LANXESS again with leading positions in Dow Jones Sustainability Indices

• First rank in Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Europe; second rank in DJSI World
• Outstanding results in the areas of product stewardship, management of water-related risks and human rights

 Mumbai, November 17, 2021 – 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 the sustainability performance of its product portfolio, to eliminate critical substances in products and to 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. 

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.1 billion in 2020. The company currently has about 14,900 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.

Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors, nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person’s officers, directors or employees accepts any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.