Received the SDGs Strategy/Economic Value Award for the First Time at the Nikkei SDGs Management Awards

Yasunori Yamamoto, President & CEO of Shimadzu Corporation, received the trophy for the SDGs Strategy/Economic Value Award (Photo at right: In Tokyo, November 26, 2024)

The award ceremony for the 6th Nikkei SDGs Management Awards, which selects advanced companies that are contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations, was held in Tokyo. At the ceremony, Shimadzu received the SDGs Strategy/Economic Value Award for the first time.

SDGs Strategy/Economic Value Award

Based on the results of the Nikkei Comprehensive Sustainability Survey, conducted by Nikkei Inc. (which evaluates 887 listed companies in Japan), an external judging committee comprehensively evaluates the initiatives and strategies of each company. One company each is selected for the Nikkei SDGs Management Award, which is the grand prize, as well as the SDGs Strategy/Economic Value Award, the Social Value Award, and the Environmental Value Award.

In determining the SDGs Strategy/Economic Value Award, each company is comprehensively evaluated in terms of a number of different aspects. These include Policy, which involves the dispatches by the top management at each company as well as participation in various SDGs initiatives; Reporting & Communication, which looks at external announcements and interactions with investors; Promotion System and Internal Dissemination, which deals with the establishment of promotional committees and the implementation of training; Contribution Through Business, which looks at innovation in business models and the status of initiatives to create new business activities; and Business Performance, which is evaluated from profit levels and investors.

A focus at Shimadzu is the detection of PFAS, organic fluorine compounds that have an impact on ecosystems. The demand for PFAS analysis has increased globally. With tap water for example, detection of low concentration compounds is required, so liquid chromatograph mass spectrometers, which are capable of high sensitivity analysis, are active in this field.

Additionally, microplastics in environmental waters including oceans, rivers, lakes, and marshes are drawing attention as an environmental issue. The process of first removing impurities and substances adhering to the surfaces is essential when analyzing microplastics. Shimadzu is contributing to the analysis of microplastics by developing the world’s first dedicated pretreatment instrument for automating the process of extracting and collecting microplastics.

In this way, Shimadzu’s initiatives aimed at resolving health and environmental issues using our products are highly regarded.

A speech at the awards ceremony

High performance liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer used in PFAS analysis

MAP-100 Microplastic automatic preparation device

In attendance at the awards ceremony was Yasunori Yamamoto, President & CEO of Shimadzu Corporation. He noted that “Shimadzu has addressed the problems facing society with the technologies that we have cultivated, under the banner of our corporate philosophy of ‘Contributing to Society through Science and Technology’. “Shimadzu has contributed to creating a safe and comfortable society through our business activities. This includes the release of PCR testing instruments and reagent kits during the COVID-19 pandemic; and contributing to the resolution of environmental and health issues with our products and services for the analysis of PFAS and microplastics.” He also addressed the aspirations of Shimadzu, noting that “This year marks our 150th anniversary, and we are promoting sustainability management to ensure even better evaluations ”

Acquisition of the Highest “★★★★★”Ranking

This award is based on the Nikkei Comprehensive Sustainability Survey. Shimadzu is highly regarded in the category of SDGs Management in the fields of SDGs Strategy/Economic Value and Environmental Value, and we acquired the highest “★★★★★” ranking (deviation value of 70 or more). Incidentally, only 11 companies of all those evaluated receive the highest “★★★★★” ranking. We are the only company in the precision equipment industry to be selected.

Similarly, in the GX500 decarburization management system related to green transformation (GX), Shimadzu has risen from 54th place in the previous survey to 4th place. Shimadzu began full scale initiatives in 2018 to reduce CO₂ emissions from our factories and offices. Our target is to reduce emissions by 85 % in comparison to 2017 levels by 2030, and to reach net zero by 2050. At our Head Office and factories, we achieved a 78% reduction in comparison to 2017 levels in 2023, through the installation of solar panels and the procurement of renewable energy. We are highly regarded for these initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, conserving energy, and utilizing renewable energy.

Promotion of Sustainability Activities, Leveraging External Evaluations

Regarding a variety of societal issues, Shimadzu is promoting sustainability management from the perspective of both risks and opportunities. We are aiming to improve our sustainability activities not only through the PDCA cycle utilizing sustainability KPI as determined in-house, but also by incorporating external knowledge through external evaluative feedback, thereby standardizing tasks throughout the Group as a whole, leading to improvements.

Please also refer to Shimadzu Sustainability Related External Evaluations.