OREANDA-NEWS. January 27, 2016. Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) has been awarded RobecoSAM Silver Class, a global distinction for corporate sustainability.

In this year’s assessment, Konica Minolta has earned the highest evaluation in the Computers & Peripherals and Office Electronics sector for its economic initiatives including innovation management and risk management, as well as for environmental initiatives on climate change strategies, environmental policy and its management, and information disclosure.

RobecoSAM, based in Switzerland, is the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. RobecoSAM invites over 3,000 of the world’s largest companies to participate in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Results are analyzed in terms of economic, environmental and social issues with a focus on long-term value creation. Recently RobecoSAM has released its annual “Sustainability Yearbook 2016” in which 77 companies are ranked as Gold Class, 74 companies including Konica Minolta as Silver Class and 97 companies as Bronze Class. Nine Japanese companies including Konica Minolta are awarded Silver Class.

Globally, institutional investors have been stressing the importance of not only financial indices but also environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts and policies in evaluating corporations’ long-term and sustainable value creation. Socially responsible investment (SRI) assessment companies provides those institutional investors with company ratings based on ESG researches.

At Konica Minolta, its businesses have to play a meaningful societal role in contributing to environmental protection and solutions for many challenges surrounding a global society. Based on this approach, the company has been vigorously working on the creation of new values through innovations. As climate change and other environmental challenges have a great social influence, Konica Minolta has started an initiative to share with its customers and suppliers the environment technology and know-how it has mastered so that they will be utilized to help reduction of environmental burden in the broader society beyond the Konica Minolta Group. The comprehensive management system and worldwide CSR activities embedded in the businesses have been highly appraised.

Besides RobecoSAM Silver Class, Konica Minolta has been included in Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for four years and Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index for seven years by Dow Jones and RobecoSAM, FTSE4Good Global Index of the UK-based FTSE Group for twelve years, and Japan-based Morningstar Socially Responsible Investment Index since 2003. In addition, the company has been named to CDP's Japan 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index for three years. Konica Minolta has also been awarded Prime Status by Germany-basd oekom research AG since 2011, among the best companies for CSR in its worldwide industry segment.

Under the brand proposition “Giving Shape to Ideas,” Konica Minolta aims to become a sustainable global company vital to society and will contribute to solving social challenges through its business activities.