Investors, ethical funds in particular, are increasingly interested in evaluating Atlas Copco from a non-financial perspective, in addition to the financial evaluation. Among many of those investors, there is a belief that leading sustainability corporations will create significant long-term value through innovation, attracting and keeping the best people, and through being the customers' first choice.

Atlas Copco aims at open, truthful, and accurate communication within the limits of commercial confidentiality. Since 2002, Atlas Copco publishes a Sustainability Report to give shareholders and other stakeholders an insight in the Group's strategies and achievements.

Atlas Copco acknowledges the following main risk areas regarding sustainability:

1. Reputation risk within the mining industry: of those countries that have this type of industry have problems with regards to environmental issues and human rights aspects.
2. Corruption: Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index shows that the business integrity trends in many countries move in the wrong direction. 
3. Energy consumption during the life-cycle of a product: energy is a scarce resource.
4. Business Partners: Many business partners are acting in countries where ethical, social and environmental standards are different from those referred to in voluntary international ethical guidelines.
   

One specific area of potential risk and opportunity is global climate change. At present none of the Group’s operations are subject to any emission allowance trading schemes or similar systems. Atlas Copco continues to monitor and support the Kyoto protocol.  

Atlas Copco participates in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) annual reporting of the climate impact since 2007, www.cd-project.net.

Atlas Copco each year report on its sustainability performance to a number of companies involved in sustainability ratings. In 2007, Atlas Copco was listed in: