jones Indices
S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a part of McGraw Hill Financial, is the world's largest, global resource for index-based concepts, data and research. Home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average™, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC has over 115 years of experience constructing innovative and transparent solutions that fulfill the needs of investors. More assets are invested in products based upon our indices than any other provider in the world. With over 1,000,000 indices covering a wide range of asset classes across the globe, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC defines the way investors measure and trade the markets. To learn more about our company, please visit www.spdji.com.  

About RobecoSAM
Founded in 1995, RobecoSAM is an investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. It offers asset management, indices, engagement, voting, impact analysis, sustainability assessments, and benchmarking services. Asset management capabilities cater to institutional asset owners and financial intermediaries and cover a range of ESG-integrated investments (in public and private equity), featuring a strong track record in resource efficiency theme strategies. Together with S&P Dow Jones Indices, RobecoSAM publishes the globally recognized Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). Based on its Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual ESG analysis of 2,800 listed companies, RobecoSAM has compiled one of the world's most comprehensive databases of financially material sustainability information.

RobecoSAM is a member of the global pure-play asset manager Robeco, which was established in 1929 and is the center of expertise for asset management within the ORIX Corporation. As a reflection of its own commitment to advocating sustainable investment practices, RobecoSAM is a signatory of the UNPRI and a member of Eurosif, ASrIA and Ceres. Approximately 130 professionals work for RobecoSAM, which is headquartered in Zurich. As of December 31, 2013, RobecoSAM had assets under management, advice and/or license in listed and private equity* of approximately USD 10.2 billion. Additionally, RobecoSAM's Governance & Active Ownership team** had USD 74 billion of assets under engagement and USD 51.8 billion of assets under voting.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices are a joint product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and RobecoSAM AG ("RobecoSAM"). S&P is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("S&P"), Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ("Dow Jones") and RobecoSAM is a registered trademark of Robeco Groep N.V.  The trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its affiliates.  Inclusion of a company within a Dow Jones Sustainability Index is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold such company, nor is it investment advice.  S&P Dow Jones Indices, Dow Jones, S&P, RobecoSAM and their respective affiliates (collectively "SPDJI parties") do not sponsor, endorse, sell or promote any investment fund or other investment vehicle that is offered by third parties and that seeks to provide an investment return based on the performance of any index.  This document does not constitute an offer of services in jurisdictions where the SPDJI parties do not have the necessary licenses.  The SPDJI parties may receive compensation in connection with licensing its indices to third parties.

Important legal information: The details given on these pages do not constitute an offer. They are given for information purposes only. No liability is assumed for the correctness and accuracy of the details given. The securities identified and described may or may not be purchased, sold or recommended for advisory clients. It should not be assumed that an investment in these securities was or will be profitable. *RobecoSAM Private

Equity is the marketing name of the combined private equity divisions of Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. ('Robeco') and its fully owned subsidiary, RobecoSAM AG ('RobecoSAM'). Any funds or services offered by RobecoSAM Private Equity are managed and offered by Robeco, who may have delegated certain investment advisory functions to RobecoSAM. ** RobecoSAM's Governance & Active Ownership team is a brand name of Robeco. Copyright © 2014 RobecoSAM – all rights reserved.

SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices