[October 26, 2012]

Siemens-McGraw-Hill Construction Study Shows Continued Evolution of Corporate Sustainability

Siemens announced the results of the 2012 Greening of Corporate America study, issued in conjunction with McGraw-Hill Construction. This is the third in a series of reports initiated in 2006 to investigate the emerging trend of corporate sustainability. The survey was conducted again this year to determine how corporate sustainability has continued to evolve and understand how the nation's largest companies are institutionalizing sustainability into business policy and practice.

"Since 2006 we've seen a dramatic shift in how corporate sustainability is transforming business," said Ari Kobb, director, Sustainability & Green Building Solutions, Siemens (News - Alert) Building Technologies division. "In only six years, it has grown from being a fledgling concept to becoming a standard element of corporate strategy. Companies are no longer incorporating sustainability simply out of obligation."

The 2006 study demonstrated a fundamental shift in the attitudes and practices of our nation's leading corporations regarding the greening of their operations and commitments to sustainability. By 2009, the new Corporate Sustainability Officer position had emerged within corporations and standard sustainability practices were being integrated into everyday operations and business growth. Key highlights of the 2012 study include:

• Corporate America shows continued progress along the Corporate Green Spectrum (News - Alert) from 2006 to 2012.
• The percentage of firms that are highly engaged in sustainability has risen from 18% in 2006 to 42% in the 2012 study, while the percentage of firms viewing environmental initiatives as costs or required based on legal obligations alone fell from 33% in 2006 to 17% in 2012.
• The influence of the Chief Sustainability Officer position continues to rise, as does the creation of dedicated sustainability budgets.
• Energy and cost savings remain the most important drivers encouraging ustainability in Corporate America, while financial considerations such as the state of the economy and budget issues are the greatest obstacles to broader adoption.

Understanding these benefits may help drive investments even further. Siemens and McGraw-Hill Construction presented the complete survey results at the conference session "Greening of Corporate America: Findings from the Groundbreaking 2012 Survey of Corporate Leaders" at McGraw-Hill Construction's Outlook 2013 Executive Conference in Washington, D.C. on October 23.

About Siemens

Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector, with approximately 87,000 employees worldwide, offers sustainable technologies for metropolitan areas and their infrastructures. Its offerings include complete traffic and transportation systems, intelligent logistics, efficient energy supply, environmentally compatible building technologies, modernization of the way power is transmitted and distributed, and smart consumption of electricity. The sector is comprised of the Rail Systems, Mobility and Logistics, Low and Medium Voltage, Smart Grid and Building Technologies Divisions as well as Osram Sylvania. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/infrastructure-cities

The Siemens Building Technologies Division is the world's market leader for safe and energy efficient buildings ("green buildings") and infrastructures. As a service provider, system integrator and product vendor, Building Technologies has offerings for building automation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), fire protection and security. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies

About McGraw-Hill Construction:

McGraw-Hill Construction's data, analytics, and media businesses-Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record-create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

McGraw-Hill (NYSE: MHP) announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, an education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services, and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2010, the Corporation has approximately 21,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

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