ITOCHU Announces the Conclusion of a Green Loan Agreement
December 19, 2024
ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced that ITOCHU and The Bank of Fukuoka, Ltd. (headquartered in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City; Hisashi Goto, President) entered into the green loan agreement, which limits the use of funds to environmentally friendly projects.
Under the corporate philosophy of "Sampo-yoshi" which embodies the founding spirit of ITOCHU Corporation, the ITOCHU Group conducts business globally while considering responses to environmental and social issues as one of its top management priorities. In line with The ITOCHU Group Corporate Guideline of Conduct, "I am One with Infinite Missions", we have been working towards the realization of a sustainable society. Additionally, in our management policy "The Brand-new Deal" announced on April 3, 2024, we continue to emphasize our basic policy of "Enhancing our contribution to and engagement with the SDGs through business activities" which was outlined in the previous medium-term management plan. Through business activities, ITOCHU is contributing to the achievement of SDGs in such ways as maintaining the foundations of everyday life and protecting environment.
The purpose of implementing the green loan financing is to make the policy of ITOCHU known to various stakeholders and to promote such efforts about SDGs.
To implement the green loan financing, ITOCHU has established the Green Loan Framework*1 in alignment with the Green Loan Principles, 2023 as administered by the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA), the Loan Market Association (LMA), and the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA), as well as the Green Loan Guidelines, 2022 as administered by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. And it has obtained an external evaluation (second party opinion) from Japan Credit Research Agency, Ltd (JCR)*2 for the conformity of our Framework with principles such as the Green Loan Principles.
- *1ITOCHU’s Green Loan Framework (https://www.itochu.co.jp/en/csr/pdf/green_loan_framework_en.pdf )
- *2Second Party Opinion from JCR (https://www.itochu.co.jp/en/csr/pdf/external_evaluation_en.pdf )