Genzyme named to the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index

2009 Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) announced today that it was included on both the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and North American Index. This marks the fifth consecutive year Genzyme has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index and the first year the company has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.

Genzyme is one of only three biotechnology companies in the United States to be named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index this year. More than 2,500 companies apply to be named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and only 300 companies are selected. According to the survey, Genzyme scored the highest in the World Index for its employee code of conduct. Genzyme also scored particularly well in the following areas: corporate governance, environmental policy and talent acquisition and retention.

“Genzyme’s commitment to sustainable long-term growth and social responsibility is integral to our way of doing business,” said Henri Termeer, CEO of Genzyme. “We are focused first and foremost on patients with unmet medical needs and we work to help developing countries build sustainable healthcare systems while providing access to free drug programs, humanitarian initiatives, education and advocacy. From the design of our facilities to how we run our business, Genzyme is reducing our environmental impact and is engaged in supporting our communities.”

As part of its commitment to meeting unmet medical needs, Genzyme supports efforts to discover and advance novel treatments for neglected diseases such as malaria, sleeping sickness and Chagas Disease through its Humanitarian Assistance for Neglected Diseases (HAND) initiative. Genzyme and its partner organizations were recognized for the HAND program at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Genzyme’s commitment also extends to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Genzyme’s headquarters is one of the most environmentally responsible office buildings in the United States, and it is a leader in waste-reduction and recycling efforts at its sites around the world. Last year, Genzyme donated more than $15.5 million to local nonprofit organizations in its communities.

Corporate Sustainability is a business approach through which companies create long-term shareholder value by embracing opportunities and managing risks related to economic, environmental and social developments. This annual review is based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, branding, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labor practices. It accounts for general as well as industry specific sustainability criteria for each of 58 sectors defined according to the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB).

In addition to being named to the Dow Jones Indexes, Genzyme was named to CRO Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens List 2009” which selects companies based on their performance in seven categories: environment, climate change, human rights, philanthropy, employee relations, finance and governance. Genzyme was also recognized in 2009 as one of the "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in World" by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors for the third consecutive year and received the 2008 Scrip Award for Corporate Social Responsibility for its collaboration with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

http://www.genzyme.com