Conglomerate SM Investments Corp. has been recognized for the second straight year as a constituent company in the FTSE4Good Index Series for strong environmental, social and governance performance.
SM Investments’ property arm SM Prime Holdings Inc. and banking arm BDO Unibank were also re-confirmed as constituents of the FTSE4Good Index Series.
Global index provider FTSE Russell confirmed that SM Investments, SM Prime and BDO were independently assessed according to the FTSE4Good criteria and satisfied the requirements to become a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series.
The three listed firms sustained the rating following the index review in June 2020.
“We are honored by this recognition to be a part of the FTSE4Good Index Series for the second straight year. This reflects confidence in our holistic approach and integrated thinking to sustainability,” SMIC president and chief executive Frederic DyBuncio said.
“We continue to drive significant progress in ESG initiatives across our portfolio to ensure business sustainability, support the national agenda and create stakeholder value,” DyBuncio said.
Designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong ESG practices, the FTSE4Good indices are used by a wide variety of market participants to create and assess responsible investment funds and other products.
SMIC’s ESG scores outperform the subsector and industry average and rank above average of Philippine companies across environmental, social and governance themes.
The Sy-led conglomerate was also included again in the FTSE4Good Emerging Index ranked among constituents in over 20 countries worldwide.
The FTSE4Good Emerging Indexes are designed to measure the performance of companies in emerging markets that meet the globally recognized ESG inclusion standards used by the FTSE4Good Index Series.
Meanwhile, the conglomerate said it continues to put emphasis on responsible growth anchored on sustainability and good corporate governance.
SMIC recognizes its role as a leader and partner in sustainable development.