Kirin Holdings and Kyowa Kirin Selected as Constituent Stocks In The FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index

TOKYO, Monday July 11, 2022 - Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings), has been selected as a constituent stock in the FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index. In addition, Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. has also been selected.

The FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index (https://www.ftserussell.com/products/indices/blossom-japan), created by global index provider FTSE Russell, is designed to be sector-neutral, reflecting the relative performance of Japanese companies with superior environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in their respective sectors. To facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy, only those companies with particularly high greenhouse gas emissions are included in the index, as measured by their TPI*1 management quality score, which indicates their commitment to improvement.

*1: Transition Pathway Initiative (https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org). Established in 2017, it is a global, asset-owner led initiative which assesses companies' preparedness for the transition to a low-carbon economy and to support their efforts to tackle climate change.

In addition, Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (https://www.gpif.go.jp/en/) (GPIF) announced that it has adopted this index as a new comprehensive ESG index, citing its evaluation on companies’ management stance toward risks and opportunities of climate change as a key factor.

In December 2017, Kirin Holdings became the first company in the Japanese food industry to endorse the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD (https://www.fsb-tcfd.org)), and in February 2020, Kirin Holdings formulated the Kirin Group Environmental Vision 2050, reflecting the results of its environmental scenario analysis. As a result of Kirin Holdings’ efforts to promote CSV management with the aim of solving social issues while achieving sustainable growth through its business, Kirin Holdings has been included in all of the ESG indices used by the GPIF for domestic equities*2.

*2: ESG indices for domestic stocks used by GPIF: FTSE Blossom Japan Index, MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index, S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index, MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index (aka “WIN”), MSCI Japan Equity Women's Activity Index (nicknamed "WIN")

The Kirin Group will continue to work toward achieving its environmental vision of strengthening social and corporate resilience, leading the way toward a carbon-free society, and making a positive impact on society beyond its corporate framework.

About Kirin Holdings

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.

Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV* creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.

*Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.