Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco were recognized for their sustainability efforts.
Philip Morris International is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the first time and is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Composite Index for the fourth consecutive year.
The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index measures the sustainability performance of companies as determined by S&P Global through its annual corporate sustainability assessment. The World Index includes the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index, based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria.
Emmanuel Babeau, Chief Financial Officer of Philip Morris International, said in a statement: "Investors and other financial stakeholders increasingly value reliable, robust and timely measures of sustainability performance. "
“ESG ratings are part of the input data set for many institutional investors. Through our annual integrated report, and the ongoing enhancements to the processes and initiatives that support it, we aim to provide a clear view on the most important sustainability issues in our business. A comprehensive and broad view of performance.”
In the 2023 S&P Global CSA, the PMI scored 85 out of 100, a significant 21-point increase since it first participated in the ranking in 2018. This is the first time PMI has received the highest CSA score among the 13 tobacco companies evaluated by Standard & Poor's.
Earlier this month, ISS ESG Corporate Rating rated Philip Morris International a "Superior" rating based on its ratings methodology. Principal status is awarded to companies whose ESG performance is above industry-specific thresholds, meaning they meet ambitious absolute performance requirements. According to ISS, the Prime rating classification qualifies a company for responsible investing. So far, Philip Morris International is the only tobacco company to qualify for Prime.
Japan Tobacco has been selected into the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific) for 10 consecutive years.
Hisato Imokawa, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer of Japan Tobacco Group, said in a statement: "We are honored that Japan Tobacco Group has been selected for DJSI Asia Pacific for the 10th consecutive year."
“We are extremely pleased that our sincere and ongoing efforts to address social and environmental issues across our value chain continue to be recognized at the highest levels. We remain committed to promoting transparent and accurate communication of non-financial information, which has been a recent part of our agenda a focus. We recognize the importance of this initiative in promoting engagement and dialogue with stakeholders and recognize that this is a vital endeavour."
In the 2023 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (based on score data as of December 9, 2023), Japan Tobacco Group received a score of 79 out of 100.
