Rakuten’s sustainability initiatives are gaining worldwide recognition
Rakuten’s efforts toward the realization of a sustainable society — and its proactive sharing of information regarding those efforts — are being recognized. For the second consecutive year, Rakuten has been selected as an index component of the 2021 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index for the third year running.
Every year, S&P Global Inc., an American-based financial information and analytics firm, compiles the Index, a list of companies it has identified as global leaders in sustainability. These companies represent “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.”
The Index covers a wide range of categories, several of which Rakuten has been recognized for: Risk and crisis management, brand management, customer relationship management, environmental reporting, social reporting, corporate citizenship, philanthropy and climate strategy — most notably, Rakuten’s continued commitment to the RE100 initiative, which began in 2019.
In 2020, with the aim of achieving the sustainable development of both Rakuten and society, we strengthened the foundation of our sustainability efforts and accelerated the integration of sustainability into our business activities.
Masatada “Seichu” Kobayashi, Rakuten co-founder and Chief Well-Being Officer
A consensus component choice
The DJSI World Index is not the only major Environmental, Social and Governance Index to which Rakuten has recently been named. The company is also a component of the FTSE4Good Index Series, compiled by U.K.-based FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange), as well as the FTSE Blossom Japan Index, which is specifically designed by FTSE to measure Japanese companies’ performance.
Rakuten is also a part of the MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index, which is compiled by the New York-based finance company MSCI, the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index, compiled by Tokyo Stock Exchange-operator Japan Exchange Group, and the CDP Climate Change A List.
Sustainability takes time — and a clear vision
For Rakuten, this level of recognition comes as a result of ongoing initiatives years in the making. “In 2020, with the aim of achieving the sustainable development of both Rakuten and society, we strengthened the foundation of our sustainability efforts and accelerated the integration of sustainability into our business activities,” explains Rakuten co-founder and Chief Well-Being Officer Masatada “Seichu” Kobayashi in Rakuten’s 2020 Corporate Report.
Going back further, Kobayashi outlines the journey behind Rakuten’s sustainability push. “In 2017, we identified the priority ESG issues to be addressed by Rakuten. Subsequently, as the world changed, Rakuten itself underwent major evolutions, including the launch of its mobile network operator business. This is when we decided to reidentify our materiality by assessing and understanding what is expected of Rakuten through dialogue with our stakeholders.”
For Kobayashi, Rakuten’s path forward is clear: “Our society is undergoing unprecedented change. With this new sustainability strategy as our guide, we will continue to work with our stakeholders to accelerate initiatives to promote well-being and create a sustainable future.”
