KT&G Achieves MSCI ESG AA Rating

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] KT&G announced on the 18th that it has received the highest domestic company rating of AA in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) index evaluation conducted by MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International), a global investment information provider.

KT&G was evaluated alongside 11 global tobacco companies worldwide, and as a result, it improved from an A rating last year to an AA rating this year. This level is higher than that of the global top three tobacco companies, and notably, companies with an AA rating or higher are classified as ESG leaders within their industry group.

MSCI annually evaluates over 8,500 publicly listed companies worldwide by industry, assessing management status related to environmental, social responsibility, and corporate governance, assigning ratings from AAA to CCC.

KT&G ranked first among the 11 companies in the ‘Product Safety and Quality’ category due to responsible marketing and excellent quality control. In the ‘Governance’ category, it received high scores in the newly established ‘Corporate Ethics’ and ‘Tax Transparency’ items, and its board operation, characterized by diversity and expertise, was also evaluated as the best in the industry.

A KT&G official stated, “This result is even more meaningful as KT&G’s ESG management has been globally recognized, placing it in the global leader group,” and added, “We will continue to strive for the company’s sustainable development based on advanced governance.”

Meanwhile, KT&G was recognized for establishing an excellent sustainable management system and won the ‘Grand Prize’ in governance in the evaluation conducted by the Korea Corporate Governance Service in 2019. Since 2007, KT&G has been publishing the ‘KT&G Report’ to transparently and accurately deliver ESG information to domestic and international stakeholders and to share various social responsibility activities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.