Mumbai, November 19: LANXESS once again convinces in terms of sustainability: The specialty chemicals company placed first in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Europe in the “Chemicals” category, scoring 87 out of 100 points. In the DJSI World, LANXESS came in second place. The Group achieved particularly good results in the areas of product stewardship, management of water related risks and human rights.

“We want to play an active role in the transformation of the economy and global value chains towards a more sustainable world,” said Hubert Fink, member of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG. “We consider the renewed very good ranking in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as proof of the success of our efforts.”

The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices evaluate economically relevant ESG factors once a year. ESG stands for the sustainability dimensions Environment, Social and Governance. The DJSI World lists the best 10 percent of the global companies evaluated per sector, while the DJSI Europe lists the best 20 percent of companies headquartered in Europe.

Sustainable use of water and chemicals

Two years ago, LANXESS published its plan on how to become climate-neutral by 2040. In 2020, the specialty chemicals company also committed to reducing water withdrawals at sites in areas with particularly high water stress by 15 percent by 2023.

In addition, LANXESS has pledged to further improve its product portfolio’s sustainability performance, eliminate critical substances in products, and develop safe alternatives. The company has also committed not to market any new chemical end products that contain critical substances in a concentration of more than 0.1 percent.

Board remuneration linked to sustainability targets

In addition to voluntary commitments, the specialty chemicals company is focusing on incentive systems for greater sustainability: a new compensation system for the Board of Management has been in place since the beginning of the year. Roughly one-third of the variable compensation is linked to the company’s sustainability performance. Specifically, the company’s performance in climate protection and occupational safety will be factored into the system for 2021.