ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it agreed to form a capital and business alliance with booost technologies, Inc. (headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Hirokazu Aoi, Representative Director; hereinafter “booost”), a company that provides companies with support services to facilitate sustainability-oriented management and improve corporate value through the visualization of companies' non-financial information (ESG data) such as data about CO₂ emissions and human resources.

The movement toward sustainability transformation (SX) in corporate activities has been accelerating globally in recent years, with the goal of improving corporate value through the reform of management and business to respond to many different social issues and needs, including ESG issues in particular. Besides, it is becoming more important for companies to disclose non-financial information, in addition to financial information. In Japan, the Financial Services Agency has been leading the discussion of the information disclosure standards that listed companies should follow. It has indicated that it may institute a policy of making the disclosure of non-financial information in company's securities reports mandatory in stages beginning in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027 and depending on the size of the company.

booost is the provider of the booost Sustainability Cloud, an ERP^*1 product that comprehensively processes ESG information including the collection and analysis of data and the preparation of disclosure reports. In addition, the company has a wealth of knowledge in the provision of consulting services regarding the disclosure of non-financial information in line with each country’s regulations and the support of corporate SX. The company’s system has been introduced at 180,000 locations in 80 countries around the world, and it has been praised and evaluated highly by major global companies thanks to the provision of practical consulting services and support for implementation. ITOCHU also began introducing the company’s system in 2023 on a trial basis and is in the process of building an efficient platform for collecting ESG data from 600 bases in Japan and overseas.

In addition to achievements through ESG initiatives such as the expansion of businesses with a view toward a decarbonized society and the strengthening of human resources, ITOCHU has a track record of comprehensively supporting the introduction and implementation of IT solutions through its digital business groups^*2 such as ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC). Combining the strengths of booost and ITOCHU through this alliance, efforts will be made to support companies in their disclosure of non-financial information, provide companies with optimal solutions for decarbonization, such as a system that visualizes CO₂ emissions and consulting regarding the reduction of emissions, and facilitate the creation of new businesses in the area of SX.

ITOCHU has put forth a new management policy, “The Brand-new Deal – Profit opportunities are shifting downstream –” and is pursuing a policy of enhancing its contribution to and engagement with the SDGs through business activities while listening to all stakeholders, including the market, society, and consumers. Going forward, ITOCHU will continue to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society and the reduction of the burden on the global environment.