PMI recognized for addressing climate change issues

Philip Morris International has been recognized for addressing climate change and reducing its carbon footprint.

In a note posted on its website, the company said it had been named yesterday as the only consumer staples company in the S&P 500 on both the CDP Climate ‘A’ List for top performers and the Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) for quality and transparency of reporting. The 100 percent score for carbon disclosure is the highest ever recognition PMI has received in the annual CDP ratings.

CDP, formerly known as the ‘Carbon Disclosure Project’ was described as the leading international not-for-profit organization assessing the work of thousands of companies worldwide in the area of climate change.

‘PMI is recognized on the CDP Climate “A” List in their Global Climate Performance Leader Report, released on November 4, for top performance in measuring, verifying, managing and reducing our carbon footprint,’ PMI reported. ‘The company also earned its leading place on the CDLI by disclosing high quality carbon emissions and energy data for 2014 through CDP’s climate change program. The CDP assessment is compiled at the request of 822 investors who represent US$95 trillion in assets – more than a third of the world’s invested capital. ‘

“We are delighted to make the CDP Climate Disclosure Leadership Index for the S&P 500 and to be recognized as a top performer on CDP’s Climate ‘A’ list,” said Andrew Harrop, head of Environmental Sustainability at PMI. “This demonstrates the hard work and commitment across PMI, setting tough targets and doing what it takes to achieve and exceed them. As we prepare to join government leaders in Paris later this month at COP21, the UN Climate Change conference, the CDP results demonstrate that businesses like PMI are playing their part to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”

Meanwhile, Paul Dickinson, executive chairman and co-founder of CDP said that as the world looked beyond the Paris climate change negotiations and prepared for a low carbon future, reliable information about how companies were responding to the transition would be ever more valuable. “For this reason we congratulate those businesses that have achieved a position on CDP’s Climate Disclosure Leadership Index,” he said.