RobecoSAM and S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC announced the results of the annual review of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) on 11th September 2015. Once again, Provident Financial has reconfirmed its position in the two indices it is eligible to be included in: the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index (DJSI Europe). This is the ninth successive year that Provident Financial has been included in these two indices.

Dow Jones Sustainability Indices in Collaboration with RobecoSAM

The DJSI, which are managed by the index-based data and research company S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, in partnership with the sustainability investment specialist RobecoSAM, work by inviting companies to complete a Corporate Sustainability Assessment questionnaire which enables their most financially material environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors to be analysed. This year, 3,400 of the world’s largest companies in both developed and emerging markets were invited to take part in RobecoSAM’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment.

Provident Financial’s overall score in the DJSI in 2015 was 61% (2014: 60%) – 15% points higher than the average overall score of the other companies in the company’s sector. The DJSI World, represent the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global BMI based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria, and the DJSI Europe selects the leading companies in sustainability among the 600 companies that make up the Dow Jones STOXX 600 European index.

Rob Lawson, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Provident Financial, commented:

“We are delighted to have maintained our position in two of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for almost a decade.  We view corporate responsibility as an initial element of our strategy and the Provident Financial group of businesses continue to work hard to ensure that our customers are treated in a responsible manner, employees are provided with a safe and inclusive workplace, and we invest in the many communities we serve across the UK and Ireland. This continued recognition in the DJSI is a validation of our efforts to embed CR across our business which contributes to the long-term success of the Provident Financial group.”

 

Notes:
The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices were launched in 1999 as the first global sustainability benchmarks. The Indices are based on an internationally recognised leading Corporate Sustainability Assessment methodology which means that they include only companies that fulfil certain sustainability criteria who are better than the majority of their peers. They are currently managed by the world's largest resource for index-based data and research, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, in partnership with the sustainability investment specialist RobecoSAM Indices.

For more information on the DJSI please visit: www.sustainability-indices.com