German specialty chemical company, Bayer, has been included in the Climate Leadership Index, the first global stock index for climate protection, in recognition of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

"Inclusion in the Climate Leadership Index confirms our efforts in recent years to reduce CO₂ emissions and other so-called greenhouse gases," said Dr. Udo Oels, Bayer management board member responsible for Innovation, Technology and Environment.

In terms of greenhouse gas emissions Bayer has already exceeded the targets specified in the Kyoto Protocol and by the Committee of Inquiry of the German Bundestag: The aim was to reduce emissions in Germany by 25% from the 1990 level by 2005 and by 50% by 2020. Bayer has already reduced emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide by more than 60%. "With this significant decrease we have made a sustained contribution to protecting the climate, achieving this by using state-of-the-art technology, closing old facilities and deploying energy-efficient power units," remarked Dr. Oels.

The Climate Leadership Index established in 2002 assesses companies’ sustainable contribution to climate protection and to what extent they handle the relevant issues credibly and transparently.

Bayer also features on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index) and the European Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability Index, both of which it has featured on since they were first introduced in 1999 and 2001 respectively.