Entergy Corp., which was again named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for North America, attributes its repeated recognition and success to company values and employee commitment to sustainable business practices and excellence.
The electricity utility company that employs some 13,000 workers serving roughly 2.8 million customers in Arkansas,
Louisiana,
Mississippi and Texas has been listed on the DJSI for North America, the global index, or both for 14 consecutive years. The indices evaluate corporate performance in economic, environmental and social areas.
“We view DJSI inclusion as effective, independent validation of achieving our mission to provide sustainable value to all our stakeholders — owners, customers, employees and the communities we serve,” Kelle Barfield, vice president of integrated communications at Entergy Services Inc., told Power News Wire. “Entergy leaders are firmly committed to the philosophy that strong environmental and social performance is more than a good idea; it is good business. For example, being a first mover in programs related to climate change and low-income customer assistance more than two decades ago set a high standard for excellence in these areas.”
Additionally, she said management is equally committed to being accountable to stakeholders by reporting on the company’s actions.
“We now provide stakeholders with an annual integrated report in order to present our sustainable actions as an integral part of our company’s overall goals and success,” Barfield said.
Barfield also said that participation in the DJSI analysis and other independent evaluations, such as the Global Reporting Initiative, enables the company to continually improve how it performs. This year, Barfield said that Entergy earned perfect scores in five categories evaluated by the DJSI: antitrust policy, scorecards/measurement systems, climate strategy, water-related risks and corporate citizenship/philanthropy.
“This reflects excellence across all three sustainability dimensions,” she said.
Of the 25 criteria the DJSI uses to evaluate companies, Barfield said the most challenging are any new criteria or new sub-categories because subject experts do not have a previous base of data and narrative on which to build a scorecard response.
For instance, after responding last year to several new questions related to operational eco-efficiency, Barfield said Entergy was able to gain points this year by better anticipating the analyst’s focus in that area.
“The DJSI is especially meaningful because it touches on all dimensions of our commitment to stakeholders — economic, environmental and social,” Barfield said.
