External Evaluations & Certifications

The forest certification system is a process in which third-party organizations certify forests and their products as being properly managed. We have acquired FSC® and PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) certifications, both of which are global forest certification systems.

ISCC (International Sustainability) and Carbon Certification) PLUS is a globally recognized scheme for validating sustainable products that is already widely used in Europe. It certifies companies that manage and assure products in the supply chain, such as biomass raw materials manufactured with the mass balance approach* and recycled raw materials. Japan Pulp & Paper acquired this certification, which has made it possible to sell products as ISCC PLUS certified from our Tokyo head office.

GGL (Green Gold Label) is a globally recognized certification that provides assurance that sourced biomass products are produced using a sustainable process.
GGL covers the entire supply chain from production, processing, and transport to final use. Tracing and tracking of products is also assured. GGL certification is done by independent, accredited third-party organizations, and audits are conducted annually.
OVOL New Energy, a group company in Malaysia that handles palm kernel shells (PKS), obtained GGL certification in 2022.

EcoVadis is an international organization that assesses corporate initiatives related to ESG (environment, society, and governance). The assessment is divided into the four themes of Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.
Japan Pulp & Paper GmbH (Dusseldorf, Germany) and OVOL Singapore Pte Ltd, two of our group companies, were awarded gold medals in sustainability assessments conducted by EcoVadis.
Japan Pulp & Paper GmbH first received the bronze medal in 2022.After strengthening various sustainability-related initiatives, it obtained the silver medal in 2023 and further improved results sufficiently to enter the top 5% of companies and be awarded the gold medal in 2024.Meanwhile, OVOL Singapore Pte Ltd received consecutive gold medals for two years in a row starting in 2023.
Going forward, the Japan Pulp & Paper Group will continue to advance sustainability initiatives with the aim of conducting sustainable business activities that achieve both economic and social value.

Japan Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd. is currently included in the FTSE JPX Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, a prominent ESG investment index provided by FTSE Russell.
This index is widely used by investors as a key benchmark for passive ESG investment strategies, and has been adopted by the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) of Japan.

Japan Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd. was selected as a constituent of the JPX Mid and Small Cap Index, which is jointly calculated by JPX Market Innovation & Research, Inc. and Nikkei Inc., for fiscal year 2023 (August 31, 2023-August 29 2024). This index applies the concept of the JPX-Nikkei Index 400, which is an index comprised of highly attractive listed companies, to mid and small cap equities by selecting companies that focus on capital efficiency and investor-oriented management, and aim to foster greater awareness of such issues among corporate executives.

Japan Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd. has been selected as a constituent of the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index, an ESG-related index jointly developed by the S&P Dow Jones Index (U.S.) and Japan Exchange Group (JPX) since 2018. The index targets the constituents of the Tokyo Stock Price Index (TOPIX), and determines the weight of inclusion in the index by focusing on the status of disclosure of environmental information and the level of carbon efficiency (carbon emissions per unit of revenue). The Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has adopted this index as an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) index for domestic securities.