Tag: Dow Jones Sustainability Indices

Firms Recognized for Sustainability

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Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco and British American Tobacco have been recognized for their sustainability efforts.
Philip Morris International has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the first time and for the fourth consecutive year in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Composite Index.
The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index measures the sustainability performance of companies as identified by S&P Global through the annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment. The World Index includes the top 10 percent of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria.
“Investors and other financial stakeholders place increasing value on reliable, robust and timely measures of sustainability performance,” said Emmanuel Babeau, chief financial officer at PMI, in a statement.
“ESG ratings are one part of the input dataset for many institutional investors. Through our annual integrated report, and the ever-strengthening processes and initiatives that underpin it, we aim to provide a holistic and extensive view of our performance across the most material sustainability issues for our business.”
PMI scored 85 out of 100 in the 2023 S&P Global CSA, reflecting a significant increase of 21 points since it first began engaging with the ranking in 2018. This is the first year PMI has recorded the highest CSA score out of 13 companies assessed in the tobacco industry by S&P.
Earlier this month, ISS ESG Corporate Rating qualified PMI as “Prime” status according to their rating methodology. Prime status is awarded to companies with an ESG performance above a sector-specific threshold, which means that they fulfill ambitious absolute performance requirements. According to ISS, the Prime rating classification qualifies companies for responsible investment. To date, PMI is the only tobacco company to have received Prime status qualification.
Japan Tobacco has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific) for the 10th consecutive year.
“We are honored that the JT Group has been selected in the DJSI Asia Pacific for the 10^th consecutive year,” said Hisato Imokawa, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer, in a statement.
“We are very pleased that our sincere and continuous efforts to address social and environmental issues throughout the entire value chain continue to be recognized at the highest level. We remain dedicated to fostering transparent and precise communication of nonfinancial information, a key focus in our recent agenda. We acknowledge the significance of this initiative in promoting engagement and dialogue with stakeholders, recognizing it as a crucial endeavor.”
The JT Group scored 79/100 in the 2023 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (based on the score data as of Dec. 9, 2023).
that BAT was included in 2023 DJSI for the 22nd consecutive year, specifically listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index, with a S&P Global CSA score of 80/100 (as of Dec. 8, 2023).
December 12, 2023
Tobacco Companies Recognized for Sustainability

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British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco have been recognized for corporate sustainability.
BAT has been named in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the 20th consecutive year and is the only tobacco company to be included in the DJSI World Index. The World Index represents the top 10 percent of more than 10,000 companies assessed.
BAT is the highest-scoring tobacco company in 2021, with industry-leading scores in 11 of the 24 categories assessed, while achieving a top score of 100 percent in six categories, according to a company press release.
“It is an honor to have been recognized by the DSJI every year for the last 20 years and once again be ranked within the DJSI World Index,” said Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer at BAT.
“Sustainability has been central to our business and ethos for decades, starting in 2001 when we established our first group-wide environment, health and safety systems, the BAT Biodiversity Partnership and a program of independently facilitated social dialogue. In March 2022, we will publish our 20th ESG Report.”
Meanwhile, Japan Tobacco has been included in the DJSI Asia Pacific for the eighth consecutive year. JT scored 79 out of 100 in the 2021 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, achieving full score in the materiality, risk and crisis management, environmental reporting, operational eco-efficiency, social reporting, and corporate citizenship and philanthropy criteria out of 24 total criteria.
“We are delighted that JT is once again included in the DJSI Asia Pacific this year,” said Kazuhito Yamashita, member of the board and senior vice president, chief sustainability officer, compliance and general affairs, in a statement.
“Participation in international and credible ESG assessments allows us to objectively evaluate our own sustainability measures and disclosure materials. We are committed to promoting transparent and reliable disclosures of nonfinancial information. It is one of the agendas we have been focusing on in recent years and is an important initiative in order to advance dialogue with our stakeholders.”
The DJSI is a recognized worldwide ESG (environmental, social and governance) stock index and a global sustainability benchmark that tracks the stock performance of the world’s leading companies in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria. The DJSI Asia Pacific is an index of companies in the Asia-Pacific region that is reviewed once a year, and its constituents are selected from about 600 major companies in the region.
November 15, 2021
Tobacco Companies Included in Sustainability Indices

Photo: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco (JT) have been recognized for their sustainability efforts.
BAT has been named in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the 19th consecutive year. It is the only tobacco company to be included in the prestigious DJSI World Index.
In a statement, BAT said it is the highest scoring tobacco company in 2020, with industry leading scores in 13 of the 23 categories assessed, while achieving a top score of 100 percent in seven categories.
“At BAT, sustainability is at the heart of our transformation, and we are proud to have been included in the DJSI for a 19th consecutive year, said Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer at BAT, in a statement.
“We believe our inclusion in the DJSI World Index, combined with the recognition we have received from other respected ESG ratings agencies including MSCI and Sustainalytics, is testament to our commitment to accelerate the transformation of our company.”
“We congratulate BAT plc for being included in the DJSI World and Europe,” said Manjit Jus, global head of ESG research and data, S&P Global.
“A DJSI distinction is a reflection of being a sustainability leader in your industry. With a record number of companies participating in the 2020 Corporate Sustainability Assessment and more stringent rules for inclusion this year, this sets your company apart and rewards your continued commitment to people and planet.”
JT has been selected as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific) for the seventh consecutive year.
From among approximately 600 major companies in the Asia-Pacific region, 158 companies (including 82 Japanese companies) are included in the DJSI Asia Pacific this year.
The JT Group’s sustainability strategy is formulated based on the company’s “4S” model, its management principles, and encompasses its materiality analyses. The foundations of JT’s sustainability strategy, are our respect for human rights, improved social and environmental impact and good governance and business standards.
“We are delighted to remain as a member of DJSI Asia Pacific for the seventh consecutive year,” said Kazuhito Yamashita, member of the board and senior vice president, chief sustainability officer, compliance and general affairs at JT, in a statement. “This clearly reflects our continued holistic approach to address social and environmental issues, particularly the development of sustainable growth of societies and climate change which both have a major impact on society and our business.”
Created by S&P Dow Jones Indices, the DJSI represents the gold standard for tracking corporate sustainability. In 2020, around 3,500 companies had their sustainability practices assessed against ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria. Only the top 10 percent are recognized as leaders in corporate sustainability and achieve DJSI World Index inclusion.
November 16, 2020