The Principal Financial Group Named to Newsweek’s Greenest Companies in America

Environmental policies, practices and overall reputation considered

DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Principal Financial Group^® has been named to Newsweek’s “Green Rankings,” an exclusive list of America’s 500 largest companies ranking environmental impact. This is the second year The Principal^® has made the list.

To create the ranking, America’s 500 largest corporations – as measured by revenue, market capitalization and number of employees – were given a “green score” based on three components that weigh environmental policies, practices and overall reputation.

“We are honored to be part of this important list. The Principal is very proud of our increased efforts surrounding environmental sustainability and results,” said Larry Zimpleman, chairman, president and CEO of The Principal. “We commend our employees for their ongoing contributions to balancing business performance with activities that create a positive impact on our environment and society.”

From Forest to Finished Product – Chain-of-Custody

The Principal has taken another important step in boosting its sustainability efforts by earning chain-of-custody certification for its Print-to-Mail facility in Urbandale, Iowa. Print-to-Mail is responsible for printing a variety of client documents such as quarterly 401(k) statements, Explanation of Benefits, variable and fixed annuity statements, regulatory pieces and customized marketing materials.

“We are particularly pleased with our Sustainable Forestry Certification as it’s a demonstration to our customers and shareholders that we’ve embraced an eco-friendly strategy,” said Jed Fisk, vice president, Corporate Services and chair of the Sustainability Committee at The Principal.

Having chain-of-custody certification demonstrates that the timber and paper The Principal uses has been tracked every step of the way—from the forest to the finished product—and has been managed in a sustainable fashion.

The Principal has earned certification from three widely known organizations:

• FSC – Forest Stewardship Council
• SFI – Sustainable Forestry Initiative
• PEFC – Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

Sustainable forestry provides a number of advantages for the environment, such as:

• Promoting better forest management through the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees
• Protecting wildlife, water, soil and the surrounding ecosystem
• Supporting socially beneficial practices
• Providing a framework for economically viable management of forests
• Creating documentable forest inspection processes

Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR^® Certification

The Principal began using the EPA ENERGY STAR program in 2007 to track greenhouse emissions on a monthly basis. The program tracks emissions associated with its office functions and compares them to emissions of similar office users. In 2009, the Energy Star program concluded that the carbon footprint of The Principal was 34 percent lower than the target footprint of similar office users.

The Principal is pursuing ENERGY STAR certification for all company-owned and occupied buildings. Ten out of 11 buildings have been certified as of 2010.

For more news and insights from The Principal, connect with us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ThePrincipal. To learn more about sustainability activities and achievements, visit: http://www.principal.com/about/social/environment.htm.

About Newsweek Green Rankings

The Newsweek Green Rankings are the first objective “green” analysis of America’s 500 largest companies. The rankings are a product of a year-long collaboration between CorporateRegister.com, Newsweek and environmental research firms KLD Research & Analytics and Trucost. For more information about the 2010 Newsweek Green Rankings, visit http://www.newsweek.com/green.

Methodology:http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/18/green-rankings-2010-full-methodology.html

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group^® (The Principal ^®)¹ is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $305.7 billion in assets under management² and serves some 18.9 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

¹ "The Principal Financial Group" and “The Principal” are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

² As of Sept. 30, 2010.

Principal Financial GroupJoelle Kirchhoff, 515-246-4907
[email protected]

Source: Principal Financial Group