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GE, Intel and Ford top new Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes on Bloomberg

26/01/2010

Maplecroft CII Adds Transparency on Carbon Management and Environmental Innovation

Professional investors can now see which US companies are best equipped to handle environmental policy changes and produce climate-related innovation, with the launch of three new Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes (CIIs) on the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® service. The Maplecroft CIIs rate 300 of the largest US companies on their climate-related innovation and carbon management programmes against more than 100 criteria, following an initial climate screen applied to all US companies over US$1billion market capitalisation.

The Maplecroft CIIs, calculated by Bloomberg and based upon evaluations by corporate risk intelligence specialist Maplecroft, have identified General Electric, Intel, Ford, FPL Group, Johnson Controls, Praxair, Goldman Sachs, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), UPS and PPG Industries as the top ten performing stocks.

The Maplecroft CIIs include:

1. The Maplecroft CII Benchmark <CICOMP> - c.300 of the largest US companies screened from c.800 companies
2. The Maplecroft CII Leaders <CII> - the 100 top performing companies from the Maplecroft CII Benchmark
3. The Maplecroft CII US 100 <CI100> - the 100 largest US companies by free-float market capitalisation

Climate-related innovation and carbon management are two leading indicators of financial performance. The Maplecroft CIIs identify companies that particularly embed innovation into their operations to generate sustained competitive advantage. This methodology will enable investors to pick winning stocks based on both financial performance and innovativeness towards addressing climate change risks and opportunities.

Companies leading in these areas are better equipped to operate in changing policy environments; to deal with increased investor scrutiny regarding future growth environments; and to adapt to the physical impacts of climate change throughout their value chains. The Maplecroft CIIs will facilitate capital inflows from investors who trade in the most capitalised stocks but want to identify those most capable of shaping the low carbon economy of the future.

“The Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes make an important contribution to understanding the fast changing future growth environment worldwide.”

- Jim O'Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs.

The focus on innovation and carbon management adds a valuable dimension to looking at data from carbon emissions measures alone, as there are still challenges in developing meaningful cross-sectoral measurement methodologies. Maplecroft CII methodology assesses innovation and adaptation to climate change impacts across the geographic spread of operations and addresses responsiveness to variations in policy regimes. This methodology should help identify future superior financial performers across a diversified range of sectors rather than companies that are doing business as usual, adding a critical dimension for investors who trade the most capitalised stocks.

“Climate change is one of the most significant risks to sustainable economic growth. The Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes will empower investors to identify and direct capital toward companies that are both developing climate-solutions and delivering sustained economic growth.”

- Maplecroft CEO Professor Alyson Warhurst

Maplecroft has rated each stock using numerous public domain sources, including Web sites, sustainability reports, investor presentations, and UN Global Compact Communications on Progress. This is supplemented by third party stakeholder viewpoints and direct engagement with the companies, particularly in the area of innovation. The rating methodology also uses Maplecroft's global risk indices to understand wider climate change risk exposures across the entire footprint of each company.

“Bloomberg is the leading provider of market transparency, and we are leading the way in establishing reliable climate change, carbon and new energy data that is usable and actionable for investors. The Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes, integrated with Bloomberg innovative technology, data and analytics, adds value for the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL service network of subscribers, who are increasingly interested in these areas. Maplecroft's focus on innovation sets this data apart from other Climate Change indexes, making the index a valuable resource for investors, analysts and wider stakeholders.”

- Curtis Ravenel, global head of Sustainability at Bloomberg

Bloomberg integrates environmental information with its robust suite of data, mapping, analytics and news on the energy and commodities markets.

The full methodology, rating tool and results for all companies in the CII family are available to investors through Bloomberg terminals and from www.maplecroft.com/cii/.

For more information on the CIIs or on how to become a CII licensee. contact Jameela Pedicini at cii@maplecroft.com

Maplecroft is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment.