Honors and Certifications from Outside Organizations

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Honors and Certifications from Outside Organizations

The Sumitomo Rubber Group

Some honors and certifications related to sustainability that the Sumitomo Rubber Group has received from outside organizations are listed below.

FTSE ESG Index Series

The Company was selected for inclusion in the FTSE4 Good Index Series and FTSE Blossom Japan Index, both of which are representative ESG indices, for the third consecutive year.
Moreover, the Company was selected for inclusion in the FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, which was newly launched in fiscal 2022.

MSCI Nihonkabu ESG Select Leaders Index

The Group has been selected as a constituent of the MSCI Nihonkabu ESG Select Leaders Index. This index is constructed by selecting companies with excellent ESG performance records, with the aim of including 50% of the constituents in each sector. The Company acquired an “A” rating under an ESG rating program sponsored by MSCI.

* Inclusion of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. in the MSCI Index, and the use of MSCI logos, trademarks, service marks, or index names do not imply sponsorship, endorsement, or promotion of Sumitomo Rubber Industries by MSCI or its affiliates. The MSCI Index is the exclusive property of MSCI. The names and logos of MSCI and the MSCI Index are trademarks or service marks of MSCI or its affiliates.

2024

March: At the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence held during the Tire Technology Expo 2024 in Hanover, Germany, the Company’s “utilization of hydrogen energy and solar power in tire manufacturing” received the Environmental Achievement of the Year - Manufacturing award.

March: The Company received a certification for its GHG emissions reduction targets for 2030 from Science Based Targets Initiatives (SBTi), based on the recognition that its reduction targets are consistent with scientific knowledge. Its total emissions targets for Scope 1 and 2 (emissions from its own activities) and Scope 3 (emissions from other companies related to its activities), Category 1 (purchased goods and services) were certified.

March: The Company was recognized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as well as Nippon Kenko Kaigi (Japan Health Council), receiving certification as an excellent company under the “2024 Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization Recognition Program—White 500.” The Company was thus named one of “White 500” for the eighth consecutive year. The Company was recognized for its efforts in preventing the progression of serious conditions among individuals at high risk for lifestyle-related diseases and other diseases, as well as for our initiatives to prevent passive smoking and promote smoking cessation.

March: At the KANSAI TENNIS ASSOCIATION’s 100th anniversary ceremony, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. and Dunlop Sports Marketing Co., Ltd. received a certificate of appreciation for their efforts in promoting tennis in the Kansai region.
* Photo provided by KANSAI TENNIS ASSOCIATION

February: For the second consecutive year, the Company was certified by the Japan Sports Agency as a “Sports Yell Company” under the agency’s 2024 selection program in recognition of its efforts to support and promote sports activities among its employees. The Company was certified as a “Plus” company with more than 70% of its employees participating in sports activities at least once a week.

January: The Company received the Plastic Smart Category Award in the TAMA Sustainable Awards (hosted by the Tama City Green and Environment Council Executive Committee), which recognizes particularly outstanding organizations for their sustainable lifestyle and environmentally friendly initiatives. The Company began a demonstration test to investigate the amount of microplastic generated from artificial turf on tennis courts and to prevent the release of microplastics in Tama City. This was the first such experiment in Japan.

January: In line with our registration as a TNFD Adopter, the Company conducted an initial analysis of its dependency and impact on nature in the course of business based on the final recommendations of the TNFD published in September 2023, and disclosed its findings.

January: The Company signed a comprehensive collaboration agreement with Deloitte Tohmatsu Cyber LLC in the area of cybersecurity. The Company aims to ensure the stable operation of cybersecurity functions and develop a talent development model across a wide range of domains, from IT to factory and product/ service security.

January: To address biodiversity conservation challenges, we registered as a TNFD Adopter, adopting the disclosure recommendations published by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) in September 2023. As a result, the Company was announced as an Early Adopter at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland, from January 15, 2024.

2023

December: The Sumitomo Rubber Group Human Rights Policy was formulated to further strengthen its initiatives to promote respect for human rights. In 2022, the Company became a signatory to the “United Nations Global Compact” and is working toward establishing and implementing a framework for human rights due diligence.

December: The Company received the highest accolade of “Best Workplace” certification at the D&I AWARD, Japan’s largest award for evaluating, certifying, and honoring companies committed to Diversity & Inclusion (D&I). The Company was recognized for its support for employees in balancing work and childcare, as well as its LGBTQ+ initiatives.

November: The Company was granted a four-star rating under “2023 Nikkei SDGs Management Survey” conducted by Nikkei Inc.

November: To achieve carbon neutrality across the entire supply chain, the Company has newly established Scope 3 reduction targets for 2030. The Company is ahead of schedule regarding its 2030 reduction targets for Scope 1 and 2 due to proactive efforts at its bases. Therefore, the Company revised its targets upward.

November: The Company was recognized for its efforts in tire manufacturing utilizing hydrogen energy and solar power, and was awarded the 2023 Minister of the Environment’s Award for Climate Change Action (Development and Commercialization Category (Mitigation Field*)) sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment.
* Awarded to individuals and organizations with outstanding achievements in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

November: The Company acquired a “Gold” rating for the second consecutive year under the PRIDE Index 2023 rating program designed to assess the level of initiatives undertaken by businesses and other organizations to protect the rights of sexual minorities, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Company received recognition for fostering inclusivity by promoting understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and updating its internal regulations to support all employees, including those in same-sex partnerships.

October: The Company received the Excellence Award in the Environmental Category at the 72nd Nikkei Advertising Awards 2023 (sponsored by Nikkei Inc.). The award-winning piece was the corporate advertisement “Rubber and Beyond, Driving Our Future” series (Biomass Raw Materials version) published in the Nikkei on October 28, 2022.

August: The WEB+PLUS Carbon Neutral Hub won the Bronze Award (achieving 28th place out of 94 entries) in the “Web/App In-house Newsletter Category, Single Initiative” of the “In-house Newsletter Awards 2023,” a nationwide in-house newsletter planning contest sponsored by wis works, Inc.

March: The Shirakawa Factory was chosen to receive the “11th Green Society Contributor Award” under a program sponsored by the Organization for Landscape and Urban Green Infrastructure to commend corporations who are outstanding in terms of their contributions to regional societies and the improvement of the environments surrounding their operations through the development of greenery through ongoing greening initiatives and community contribution activities since commencing its operations.

March: Dunlop Golf Club Corp. became the first company in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, to be certified as an excellent business operator under the “Monisu” certification system, a program in which the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare certifies small- and medium-sized employers with outstanding track records in promoting and stabilizing the employment of people with disabilities.

March: The Company was certified by Hyogo Prefecture and Kobe City as a “Hyogo Kobe Women’s Empowerment Business (Mimoza Company)” in recognition of its progressive stance toward the promotion of D&I and the creation of a workplace in which diverse human resources can achieve success.

March: The Company was chosen to receive “Materials Innovation of the Year” and “R&D Breakthrough of the Year” awards under the “Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence” program, which was undertaken as part of “Tire Technology Expo 2023” held in Hanover, Germany. While the former was granted for the Company’s accomplishments in cutting-edge material research in the field of biopolymer synthesis, the latter was due to a breakthrough achieved via the invention of enzyme evaluation methods.

March: In Jiangsu Province, China, the Company was chosen to receive the “Award for Changshu Economic & Technological Development Zone Outstanding Corporate Contributor (1992 – 2022),” which aims to commend, in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the opening of the eponymous economic zone, corporations that have significantly contributed to its development over the course of its three decades of operation.

February: The Company was granted a “Silver” rating based on a survey conducted by EcoVadis, an international rating agency specializing in the assessment of sustainability activities undertaken by businesses.

January: The Company became a member of the Global Data Service Organization for Tires and Automotive Components (GDSO), an international organization that aims to establish standards for tire data and define solutions for data access.

2022

December: The Company announced its support of “RE100,” an international environmental initiative consisting of corporations striving to achieve a 100% switchover to renewable energy.

November: The Company was chosen to receive a “Hyogo Work-Life Balance Company Award” under the fiscal 2022 round of a prefectural program in recognition of its initiatives to promote diversity & inclusion (D&I) and work style reforms.

November: The Company acquired renewed certification under the “Eco-First Program” based on the submission of its updated “Eco-First Commitments,” which summarize fresh targets for environmental preservation initiatives, to the Minister of the Environment.

July: DUNLOP SP SPORT MAXX 060+, a global flagship tire released in March 2022 targeting premium vehicles, was chosen to receive a Tire Category Award under the “DAILY AUTOMOTIVE NEWS Car Parts Awards 2022” program.

June: A Company technician was named by the Center for Tire Research (CenTiRe), a U.S.-based tire technology consortium, as the “2022 Mentor of the Year ,” an award for mentors deemed to have made particularly significant contributions in terms of providing guidance and assistance to academic researchers.

May: The Company’s Performance Sustaining Technology, which incorporates a hydrogenated polymer, was named the “Tire Technology of the Year” under “Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence,” a program undertaken as part of “Tire Technology Expo 2022” held in Hanover, Germany, to commend excellent, leading-edge technologies.

May: The Company became a signatory to the “United Nations Global Compact” advocated by the United Nations and was registered as a participant corporation.

April: The Ichijima Factory was chosen to receive the “Prime Minister’s Commendations for Contributors to Greening Promotion” under the fiscal 2022 round of a government-sponsored program intended to commend organizations, etc., that have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of greening activities or otherwise advocated for widespread public awareness of the need for such activities.

March: In recognition of the development of a technology that makes it possible to presume the degree of tire wear via the use of a power generation device installed in tires, the Company was chosen by the Disaster Mitigation Sustainable Technology Association to receive the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Sustainable Grand Prize, Disaster Prevention, Disaster Mitigation and SDGs Prize and Japan Prize in the Academy & Junior Academy Category.

January: FALKEN “AZENIS FK510” and “ZIEX ZE310 ECORUN” were ranked first and third place, respectively, in the tire wear test conducted by ADAC, the largest automobile federation in Europe.

2021

The First Nikkei BP ESG Brand Survey

The Company was ranked 10th in the ESG Brand Survey (social category) sponsored by Nikkei BP for the level of response to the survey item “we have a system that can balance work with child rearing, nursing care and fighting diseases.”
Source: Nikkei ESG December 2020 edition

Corporate Message Survey 2020

Our brand message, “create a future that is free of automobile accidents,” used in Dunlop’s TV commercials, was ranked first in the Corporate Message Survey 2020 undertaken by Nikkei BP Consulting, Inc., the highest rating it has earned—number one in consumer favorability.

December: The Company acquired the highest rating provided under the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) Environmental Ratings program

October: The Company’s web-based in-house newsletter WEB PLUS was chosen to receive the “In-House Newsletter Award 2021” Gold Award sponsored by Wis Works, Inc. Also, a cartoon character “Chabo,” created to communicate information related to diversity & inclusion, was chosen to receive the Most Excellent Award from the Internal Communication (IC) Character Grand Prix, a special sub-program organized to celebrate the program’s 20th anniversary.

June: The Sumitomo Rubber Group’s Brazil Factory became the first business corporation to receive the “Honor Award” from the Fazenda Rio Grande City Council.

April: The Shirakawa Factory was chosen to receive the “Award for Excellent Company in Terms of Supporting Future Generations” from the “Governor Association for the Support of Future Generations and the Revitalization of Japan,”^* thanks to its unique workplace improvement initiatives led by female employees.

* An association formed by 17 prefectural governors committed to taking action to revitalize regional communities and, to this end, facilitating a flow of people to rural areas in order to change Japan’s current social structure in which population and businesses are overly concentrated in Tokyo. In this way, the association strives to act as a pioneer in terms of countering the problems arising from Japan’s declining population.

March: FALKEN AZENIS FK510 was ranked in first place in the comprehensive tire performance ranking sponsored by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.), or All German Automobile Club.

March: Dunlop Golf Club Corp. acquires the Kurumin” mark Dunlop Golf Club Corp., a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, was certified by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare for the “Kurumin” mark in recognition of its track record in supporting employees engaged in child rearing.

February: DUNLOP ENASAVE NEXT III was chosen to receive the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Director-General’s Award under the Energy Conservation Grand Prize program.

January: The Shirakawa Factory was chosen by Fukushima Prefecture to receive the Fukushima Work-Life Balance Grand Award in recognition of its proactive efforts to allow employees to choose from diverse work styles in light of their private circumstances related to childrearing and nursing care.

Certifications Acquired

ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management Systems - 28 bases

IATF 16949: 2016 Automotive Quality Management System Standard - 27 bases

ISO 14001: 2015 Environmental Management Systems - 37 bases(including 34 bases with integrated certification)

ISO 45001: 2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems - 12 bases