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Flooded in green light for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain is now a beacon of sustainability, visible for miles around. Three-hundred high-efficiency cutting-edge LED projectors from Siemens' Osram subsidiary are illuminating the conference symbol, which is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. To mark the world-famous statue's 80th anniversary in 2011, Osram equipped the monument with state-of-the-art lighting technology. The new LED system is reducing the energy needed to light the nearly 40-meter landmark by more than 75 percent. Solutions that combine high-efficiency lighting products with light management systems can yield energy savings of up to 80 percent. Artificial lighting accounts for some 20 percent of world electricity consumption. All around the United Nations conference, a large number of Siemens projects are demonstrating how technologies already available today can make humanity's further development both sustainable and energy-efficient.

Siemens was named the most sustainable company in its industry at the SAM Sustainability Awards 2012. The SAM group, which specializes in sustainability investing, gave Siemens its highest sustainability rating, naming the company SAM Gold Class Sector Leader. Accepting the award yesterday in Berlin, Barbara Kux, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and Chief Sustainability Officer, stated, "The SAM award is a great honor for Siemens and its employees. Investing in sustainability pays off – for us, for our customers, and for the environment."

Siemens is bringing six international student teams to Rio de Janeiro in order to present their sustainability-ideas to a panel of renowned experts. The winning teams will get assistance by Siemens in implementing their projects in their home country. Siemens will offer them the opportunity to present their project to the local CEO of Siemens and to receive guidance by a senior executive. "This project offers the unique opportunity to engage with motivated students on a global level in developing concrete sustainability projects that will lead to a better and greener world," said Barbara Kux, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and host of the debate in Rio.

Siemens plans to expand its presence in the important growth market Brazil – setting the course for sustainable long-term growth in the country. The company intends to invest up to 1$ billion over the next five years with the aim of strengthening and expanding its business in Brazil. Investment will span the entire Siemens portfolio – comprising the Energy, Industry, Infrastructure & Cities, and Healthcare Sectors – with a special focus on localizing production and services as well as driving research and development. It also includes the necessary capital for business expansion. "We've been doing business in Brazil for more than 100 years, and we've never been more confident about its future. That's why we're investing here," noted Peter Y. Solmssen, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG. Siemens intends to double its revenue in Brazil by 2017. "Our portfolio is geared to the country's requirements, and we're investing continuously in order to build up our capabilities," stated Paulo Stark, CEO of Siemens Brazil.

Siemens clearly surpassed its sustainability targets in fiscal 2011. Announced in the company's Sustainability Report 2011, this achievement included a reduction in Siemens' carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 22 percent on a revenue-adjusted basis, compared to fiscal 2006. The target for emissions reduction was 20 percent. Compared to fiscal 2006, Siemens also cut its water consumption 33 percent on a revenue-adjusted basis – considerably surpassing its 20 percent target. "Sustainability is our guiding principle and creates major business opportunities for our company," said Barbara Kux, Siemens Managing Board member and Chief Sustainability Officer. "We've made significant progress in this respect – with regard to both our internal and our external targets."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has visited Siemens' training center in Berlin. In a tour of the facility with Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher, she talked to trainees and participants in work-study programs about their daily work and routines. Afterwards, Merkel and Löscher discussed the challenges of preparing young people for their future careers with a trainee, a vocational school teacher and the representative of a company in Berlin that provides vocational training. Against the backdrop of high youth unemployment particularly in southern European countries, the advantages of Germany's work-study system and its possible use as a model in other countries were also discussed. "Knowledge is the backbone of our competitiveness," said Löscher. "That's why the training of young people is a joint leadership responsibility – for us as a company, for governments and for educational institutions."

"As expected, the second quarter was not easy. While we achieved clear growth in revenue, orders came in below the prior year due to lower volume from large orders. For fiscal 2012, we are on course to achieve our goals for revenue and orders. Profit for the quarter was below our expectation due to charges at power transmission projects in Germany. We are addressing the problems systematically."

Siemens continued broad-based revenue growth in the second quarter of fiscal 2012. Revenue in the second quarter rose nine percent year-over-year, supported by a strong order backlog. New orders were down 13 percent. Income was considerably below the prior year due to burdens in the Power Transmission Division and an equity investment loss at NSN. In addition, there had been an extraordinary gain of €1.5 billion on the sale of Siemens' stake in Areva NP in the second quarter of 2011. "As expected, the second quarter was not easy. While we achieved clear growth in revenue, orders came in below the prior year due to lower volume from large orders. For fiscal 2012, we're on course to achieve our goals for revenue and orders. Profit for the quarter was below our expectation due to charges at power transmission projects in Germany," said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher.

Today, the Hellenic Parliament ratified the settlement agreement between Siemens and the Greek State. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in Siemens' long history in Greece. The Greek Government's commitment to foster growth was one of the pillars on which this agreement was based. This agreement will allow Siemens to continue to be a real supporter. To this end, Siemens will explore actual and substantial areas of investment in Greece, with special emphasis to sectors which increase employment and support the economy.