Nasdaq Advances Corporate Sustainability Leadership in 2019
Reduces Carbon Footprint to Zero through Offset Purchase Program
NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) announced today its milestones achieved in 2019 to advance its environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices as part of its company-wide commitment to sustainability. Nasdaq’s ESG efforts were successfully reflected both in its work with corporate clients as well as within its own operations.
“Our commitment to ESG – including our carbon footprint reduction program – mirrors our commitment to our clients and the communities in which we serve,” said Evan Harvey, Global Head of Sustainability at Nasdaq. “As more clients and companies search for sustainable business products and processes, we not only try to meet that need, but anticipate it. The world is changing – as are market and institutional investor expectations – and companies will continue to adapt in order to create long-term value and a meaningful contribution to all their stakeholders.”
Nasdaq’s listed companies have a deep tradition of innovation, responsibility, and dedication to sustainable practices, with an average of 76% of companies listed on our U.S. and European exchanges reporting on at least one ESG metric on an annual basis1.
Nasdaq’s 2019 ESG highlights:
| Corporate & Community Efforts | |
| Initiative | Description |
| ESG Reporting & Engagement | Nasdaq accelerated its engagement and expanded disclosures with key stakeholders in the investment community, including leading ESG research providers. Increased transparency and improving fundamentals resulted in , the largest among its peer group. |
| ESG Oversight | Nasdaq’s board of directors reconstituted its Nominating & Governance Committee to include oversight of Nasdaq’s corporate responsibility, including environmental and social initiatives. Committee renamed in December 2019 as the “,” underscoring board-level commitment to ESG. |
| Carbon Neutrality | Nasdaq achieved carbon neutrality2 across all business operations through the purchase of carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates. |
| Stakeholder Advocacy | Signed the Business Roundtable’s “Statement on the Purpose of a Company” letter; Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman . |
| LGBTQ Equality | Named “” by the Human Rights Campaign’s 2019 Corporate Equality Index. |
| ESG Index Inclusion | Named to the prestigious for the fourth consecutive year. |
| Employee Wellness | Nasdaq Philadelphia office awarded WELL Gold Certification and Nasdaq Client Experience Center in New York awarded LEED Gold Certification. |
| Volunteer Events | 220 employee volunteer events, logging 4,165 service hours with more than 500 Nasdaq participants. |
| Diversity Initiatives | Reinforcing our commitment to diversity in meaningful ways – achieving 30% female participation on our board of directors and |
| Educational Support | Committing more than $1M in grants and donations to organizations in the U.S. and abroad through our and program |
| ESG Services & Solutions | |
| Offering | Description |
| Nasdaq Center for Corporate Governance | Established in 2019 to accelerate the understanding of emerging corporate governance and sustainable business practices through insights and research. |
| Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network | Launched the , a global, publicly available web-based platform designed to improve transparency in the market for green, social and sustainability bonds. |
| ESG Advisory Program | designed to assist IR professionals with attracting long-term capital and enhancing value creation via a capital markets-focused ESG foundation. |
| ESG Reporting Guide | Published updated and expanded our to support public and private companies globally on a voluntary basis who aim to incorporate ESG reporting into their existing reporting processes. |
| ESG Footprint | Launched a new ESG data product, measuring the global and designed to help retail investors make more sustainable investment decisions. |
| Sustainable Debt Market | In October, the Nasdaq European surpassed 200 listed instruments, fueled by strong demand from both issuers and investors looking to allocate funds in a more sustainable direction. |
| ESG Index Futures Milestone | In October, trading in the OMXS30 ESG Index Futures reached since its launch in 2018; the first exchange listed ESG index future in the world. |
| eVestment ESG Data | eVestment’s ESG data now includes asset flows data on over 975 firms globally, with over 8,000 strategies constituting $26 trillion in AUM managed with ESG considerations. |
| ESG Data Portal | , launched in 2018, now has ESG data from 303 companies across all ICB sectors. The Portal is a centralized distribution point that offers institutional investors access to standardized ESG data from Nordic listed companies. |
Nasdaq is committed to long-term ESG advocacy, oversight, and philanthropy to engage with stakeholders at all levels. Nasdaq’s philanthropic impact has generated millions of dollars in value, through a combination of employee donations, corporate matching, and employee volunteer hours since the launch of our GoodWorks initiative in 2015. With a renewed market emphasis on long-term value creation, we regularly host ESG-related webinars, in-person events, and small-scale workshops for clients to enhance their communications with the investment community.
To learn more about Nasdaq’s corporate responsibility and sustainability commitments, visit: .
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1 Nasdaq ESG Reporting Guide (May 2019)
2 For calendar year 2018
About Nasdaq:
Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a global technology company serving the capital markets and other industries. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software and services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions and career opportunities, visit us on , on Twitter , or at .
Nasdaq Media Contacts:
Will Briganti (United States)
(646) 964-8169
Erik Granström (Europe)
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