DIC Selected for Inclusion in the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index —ESG Investment Index for Japan-Based Companies Newly Chosen by the GPIF—

Tokyo, Japan–DIC Corporation announced today that it has been selected for inclusion in the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index, which was recently chosen by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) as a benchmark for its environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment strategy.

The S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index was selected as a “thematic” index focused on environmental factors and joins three other ESG investment indices targeting Japanese companies already used by the GPIF: the FTSE Blossom Japan Index and the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index, both of which are broad indices covering all ESG factors, and the MSCI Japan Empowering Women (WIN) Index, a thematic index that emphasizes social factors. The GPIF promotes ESG investment with the purpose of improving long-term returns on assets under management. With the addition of the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index, ESG investments currently account for approximately 10% of the GPIF’s Japanese equities portfolio.

Constructed by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, one of the world’s largest provider of financial market indices, the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index weights constituent companies using disclosure, carbon reduction initiatives and influence within industry group. Weights for the 1,700 companies are adjusted based on sufficiency of environmental disclosure and carbon efficiency (carbon emissions per unit of revenue) relative to other industry group companies. DIC believes that its ESG-related initiatives, as well as its commitment to proactive information disclosure, were significant factors in its selection for inclusion in this index, which follows its inclusion in the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index and the WIN Index.

Underscoring the priority it places on ESG initiatives, in January 2018 DIC established the ESG Unit. Recognizing ESG as essential to the realization of a sustainable society, the Company works with its approximately 170 Group companies around the world to conduct its operations in a manner that incorporates related concerns. Looking ahead, the DIC Group will continue to strengthen its ESG initiatives with the goal of delivering the value that its stakeholders—including its customers, business partners, local communities, shareholders and investors, and employees—expect.

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