"We are delighted that our sustainability policies and practices have been recognized in this way," said Kirsten M. Hovi, responsible for Hydro's non-financial reporting.

Developed and released by the UN Global Compact in partnership with research firm Sustainalytics, the GC 100 is composed of a representative group of companies selected based on their adherence to the Global Compact's ten principles as well as evidence of executive leadership commitment and consistent baseline profitability.

"Sustainability performance should not be looked at in isolation so we included a requirement of basic financial good health. Both factors are often taken as proxies for the quality of management, which can be an important determinant of investment returns," said Georg Kell, executive director of the UN Global Compact, when introducing the new stock index.