Kobe Steel selected as a constituent of FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index

Kobe Steel, Ltd. has been selected as a constituent of the FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index in March, an index to measure the performance of Japanese companies that are proactively addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. The Index has been adopted as an ESG index for passive investment benchmarks by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world's largest public pension fund management organization.

The FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index is created by global index provider FTSE Russell. It reflects the performance of Japanese companies that demonstrate strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices relative to their respective sectors and is designed to be sector neutral. To promote the transition to a low-carbon economy, companies with particularly high greenhouse gas emissions are included only if their improvement efforts are positively evaluated using the TPI Management Quality Score^*. Kobe Steel was also selected by FTSE Russel in July 2021 for inclusion in the FTSE4 Good Index Series and FTSE Blossom Japan Index, which are other ESG investment indices.

The Kobe Steel Group, also known as the KOBELCO Group, has been promoting sustainability management based on its Group Corporate Philosophy with the aim of contributing to the environment and society and achieving sustainable growth. We believe that the selection of Kobe Steel as an index constituent is a result of the Company's efforts being highly evaluated. Our Group will continue to provide solutions to the needs of society, including ESG issues, by making the best use of the talents of our employees and our technologies, in order to realize a world in which people, now and in the future, can fulfill their hopes and dreams while enjoying safe, secure and prosperous lives, together with our stakeholders.