SGS Publishes its 2012 Corporate Sustainability Report

SGS Leads Its Sector In Sustainability Reporting By Achieving A+ Level

SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, publishes its fourth corporate sustainability report. The 2012 Report, which has been independently verified, has been prepared according to the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting G3.1 Guidelines and achieved  A+ Level. This demonstrates the highest level of disclosure of corporate environmental, social (including labour, human rights, society and product responsibility) and economic performance, and distinguishes SGS as a leading reporter in its sector.

To further demonstrate its commitment to sustainability, SGS has successfully completed a gap analysis of its systems and processes against the ISO 26000 standard.

“Given our leadership in inspection, verification, testing and certification, it is only right that we subject our own systems and processes to the same rigorous appraisal that we apply to our customers’. It is what our customers would expect of us and it is testament to our commitment to be a trusted and responsible global corporate citizen” commented Chris Kirk, CEO of SGS.

Highlights from the 2012 Report include:

• Annual increase in revenues of 16.3% (historical rates), with an adjusted operating margin of 16.9%.
• 18 new businesses acquired.
• Over 8,000 new employees worldwide.
• Launch of The Green Book, a pioneering instrument to analyse sustainability performance using qualitative, quantitative and monetary data.
• Launch of a Sustainability Engagement Index which indicated that 75% of employees are aware of sustainability at SGS and understand its role in terms of supporting business growth and financial results.
• The implementation of global programmes linked to: on-boarding (SHINE), employee engagement (CATALYST), operational integrity (SGS Rules for Life), and environmental behaviour in the workplace (Doing More With LESS).
• Carbon intensity per employee (4.27 tonnes CO₂) and by revenue (53.1 tonnes CO₂ per CHF million)
• Over 17,700 tonnes CO₂ offset through renewable energy certificates.
• Investment in communities rose by 10.9%
• More than 250 community projects supported by SGS employees worldwide.

The SGS Corporate Sustainability Report 2012 is available as an interactive and downloadable pdf at http://www.sgs.com/cs-report.

• View an interactive version of the 2012 Corporate Sustainability Report (PDF 12.1 MB)
• Download the 2012 Corporate Sustainability Report (PDF 5.62 MB)

For further information, please contact:

Jean-Luc de Buman
Corporate Development,
Communications & IR
SGS SA
1 place des Alpes
CH - 1211 Geneva 1
t: +41-22 739 91 11
f: +41-22 739 92 00
www.sgs.com

About SGS

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 75,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,500 offices and laboratories around the world.