Kesko B : Kesko on 'The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list »

KESKO CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 26.01.2012 AT 12.30 1(1)

For the eighth time, Kesko was included on 'The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list, which was announced at the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on 25 January. On the list, Kesko is the 43rd most sustainable company in the world. Kesko has been on the list since it was launched in 2005.

For 'The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list, companies were assessed on 11 sustainable performance indicators in all areas of responsibility: economic, social and environmental responsibility. Environmental indicators were used to study the consumption of energy and water, waste produced and carbon dioxide emissions compared with revenue generated. Indicators affecting the assessment of social responsibility were the percentages of men and women on the Board of Directors, bases of pay and remuneration, and employee turnover.

"We are pleased and proud of our ranking, because the competition in sustainability and responsibility is becoming more intense year by year and the position as one of the most sustainable corporations in the world cannot be taken for granted. Customers increasingly value responsible companies, their products and services," says Matti Halmesmäki, Kesko's President and CEO.

'The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list is prepared by Corporate Knights, the company which acts in cooperation with Legg Mason's Global Currents Investment Management and Phoenix Global Advisors LLC.

Kesko is also included in SAM Sustainability Yearbook

Kesko has also been selected among sustainability leaders in the Food & Drug Retailers sector in the 2012 Sustainability Yearbook.

SAM (Sustainable Asset Management) carries out an annual assessment of sustainability practices of more than 2,000 companies and has published the Sustainability Yearbook for 13 consecutive years. Only the top 15% of the companies in the world qualify in each sector for inclusion in the Sustainability Yearbook on the basis of the assessment made by SAM.

The Sustainability Yearbook 2012 can be downloaded at .

Further information:

Merja Haverinen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Responsibility, Kesko Corporation, tel. [phone]

Helena Frilander, CR Manager, Corporate Communications and Responsibility, Kesko Corporation, tel. [phone].

) is a retail specialist whose stores offer quality to the daily lives of consumers. Kesko has about 2,000 stores engaged in chain operations in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, and Belarus.