Philip Morris International Included in Dow Jones Sustainability World Index

The company’s ISS ESG corporate rating was also upgraded to ‘prime’ status 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 19, 2023: Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability™ World Index for the first time, and for the fourth consecutive year in the Dow Jones Sustainability™ North America Composite Index.1 The Dow Jones Sustainability™ World Index is one of the most reputable benchmarks for measuring the sustainability performance of companies worldwide, as identified by S&P Global through the annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). The World Index includes the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index based on long-term economic, environmental, and social criteria. 

“Investors and other financial stakeholders place increasing value on reliable, robust, and timely measures of sustainability performance,” said Emmanuel Babeau, chief financial officer, PMI. “ESG ratings are one part of the input dataset for many institutional investors. Through our annual integrated report, and the ever-strengthening processes and initiatives that underpin it, we aim to provide a holistic and extensive view of our performance across the most material sustainability issues for our business.” 

PMI scored 85 out of 100 in the 2023 S&P Global CSA2 reflecting a significant increase of 21 points since it first began engaging with the ranking in 2018. This is the first year PMI has recorded the highest CSA score out of 13 companies assessed in the tobacco industry by S&P.3 
The recognition of PMI’s best-in-class sustainability performance has not only been recognized by S&P—earlier this month, ISS ESG Corporate Rating qualified PMI as “Prime” status according to their rating methodology.4 Prime status is awarded to companies with an ESG performance above a sector-specific threshold, which means that they fulfill ambitious absolute performance requirements. According to ISS, the Prime rating classification qualifies companies for responsible investment. To date, PMI is the only company in the tobacco industry to ever receive Prime status qualification. 

“A reflection of hard work, perseverance, deep commitment to sustainability, impactful performance, and best-in-class reporting allows PMI to be recognized externally for its leadership in sustainability performance and transparency. We are the only company in our sector included in the Dow Jones Sustainability™ World Index, leading the tobacco industry in this rating for the first time,” said Jennifer Motles, chief sustainability officer, PMI. “Our north star is to create a net positive impact that benefits our company, shareholders, consumers, and society. This recognition signals we are on the right track. Our approach to sustainability is deeply embedded in our corporate strategy and is a true opportunity for innovation, growth, and purpose-led, impact-driven, long-term value creation. I look forward to the journey ahead as we remain committed to transform for good.” 

Further to the recognition by S&P and ISS ESG, PMI’s performance in various sustainability ratings to date demonstrate the company’s leadership on sustainability performance and transparency. Some of these include PMI’s Triple A score on CDP for the third consecutive year,5 PMI’s inclusion in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for the second consecutive year, and recognition as a top performer by WBCSD Reporting Matters for its transparent and robust reporting practices for the third consecutive year.6