OgilvyEarth Partners With Carbon Disclosure Project in the US

NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- OgilvyEarth and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an international NGO that operates the only global system that gathers, synthesizes and maintains information about corporate behavior on climate change on behalf of investors, announced today a new strategic partnership.

OgilvyEarth will advise CDP on the content, communications and presentation of the findings and results of its 2012 S&P 500 Report for the investor community to be published in the fall. The 2012 report will present corporate environmental performance scores and corporate strategic management of emerging environmental risks and liabilities and will include their annual disclosure and sustainability performance leaders ranking. This year's CDP report will be launched at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 12^th.

"We view CDP as one of the most important organizations in the world as it pertains to the measurement, rigor and transparency around corporate sustainability efforts," said Kim Slicklein, President, OgilvyEarth. "Findings from the report will impact current and future business behavior, allowing companies to benchmark their progress and make critical policy and planning decisions. CDP is an important client for OgilvyEarth since we focus our efforts on organizations that incorporate sustainability at the heart of their business. It is our belief, that those organizations will be the future leaders in business.  CDP data indicates that companies that are leading in sustainability outperform their competitors."

Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP said, "We are proud to be working with OgilvyEarth this year on our annual report in the US because of their pre-eminent experience in communicating the importance of environmental considerations to businesses, consumers and shareholders.  CDP bridges these three communities, and we look forward to joining forces with OgilvyEarth. This is especially important as we release our 2012 findings, as climate change seems to be returning to the global economic agenda in view of major economic losses due to increased drought, storms and other extreme weather events many scientists have linked to climate change." 

"OgilvyEarth is known worldwide, and we are delighted to be working now with them in North America, building on our relationship with Ogilvy in Australia," said Zoe Tcholak-Antitch, Director of CDP-North America. "Global challenges require global vision, and our new partnership with OgilvyEarth embodies just such a global approach." 

Freya Williams, Group Planning Director of OgilvyEarth states that, "CDP is a repository of a huge amount of valuable data that gets us beyond speculation to the facts surrounding sustainability and business. CDP rankings can provide a highly credible foundation for organizations that are seeking to communicate their sustainability leadership, which is a priority for all of our clients."

Launched in 2000, CDP's mission is to ensure that information about environmental risks and opportunities are at the heart of business, investment and policy decision-making.  To accomplish its mission, CDP administers an annual request for disclosure of information related to climate change risks on behalf of approximately 655 signatory investors and asset managers who collectively have roughly $78 trillion in assets under management. 

Responses to the CDP disclosure request are ranked and scored by an authorized third party, and key findings and trends are highlighted in annual CDP reports.  These reports have become touchstones for comparing environmental performance among emitting entities and for helping inform near and long-term investment and underwriting decisions. On September 12, 2012, CDP will release results of its 2012 report on climate change and highlight key trends as well as leaders in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) and the Carbon Performance Leadership Index (CPLI).

About CDP
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an independent not-for-profit organization providing a transformative global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage, and share climate change and water information. Over 3,700 organizations across the world's largest economies now report their greenhouse gas emissions and assessment of climate change risk and opportunity through CDP, in order that they can set reduction targets and make performance improvements. This data is gathered on behalf of 655 institutional investors, holding US$78 trillion in assets. CDP now holds the largest collection globally of self-reported climate change data. For more information, visit www.cdproject.net 

About OgilvyEarth
OgilvyEarth is a global sustainability practice that helps brands harness the power of sustainability through innovative business thinking, strategic planning and communications. OgilvyEarth works with visionary companies that are looking to make sustainability a growth driver for both their business and the communities they serve.  Its clients include: Bimbo Bakeries, CDP, Coca-Cola,Delhaize, Domtar, DuPont,The Economist, GSK, J&J,Nabob Coffee, Project Frog, Rainforest Alliance, SAP,SCJ, Siemens, SMaRT, Tetra Pak, Unilever, United Nations, UPS, USGBC, Waste Management and Women For Water and The Water Tank Project.  OgilvyEarth is a unit of Ogilvy & Mather, a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world's largest communications services groups. For more information, please visit www.ogilvyearth.com

About Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather is one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world. In 2012, O&M was named Cannes Lions Network of the Year and Most Effective Agency Network by the Effies Global Effectiveness Index. The company is comprised of industry leading units in all of the following disciplines: advertising; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; shopper and retail marketing; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing; consulting, research and analytics capabilities; branded content and entertainment; and specialist communications. O&M services Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses through its network of more than 450 offices in 120 countries. It is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY). For more information, visit www.ogilvy.com, or follow us on Twitter at @OgilvyWW and on Facebook.com/Ogilvy

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