Best company in its sector in Germany / Management Board Member Plischke: “Innovation and sustainability are the core of our mission 'Bayer: Science For A Better Life.'” / Investors are increasingly interested in the integration of sustainability into corporate strategy
Wolfgang Plischke talking with the moderator Corinna Wohlfeil (n-tv) at the award ceremony
Leverkusen, June 15, 2012 – Bayer has been honored with the SAM Sustainability Award 2012. The rating agency SAM (Sustainable Asset Management) conferred its Gold standard on the Group as the best German chemical company in the area of sustainability. On a global scale, two other companies in the chemical industry were granted similar recognition. “We are very pleased about this accolade. It is both an acknowledgment of our strategy of maintaining successful and sustainable business operations and an incentive to continue along this path,” commented Prof. Wolfgang Plischke, the Management Board member at Bayer AG responsible for Innovation, Technology and Sustainability, at the awards ceremony in Berlin on June 14. “We place value on responsible business practices and want to make a lasting contribution to sustainable development in all our core areas – health care, nutrition and high-tech materials.”
In his congratulatory speech, Dr. Daniel Wild, Head of Research at SAM, praised Bayer's innovation management among other aspects. “The company is able to efficiently manage the various phases of the research and development of new products and attaches considerable importance to maintaining a distinctive innovation culture.” In this context, Plischke added: “Innovation and sustainability are the core of our mission 'Bayer: Science For A Better Life.'”
SAM assesses the sustainability performance of more than 2,000 of the world's largest listed companies. The composition of the Dow Jones Sustainability indices is based on its evaluation. According to the rating agency, companies headquartered in Germany traditionally perform very well in this sustainability ranking in an international comparison. Bayer is included in both indices relevant for the company, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe. Investors are showing an increasing interest in how companies integrate sustainable development into their strategies, and apply sustainability ratings as an additional risk indicator.
The companies' sustainability performance is assessed according to economic, ecological and social criteria. The economic criteria include corporate governance and innovation management. Among the relevant ecological criteria are climate strategy and environmental reporting. And in the social sphere the focus is on personnel development and supplier management.
More information on Bayer's sustainability commitment is available at:www.sustainability2011.bayer.com
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Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.