OREANDA-NEWS. June 25, 2013. The Sustainability Index – a benchmarking exercise in part funded by the European Union and the Latvian government – was organised for the fourth year in 2013. SEB placed in the gold category for the past three years.

Overall 72 companies applied for the Sustainability Index this year; 51 companies were recognised as sustainable and stable and qualified for any of the 4 categories – 13 companies for the bronze category, 24 for the silver, 12 for the gold, and 2 for the platinum category respectively.

"Each year the quality and competition among participants is increasing and we must make major efforts in order to obtain the gold category assessment," says head of SEB in Latvia, Ainars Ozols.

"A place in the gold category is a quality indicator of our company's sustainable and socially responsible activity which encourages the continuation of the initiatives that have already been started."

The Sustainability Index helps companies to assess the sustainability of their activity and the level of their corporate responsibility in five fields – strategy, working environment, market relations, environment and the society.