British American Tobacco is the Tobacco Industry Leader in the 2017 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)

British American Tobacco is the tobacco industry leader in the 2017 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and the only tobacco company to feature in both the Europe index and the prestigious DJSI World index.

Launched in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) track the corporate sustainability performance of the world’s largest companies.

David Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee, S&P Dow Jones Indices, said: “Many of the events witnessed so far in 2017 make it even more important for corporations around the globe to recognise sustainability, establish policies and manage their businesses in ways that support and increase sustainability of the global environment and the world’s leading businesses.”

Every year, RobecoSAM, a sustainability investment specialist, conducts the assessment, covering financially-material environmental, social and governance factors, using a consistent, rules-based methodology to convert hundreds of data points into one overall score. This score determines companies’ inclusion in the DJSI.

British American Tobacco (BAT) was the first ever tobacco company to be included in the DJSI and has maintained its inclusion every year for the past 16 years.

In 2017, BAT was proud to achieve industry leadership and be the only tobacco company to feature in both the Europe index and the prestigious DJSI World index, which comprises the indices’ top performers globally.

BAT’s overall score in 2017 was 84%, 21 percentage points higher than the tobacco industry average of 63%. As well as overall industry leadership, the company also achieved top scores in 13 of the DJSI’s 21 categories, including 100% scores in Materiality; Policy Influence; Environmental Reporting; Raw Material Sourcing; and Social Reporting.

BAT also achieved scores of more than 90% in seven other categories and increased or matched its scores, compared with 2016, in 16 of the 21 categories.

The company believes these scores reflect the quality of management across its business and its comprehensive global focus on sustainability issues. BAT’s performance shows that its employees and operations across the Group are consistently meeting the standards required of a sustainable international business.

"This achievement is a true testament to the leadership, collaboration and the sustained efforts of so many to deliver outstanding company performance across all areas of the business." -- Jerome Abelman, Director, Legal & External Affairs and General Counsel, BAT.