“Investors today place increasing importance on aspects relating to sustainability. For Kesko, corporate responsibility is a strategic choice that is integrated into our day-to-day activities. We want to enable a sustainable lifestyle for our customers in the areas of food, mobility and living. Dow Jones has produced sustainability indices for 20 years, and Kesko has been included in those indices for 15 years. This is a remarkable recognition of the scope and high quality of our long-term sustainability efforts,” says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander.
Other Finnish companies included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices this year are Nokian Renkaat, Valmet, Wärtsilä, UPM-Kymmene and Neste. Kesko has been included in the indices in 2003–2014 and in 2017 and 2018.
In the 2019 assessment, Kesko’s overall score rose compared to the year before. Kesko received the industry best overall score in the Environmental Dimension, with excellent scores in Climate Strategy, Operational Eco-Efficiency, Packaging, and Water Related Risks. In the Economic Dimension, Kesko received the industry best score in Privacy Protection. Kesko’s score rose in the areas of Supply Chain Management, Human Rights and Human Capital Development.
“Our long-term efforts over the course of more than two decades to improve our energy efficiency and reduce emissions and increase social responsibility in purchasing contributed to our success. We are especially happy about the recognition we received this year on customer privacy protection and our personnel competence development plans,” says Matti Kalervo, Kesko’s Vice President of Corporate Responsibility.
The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) were launched 20 years ago in 1999 with the aim of helping investors and analysts assess the sustainability of companies. Companies are selected for the DJSI based on an independent sustainability assessment conducted by RobecoSAM, an investment specialist focused on sustainability investing.
Some 4,500 listed companies annually are invited to participate in the assessment, and the top 10% of companies in each industry are selected for index inclusion. The assessment analyses company activities in areas of economic, social and environmental responsibility.
Kesko is listed on several major sustainability indices, such as the FTSE4Good Index, the CDP Climate A- List and the STOXX Global ESG Leaders Index. Kesko ranks 88th on the Global 100 list of the Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, making it the world's most sustainable trading sector company.
Kesko is taking part in mitigating climate change by increasing the purchase of renewable energy and its own energy production and by increasing energy efficiency. Kesko is the first Finnish company to set 2 degree emission targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative for its operations and supply chain.
All K Group divisions offer solutions that help their customers reduce their climate impact. For example, K Group recently introduced a carbon footprint calculator for food purchases, which will be available via the K-Ostokset service before the end of the year. The tool will help customers make more sustainable choices in the grocery store. K Group is also building a nationwide charging network for electric cars. The network will comprise nearly 400 charging points at over 70 K-store locations across Finland by the end of 2019.
Kesko has conducted a human rights assessment and published a human rights commitment, and promotes human rights in all its operations. In assessing suppliers in high-risk countries, we utilise international social responsibility audit and certification systems, primarily amfori BSCI auditing. In July 2019, K Group opened a children’s summer day care facility at a lamp factory in China together with the international organisation the Center for Child Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility.
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