Interfax develops rating of Russian regions by environmental, energy efficiency of businesses

Interfax Information Services Group has developed a rating to assess Russian regions in terms of the fundamental efficiency and environmental responsibility of their businesses.

The top five regions in the ranking for 2012 are Chuvashia, Buryatia, Oryol Region, Kaluga Region and Marii El Republic.

The rating, based on an assessment of the environmental and energy efficiency of 4,000 businesses from all regions of Russia, has been assigned for every one of the country‘s 83 regions and is intended for the regions themselves, their creditors and investors in order to factor environmental issues into economic decision making.

The rating is calculated on the basis of four fundamental efficiency criteria: output per unit of energy and natural resources used (eco and energy efficiency); ability of production equipment to operate with less environmental impact (technological efficiency); change in efficiency since 2000 (plus/minus percentage per year); and the transparency of a company‘s environmental reporting.

Russia‘s regions are ranked for each of these four criteria and the final ranking is determined according to the sum of the given region‘s place in all four separate rankings.

"According to the methodology of the rating, the top places in it are occupied by regions with businesses with high efficiency - eco and energy efficiency, technological efficiency, high rates of efficiency growth and high transparency," the director of the Interfax-ERA environmental and energy rating agency, Alexander Martynov said.

"Regional leaders can help improve the rating of their region if they actively promote disclosure of environmental reporting by their businesses," Martynov said, adding that "companies that are transparent to the public provide environmental information upon request or disclose it in their reporting."

The rating of Russian regions by fundamental efficiency and environmental responsibility of their businesses for 2012 was presented on Monday, December 2, at the Environmental Protection Congress in Moscow.

Detailed information about the 2012 rating of Russia‘s regions by the fundamental efficiency and environmental responsibility of their businesses is available on the Interfax-ERA website (www.interfax-era.ru).