OREANDA-NEWS. April 8, 2011. NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) announced today a "Gold Class" CSR rating for its "computer and office equipment" from Switzerland's Sustainable Asset Management (SAM). This is the first time NEC has received "Gold Class" recognition, following the company‘s "Silver Class" selection in 2010.

SAM evaluates approximately 2,500 companies every year based on the sustainability of each company's "economic," environmental" and "social" performance. Companies whose CSR activities are evaluated within the top 15% are awarded with "Gold Class," "Silver Class" and "Bronze Class" recognition.

In addition to "Gold Class" honors, NEC is also part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI), jointly developed by SAM and Dow Jones & Company, as well as the FTSE4Good, ESI (Ethibel Sustainability Index) and the Morningstar Socially Responsible Investment Index (MS-SRI), four of the most reputable SRI indexes.

Since its establishment in 1899, NEC has consistently implemented innovative management and personnel reforms that have enabled the company to introduce a wide range of original research and technologies to Japan and the world. The company has also taken a pioneering role through its proactive involvement in environmentally friendly activities. Collectively these policies form a corporate philosophy that aims to enrich society through a combination of Computers and Communications (C&C) that deepen the mutual understanding between people throughout the world. NEC regards this "Gold Class" rating as recognition of the efforts made by all NEC employees to make this corporate philosophy a reality.

Looking forward, NEC will continue to promote these highly evaluated CSR activities in pursuit of achieving the "NEC Group Vision 2017" and becoming a leading global company leveraging the power of innovation to realize an information society friendly to humans and the earth.