Waste Mgt. Named to Ethisphere's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies

Waste Management Named to Ethisphere’s 2012 World’s Most Ethical Companies for the Fifth Consecutive Year

Award recognizes exceptional ethical leadership across continents and industries

HOUSTON – March 16, 2012 – Waste Management (NYSE: WM) has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the leading business ethics think-tank, as one of the 2012 World’s Most Ethical (WME) Companies. This is the fifth year the company has been honored for promoting the highest of ethical standards. Out of a record number of nominations for the award, WM secured a spot on the list by implementing and maintaining business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company’s success, benefit the community and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry. 

“It is an honor to be recognized by Ethisphere for our strong corporate culture that values ethics, diversity and sustainability,” said David Steiner, chief executive officer and president of WM. “As an industry leader we strive to operate in a way that contributes to the success of our business and the communities we serve. I believe it is our responsibility to make positive change for the environment and for society.” 

This is the sixth year Ethisphere has published the WME rankings. Ethisphere reviewed hundreds of companies and evaluated a record number of applications utilizing its propriety methodology through in-depth research and multi-step analysis, naming the companies that surpassed their industry peers to this year’s World’s Most Ethical Companies list. The 2012 list features companies in more than three dozen industries, including 40 companies headquartered outside the United States. 

The methodology for the WME ranking includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers. 

“A strong ethical foundation is a competitive advantage, and WM recognizes the important role corporate responsibility plays in improving its bottom line,” said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. “As more and more organizations strive for this honor each year, WM’s inclusion as a World’s Most Ethical Company for 2012 demonstrates its industry-leading commitment to ethics and dedication to integrity.” 

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2012 World’s Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical-companies-rankings/.

About Ethisphere Institute

The research-based Ethisphere^® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World’s Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside^® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification™. The Institute’s premier membership group, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance™, is a business ethics forum that includes more than 100 leading corporations, universities and institutions that collectively leverage their experience, expertise and innovative ways to address emerging compliance challenges. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found atwww.ethisphere.com. 

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also one of the largest residential recyclers and a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com.

News Release from Wells Fargo - HSAs

News Release

Health Saving Accounts on the Rise; Wells Fargo Health Benefit Services Posts Record Results in 2011
Average balances increased in 2011 as more companies utilize HSAs for their employees

SAN FRANCISCO — March 7, 2012

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced record growth of more than 100,000 new health savings accounts (HSAs) in 2011, representing 38 percent year-over-year growth. The company also reported a 22 percent increase in assets under the HSA program, which is offered through its Health Benefit Services group.

“We continue to see an increase in adoption as more of our customers take advantage of the long-term tax and retirement benefits of HSAs,” said Elizabeth Ryan, head of Wells Fargo Health Benefit Services. “Wells Fargo is committed to educating our customers – including corporate, small business and individual clients – on how HSAs can help people prepare for retirement and make smarter health care-spending decisions.”

Today, more than 320,000 individuals and 10,000 companies nationwide use Wells Fargo HSAs. In 2011, Wells Fargo business clients with HSA programs contributed more than 27 percent of total HSA contributions to their employees’ accounts, helping those businesses save an estimated $10 million in payroll taxes. As the average account balance increased by 10 percent to more than $2,500 (for accounts with a balance), account holders also saved an estimated $90 million in taxes last year. With more account holders taking advantage of the opportunity to invest in mutual funds through their Wells Fargo HSAs, total investment balances increased by 27 percent since last year.

Account-based health plans have surpassed $12.4 billion in assets in more than 8.4 million accounts nationwide, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (2012). More than 20 percent of employers offering health benefits now have this plan option, according to Mercer’s annual National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans (2011).

Retailers Checking 'Nice' on Energy Savings List

The following was gleaned from a newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Retailers Checking 'Nice' on Energy Savings List

December 27, 2011

NREL's Jennifer Scheib checks lighting levels as Rois Langner records them in the grocery section of the SuperTarget in Thornton, Colo. Target is a DOE Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) Partner.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder

Residential and commercial buildings account for a staggering 40 percent of energy use in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are working with the nation's commercial building owners to discover new and innovative ways to reduce commercial building energy use.

DOE's Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) program is a public/private, cost-shared program that pairs selected commercial building owners with DOE's national laboratories and private-sector technical experts. The goal is challenging, yet simple: new commercial construction is designed to consume at least 50 percent less energy than today's code allows (ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2004), and retrofits are designed to consume at least 30 percent less energy.

The potential energy savings means a financial benefit for companies and consumers alike.

Good for the Earth and the Bottom Line

NREL Engineers Michael Deru, left, and Ian Doebber examine rooftop units at the Thornton SuperTarget. Through its CBP partnership with NREL, the store could potentially save more than 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder

"An underlying idea with CBP is to demonstrate that energy efficiency makes good business sense," NREL Senior Engineer Greg Stark said. "We are helping the companies develop better stores that use significantly less energy than their current prototypes — and for roughly same cost as their current buildings."

Coming up with energy saving solutions that can be repeated throughout the U.S. is a key CBP goal.