RobecoSAM Publishes the Annual Sustainability Yearbook 2016

• The world’s most sustainable companies are located in Europe
• ITC is most improved industry
• Yearbook to be presented at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, today announced the publication of The Sustainability Yearbook 2016. The Yearbook, which will be presented during InnoVatio Publishing’s launch of CSR Index 2016 at the WEF in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, looks back at companies’ sustainability performance in 2015 and includes the best 15% per industry awarding them Gold, Silver or Bronze medals. In addition, for each of the 59 industries analyzed, the company with the highest score is named RobecoSAM Industry Leader.

RobecoSAM has been assessing the sustainability performance of the largest listed companies on a yearly basis since 1999. 2’126 companies from 42 different countries were assessed on their performance in financially material ESG criteria for the Sustainability Yearbook 2016.

The world’s most sustainable companies are located in Europe
This year, RobecoSAM awarded 77 RobecoSAM Gold Class medals, 74 RobecoSAM Silver Class medals and 97 RobecoSAM Bronze Class medals to the evaluated companies. Split by region, Europe holds the greatest number of companies included in the Yearbook as well as the most RobecoSAM Gold Class medal winners.

ITC is the most improved industry relative to last year

RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook (online download /printed copy order form)The CSA - helping companies and investors become sustainable Michael Baldinger, CEO RobecoSAM, said: “We see competition for inclusion in the RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook steadily growing every year, so I congratulate all the companies that made it into the 2016 edition. Sustainability has come a long way since the founding of RobecoSAM in 1995. What was once a very niche concept is now becoming more mainstream, even among the investment community. For this reason, it is more important than ever that companies report on the positive financial impacts of their sustainability initiatives.”

Daniel Wild, PhD, Head of Sustainability Investing Research & Development, Member of the RobecoSAM Executive Committee: ”Since creating it 17 years ago, we have continually developed and refined the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) to reflect upcoming sustainability trends and increasing insights in the financial materiality of underlying factors. We see this evolution also taking place in the applications of the CSA data. While the goal of the CSA has always been to examine financially material factors that impact a company’s core business value drivers, the data is not only used to further sustainability goals by assessed companies, but also by investors who are increasingly integrating ESG considerations into their investment processes.”

Every year RobecoSAM picks out the most prominent sustainability topics and shares its expertise through white papers in the prelude to the results section of the Sustainability Yearbook. This year’s focus is on the CSA, the annual in-depth analysis of over 2,900 companies that has allowed RobecoSAM to compile one of the world’s most comprehensive global databases of financially material sustainability information:

RobecoSAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Past. Present. Future.

One questionnaire, a multitude of uses

RobecoSAM: a history of innovation

For more information visit the RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook microsite: yearbook.robecosam.com

You will find:

Industry Leaders 2016

Industry Profiles: 59 Industries at a Glance

Individual Company results

Sustainability Yearbook: Methodology Overview

CSA Timeline and CSA Engine

For any additional inquiries, please contact:

RobecoSAM AG                                                   
François Vetri                                                        
Head of Corporate Communications                  
Josefstrasse 218                                                  
8005 Zurich / Switzerland                                 
T: +41 44 653 10 02                                           
E: com@robecosam.com                                   
www.robecosam.com                                         

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About RobecoSAM
Founded in 1995, RobecoSAM is an investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. It offers asset management, indices, engagement, voting, impact analysis and investing, 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 (CSA), an annual ESG analysis of over 2,900 listed companies, RobecoSAM has compiled one of the world’s most comprehensive databases of financially material sustainability information. The data of the CSA is also included in USD 89.8 billion of assets under management by Robeco.

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 June 30, 2015, RobecoSAM had assets under management, advice and/or license in listed and private equity* of approximately USD 11.5 billion. Additionally, RobecoSAM’s Governance & Active Ownership team** had USD 84 billion of assets under engagement and USD 55 billion of assets under voting.

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. RobecoSAM USA is an investment adviser registered in the US. Copyright © 2016 RobecoSAM – all rights reserved.