Norsk Hydro has once once again made the FTSE4Good, the European and international indices of socially responsible companies.
The indices include 60-70 percent of listed companies that meet criteria within the following areas: the promotion of sustainable development, the development of relations with interest groups, plus compliance with, and support for, fundamental human rights.
Hydro has this year answered further in-depth questions on policy relating to the rights of indigenous peoples and how the company disseminates information – in local languages – on the content of its steering documents and on human rights.
The additional questions have this time resulted in a number of companies, normally included in the FTSE4 Good, being left out this year.
Many people in Hydro are involved in efforts to qualify the company for the most important international indices for sustainability and corporate social responsibility: Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good indices.
"The fact that we are included in these indexes is an indication of the quality of our work and gives us a good listening post," says Rolf Lunheim, who is in charge of Corporal Social Responsibility in Hydro.
"The expectations of society are increasing rapidly in these areas. The indexes also signal the priorities industry should make. Being included on an index such as FTSE4Good doesn't in itself draw a great deal of attention to us, but neither is that the intention of the index."
Lunheim also points out that these indexes have become much more detailed in recent years, taking a closer look at internal methodology and how the company works with social issues.
"For example we see that there are areas that we need to follow up. Although we are on the list, FTSE4Good and other similar indexes still require follow-up on our side," Rolf Lunheim underlines.