Sigma-Aldrich® Recognized for Commitment to Community by Bloomberg, National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (Nasdaq: SIAL) was recently named to The Civic 50, a national ranking that recognizes the leading community-minded companies in the U.S.  Based on a survey conducted by the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), a non-profit organization that champions civic leadership, and Points of Light, a non-partisan volunteer organization, The Civic 50 is the first scientific evaluation to rank companies using the criteria of their time, talent and resources to improve the quality of life where they do business.

"Our Company's mission focuses on improving the quality of life and that philosophy extends to our communities as well as our customers," said Rakesh Sachdev, Sigma-Aldrich President and CEO.  "We recognize the importance of giving back to the community and are pleased to be acknowledged as a contributor on such an outstanding list."

The Civic 50 specifically examines community engagement and how companies align corporate social responsibility practices with their core business competencies.  Sigma-Aldrich was evaluated in several areas, including leadership, measurement and strategy, design, employee civic health, community partnerships, cause alignment and transparency. 

NCoC is proud to be a part of The Civic 50 launch," said Ilir Zhreka, Executive Director of the NCoC.  "The Civic 50 demonstrates that the best companies in America are deeply committed to strengthening their respective communities.  Leaders of these companies are aligning the expertise of their companies and people with the needs of their communities and then measuring the impact of their programs.  NCoC hopes The Civic 50 will spur companies throughout our country to do the same."

When surveyed, The Civic 50 winning companies stated that they are employing increasingly sophisticated tools to measure the impact of community engagement and alignment of these programs with their business' core competencies.  More than two-thirds of the The Civic 50 companies said they "frequently" or "always" use the professional skills of their workforce to address social issues and real community challenges.  Sixty-six percent said they have "mission-level" alignment with the community partners, meaning they work with them on the highest strategic level, not just on individual programs or events.

"We continue to align our financial philanthropic investments with our community involvement initiatives by giving employees opportunities to directly engage and volunteer with our partner organizations," said Jeffrey Whitford, Sigma-Aldrich Global Citizenship Manager.   "Our increased focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education Coalition) education, scientific research of all types and economic development through science enables us to work closely with organizations that resonate with our employees and  ultimately lead to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve."

The complete list of winners was featured in the November 9, 2012 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek and can be found online at www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/civic_50_2012.html.  To learn more about The Civic 50 survey as well as corporate civic engagement in the U.S., visit www.Civic100.org.  

About Sigma-Aldrich:  Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High Technology company whose biochemical, organic chemical products, kits and services are used in scientific research, including genomic and proteomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease and as key components in pharmaceutical, diagnostics and high technology manufacturing. Sigma-Aldrich customers include more than 1.3 million scientists and technologists in life science companies, university and government institutions, hospitals and industry. The Company operates in 38 countries and has nearly 9,000 employees whose objective is to provide excellent service worldwide. Sigma-Aldrich is committed to accelerating customer success through innovation and leadership in Life Science and High Technology. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit its website at www.sigma-aldrich.com.

SOURCE Sigma-Aldrich Corporation