INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG), a global leader in retail real estate, today announced two significant achievements recognizing its ongoing leadership and commitment to sustainability and energy conservation.
Simon Property Group has been named to the 2013 CDP Global 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI). This annual index highlights FTSE Global 500 companies that demonstrate leadership through disclosure of information regarding climate change and score within the top 10% of the five hundred companies assessed.
This is the third time Simon Property Group has been awarded the CDLI distinction due to its top score on disclosure of green house gas emissions and energy use, and SPG is the only real estate company included in 2013. Simon Property Group has also been named to the S&P 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index five times.
In addition, Simon Property Group was recognized as the leading retail estate company in North America for its sustainability practices by The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), and ranked #1 among fifteen U.S. retail real estate peers in its recently released 2013 Report.
The GRESB report is based on sustainability data gathered from 543 property companies and funds, providing aggregate information on 49,000 properties across the globe. The GRESB Report demonstrates a clear upward trend in sustainability performance of the global real estate industry, and SPG continues to lead the North American retail real estate sector in these efforts.
"As the largest public retail real estate owner in the world, we recognize the positive economic impact and social benefits of reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency," said David Simon, Chairman and CEO of Simon Property Group. "We believe a transparent approach to measuring and reducing climate impact is critical to our business strategy, creates more opportunities for collaboration with our retailers and other tenant partners, and aligns with our commitment to responsible citizenship."
For more than a decade, Simon Property Group has been committed to incorporating sustainable practices into the management of our global property portfolio. Key components of our approach include initiatives to measure and reduce overall energy consumption, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and the availability of recycling at 100% of our properties. We also enable consumers to participate in sustainable practices, including the use of one hundred electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at our U.S. properties.
About Simon Property Group:
Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG) is an S&P 100 company and a global leader in the retail real estate industry. The Company currently owns or has an interest in more than 325 retail real estate properties in North America and Asia comprising approximately 241 million square feet. We are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employ approximately 5,500 people in the U.S. For more information, visit the Simon Property Group website at www.simon.com.
About CDP and GRESB:
CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, is an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information. www.cdp.net
GRESB's mission is to enhance and protect shareholder value by evaluating and improving sustainability best practices in the global real estate sector. www.gresb.com
SOURCE Simon Property Group, Inc.