Home > Sustainability > Working for a Greener World > Sustaining Leadership

Sustaining Leadership

American flag on Wall Street

Johnson Controls continues to rank on Dow Jones Index

Every investor knows: The Dow Jones may go up … and the Dow Jones may go down. But now, the Dow Jones is sustainable, to boot.
Established in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index charts the financial performance of leading sustainability-driven companies across the globe—companies such as Johnson Controls. This is the third consecutive year Johnson Controls has been placed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index’s “World” category, and the second consecutive year it has been named to the “North America” category.

Managing Assets

For the uninitiated, the index provides asset managers worldwide with financial information and objective benchmarks to manage sustainability portfolios. Asset managers in 15 countries are licensed through the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and manage more than $5 billion based on index findings.
But not just any company can claim rights to appear on the index. Inclusion is based on an assessment instrument conducted by SAM Research on behalf of Dow Jones. This assessment includes a set of criteria and weightings used to determine the opportunities and risks deriving from economic, environmental and social developments for the eligible companies.
Part of the assessment is a questionnaire completed by applicants during an annual review. Additional information is gleaned from third-party documents and personal contact between analysts and the prospective companies.

Ranking Reasons

The reasons why Johnson Controls continues to rank on the index? Here’s a sampling:

  • Johnson Controls helped make lead-acid automotive batteries the most recycled consumer product in the United States.
  • The company is rapidly becoming a leading supplier of hybrid battery systems, as evidenced by a recent announcement that Mercedes-Benz will use lithium-ion batteries developed by Johnson Controls for its new S class hybrid sedan.
  • It is one of only 14 companies on the Billion Dollar Roundtable—which means Johnson Controls spends more than $1 billion in business with women- and minority-owned businesses. The company has set a goal of $2 billion for 2008.
  • Johnson Controls encourages employees around the world to volunteer in their communities through the Blue Sky Involve program. In 2007, 7,500 employees volunteered for local charities in more than 40 countries.