SCA named as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for sixth year

OAKVILLE, ON, March 7, 2013 /CNW/ - SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company, has been recognized for the sixth consecutive year by Ethisphere as one of the 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies (WME). The annual list from leading international think-tank Ethisphere Institute highlights organizations that show leadership in promoting ethical business standards. The 2013 WME companies are those that truly embrace ethical business practice and demonstrate industry leadership, forcing peers to follow suit or fall behind.

"At SCA we push beyond statements about how we do business ethically and translate those words into actions every day. That means we demonstrate respect for the environment by investing in sustainable business practices and we follow a detailed code of conduct in the way we work with employees, our customers and our suppliers," said Don Lewis, president of SCA Americas. "We are proud and honored that the ethical foundation our company is built on has been recognized with a place on the World's Most Ethical Companies list for the sixth consecutive year. This recognition signifies our deep commitment to ethical business practices and the unwavering dedication to these same high standards from employees at every level."

Out of a record number of nominations for the award, SCA earned the coveted recognition by implementing and maintaining upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company's success, benefit the community and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry. The 2013 list is the largest list since the award's inception in 2007.

"Not only did more companies apply for the World's Most Ethical Companies recognition this year than any year in the past, which demonstrates that ethical activity is an important part of many of these companies' business models, but we are also seeing more companies be proactive and create new initiatives that expand ethics programs and cultures across entire industries, such as industry-based ethics associations and other activities," said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of Ethisphere. "We are excited to see the 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies take these leadership positions, and embrace the correlation between ethical behavior and improved financial performance."

Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World's Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme. The World's Most Ethical Companies list will also be featured in the 2013 Quarter 1 issue of Ethisphere Magazine.

About SCA
SCA is a leading global hygiene and forest products company that develops and produces sustainable personal care products, tissue and forest products. With sales in 100 countries. SCA has 37,000 employees, had revenue in 2012 of $13 billion and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm stock exchange. With nine manufacturing facilities across North America, the company's Americas headquarters is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In North America SCA produces the Tork® line of napkin, towel, tissue, skin care and wiper products used in office buildings, restaurants, schools and healthcare facilities and the TENA® line of incontinence care products used by consumers at home and in health care facilities. TENA and Tork are the global leading brands in their categories.

SCA has highly-regarded sustainability practices that have earned the company recognition as one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies and Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Companies.  SCA was founded in 1929, has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. More information at www.sca.com/us and www.sca.com.

About SCA in Canada
SCA Canada operates nationally employing 280 people with head offices in Oakville, Ontario and manufacturing facilities in Drummondville, Quebec. For more information about SCA, please visit: www.sca.ca.

About Ethisphere Institute:
The research-based Ethisphere^® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World's Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside^® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.

SOURCE: SCA

Amy Bellcourt, Vice President Communication, SCA Americas

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