CN recognized as a transportation industry sustainability leader

Named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the fifth straight year

MONTREAL, Sept. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) said today its sustainability practices have earned it a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI). This marks the fifth consecutive year that CN has been listed on the DJSI World Index and the eighth consecutive year that CN has been listed on the DJSI North America Index.

The DJSI follows a best-in-class approach, surveying sustainability leaders from each industry on a global and regional level. The annual review of the DJSI family is based on a thorough analysis of economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards, stakeholder engagement and labour practices.

Luc Jobin, CN president and chief executive officer, said: "It is an honour to be recognized by the DJSI as a leader in sustainability. CN remains committed to sustainable business practices – our Delivering Responsibly vision represents what our Company stands for. It determines how we conduct our business every day and defines our contribution to building a more sustainable future."

The DJSI World Index selects for inclusion the top 10 per cent of the 2,500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index from each sector based on their sustainability scores.

In 2015, CN's sustainability commitment delivered:

• A 19 per cent reduction in rail locomotive greenhouse gas emissions intensity based on 2005 levels;
• A 25 per cent reduction in accidents per million train miles;
• Approximately 90 per cent diversion of its operations waste from landfills;
• C$18 million to support local organizations, program and initiatives, and
• The transportation of C$250 billion worth of goods for exporters, importers, retailers, farmers and manufacturers.

Launched in 1999, the DJSI World is the gold standard for corporate sustainability and the first global index to track the leading sustainability-driven companies based on RobecoSAM's analysis of financially relevant Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and S&P DJI's robust index methodology. RobecoSAM invited the world's largest 3,400 companies from developed and emerging markets to take part in its annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA).

CN is a true backbone of the economy, transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries -- serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the Company's website at www.cn.ca.

SOURCE CN

Media: Mark Hallman, Director, Communications and Public Affairs, [phone], [email protected]; Investment Community: Paul Butcher, Vice-President, Investor Relations, [phone], [email protected]