Cologne, November 16, 2020 – LANXESS' commitment to greater sustainability is again paying off in fiscal 2020: The specialty chemicals company is at the top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Europe in the "Chemicals" category, as it was last year, and improved to second place in the DJSI World. LANXESS is thus included in the DJSI Europe for the fourth consecutive year and in the DJSI World for the tenth consecutive year. The company achieved particularly good results in the areas climate strategy, human rights as well as management of water-related risks. 

“Sustainability has long been firmly anchored in our corporate strategy and we are constantly working to sharpen our ESG profile. We are therefore pleased that our efforts have been particularly recognized this year,” said Matthias Zachert, Chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG. “Also on the capital market, sustainable criteria are now at the top of the priority list.” 

For the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices financially relevant environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are evaluated once a year. Only the best 10 percent of the global companies analyzed in each sector are included in the DJSI World, while the best 20 percent of companies headquartered in Europe are included in the DJSI Europe.

Sustainability rating agencies upgrade LANXESS

In addition, the rating agencies ISS and MSCI, which specialize in sustainability, have upgraded LANXESS in their renowned ESG ratings. ISS-ESG has upgraded LANXESS this year by two notches from C to B-. The specialty chemicals company also received “prime” status for the first time, placing it among the top 8 percent of the 170 companies listed in the “Chemicals” sector. ISS-ESG evaluates more than 100 industry-specific indicators. LANXESS scored particularly well in the areas of environmental management, corporate governance and business ethics as well as eco-efficiency.

MSCI ESG Research has also upgraded the rating for LANXESS from BBB to A. The climate strategy, the well-formulated principles of corporate governance and the robust efforts in the area of chemical safety have led to the improvement. The MSCI rating shows how resilient a company is to long-term, financially relevant ESG risks.