Xylem Named to Fortune “Change the World” List for Second Year in a Row

Aug 22, 2019 12:45 PM ET

RYE BROOK, N.Y., August 22, 2019 /3BL Media/ – Global water technology company, Xylem (NYSE:XYL), has been included on Fortune’s 2019 "Change the World" list for a second year running. The Change the World list is a ranking of 50 companies that have made a significant social impact through their core business strategy. Xylem was recognized for its work with customers and communities around the world to bring digital transformation to the water sector and create a more water-secure, sustainable world.

As global water threats like pollution, overpopulation and severe weather from climate change escalate, Xylem is harnessing the power of data and analytics to make water more accessible, affordable and sustainable, and make communities more resilient. From Singapore to South Bend, Indiana, and around the world, digital solutions are enabling a shift in resources from emergency response to proactive management, providing protection against rapidly escalating water rates and driving real value for utilities and their customers.

Patrick Decker, president and CEO of Xylem, said, “As water challenges escalate, our 17,000+ Xylem colleagues are working with customers and partners around the world to embrace what we refer to as the ‘Opportunity of a Lifetime’ – the opportunity to solve water by making this critical resource more accessible, affordable and sustainable for all. We are honored to be recognized by Fortune as a company that is driving the digital transformation of our industry while aiming to advance water security for all.”

Decision Intelligence solutions are producing powerful value for water managers and the communities they serve: helping utilities improve capital and operational decision-making; delivering water, energy and cost efficiencies; reducing risk; and protecting the environment.

Xylem is committed to creating both economic and social value, and the Company’s sustainability efforts have been recognized across a number of key global sustainability indices – including MSCI and Sustainalytics.

Building on these efforts, Xylem recently announced a new slate of ambitious 2025 Sustainability Goals. Notable goals include optimizing global water management by saving more than 16.5 billion cubic meters of water with advanced technologies that avert water loss and enable water reuse, and by preventing over 7 billion cubic meters of polluted water from flooding communities or entering local waterways.

Now in its fifth year, Fortune’s “Change the World” list ranks companies using factors including measurable social impact, business results, degree of innovation and corporate integration.

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. Xylem also provides a leading portfolio of smart metering, network technologies and advanced infrastructure analytics solutions for water, electric and gas utilities. The Company’s approximately 17,000 employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York, with 2018 revenue of $5.2 billion, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands.

The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of our water-centric business by linking it with the best water transportation of all – that which occurs in nature. For more information, please visit us at www.xylem.com.

Fortune “Change the World” list methodology

The Change the World list recognizes companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. Companies with annual revenues of $1 billion or more are prioritized.

  • Measurable social impact: We consider the reach, nature, and durability of the company's impact on one or more specific societal problems. This category receives extra weight.
  • Business results: We consider the benefit the socially impactful work brings to the company. Profitability and contribution to shareholder value outweigh benefits to the company's' reputation.
  • Degree of innovation: We consider how innovative the company's effort is relative to that of others in its industry and whether other companies have followed its example.
  • Corporate Integration: We consider how integral the initiative is to a company's overall strategy, and how well that strategy is communicated through the ranks and elsewhere.