NORTHBROOK, Ill., Jan. 21, 2016 – Astellas has been named one of Corporate Knights' 2016 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. Corporate Knights revealed this year’s honorees today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Corporate Knights analyzes data from all publicly traded companies with a market capitalization of at least US $2 billion. The organization analyzed data from 4,600 companies against their global industry peers on a list of 12 environmental and financial indicators.

“Because the indicators are quantitative and clearly defined, the results of the Global 100 are objective and replicable, and more akin to a financial index than many other ‘sustainability’ indices,” said Corporate Knights CEO Toby A.A. Heaps. “Astellas is a great example of a company that is taking a best-in-class approach to corporate sustainability.”

In recent years, Astellas has received several honors for its sustainable business practices, including the Newsweek Green Rankings, the FTSE4Good Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. 

“This recognition is another testament to the commitment of Astellas employees worldwide to our corporate, social and environmental responsibilities,” said Jeff Winton, senior vice president , Corporate Affairs and  chief communications officer at Astellas Americas.  “We are passionate about turning innovative science into value for patients, always with an eye toward sustaining resources for future generations.”

Sustainability highlights at the Astellas headquarters for the Americas in Northbrook, Illinois, include:

• Received LEED Gold certification
• Qualified for EPA’s ENERGY STAR rating in 2015; energy efficiency improvements resulted in a 15 percent reduction in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions
• Continues to divert 40 percent of waste from landfills monthly, and plastic-bottled water consumption reduced by 80,000 bottles annually

For information on the Global 100 index's full rankings, please visit: www.corporateknights.com/reports/global-100.

About Astellas

Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.us. You can also follow us on Twitter at @AstellasUS. Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AstellasUS.