Earning the World's Highest
Sustainability Ratings
-To be a company that is needed by society-
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In December 2024,
Ono Pharmaceutical (Ono) was selected for inclusion
in the DJSI World Index
for the fifth consecutive year
by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices(※1),
one of the world's leading ESG investment indicators.
Ono received DJSI's highest score in the
global pharmaceutical sector.
Furthermore, in February 2025,
a globally recognized sustainability assessment report,
The Sustainability Yearbook(※2), awarded
Ono the highest rating of “Top 1%”
in the pharmaceutical industry,
and it was selected as a Yearbook Member.
Ten years have passed since the CSR Promotion Office,
the predecessor of the Sustainability Promotion Office,
was established in 2014.
Why was Ono able to achieve
some of the world's highest ratings?
And beyond that challenge, what are the members of
the Promotion Office aiming for in the future?
SECTION 01
The Foundation
of Sustainability for Ono
Tsujita
Sustainability is a word that combines the words "sustain" and "able." For companies and society to develop sustainably, they are expected not only to pursue profits, but also to consider the long-term impact of their actions and fulfill their social responsibilities.
As shown in the diagram below, it is important to find a balance between social demands and our company’s profit. At Ono, we believe that our core business of delivering new drugs to patients (the creation of new drugs) is at the heart of sustainability.
Our aim is for the company to grow and continue giving back to society through the creation of new drugs and by addressing environmental and social issues. By doing that, both the company and society can continue to grow together. This is Ono Pharma's approach to sustainability.
Nakai The company established its Sustainable Management Policy in FY2021 as a guideline for achieving sustainability. In addition to contributing to the health of people through the implementation of our corporate philosophy, we are striving to improve corporate value and achieve sustainable growth by working to conserve a rich global environment for future generations, realize a society in which everyone can play an active role, and establish highly transparent and robust management.
SECTION 02
We Formally Rolled Out
the Initiative in 2014
Tsujita
In 2014, our company formally rolled out its sustainability initiative. That year also saw the launch of new drugs that accelerated Ono’s growth, and it was a time when we recognized the need to fulfill our social responsibilities as a company. The CSR Promotion Office, the predecessor of the Sustainability Promotion Office, was newly established and we started with social contribution activities such as "Relay for Life." Based on the concept that cancer patients face their illness 24 hours a day, Relay for Life is a charity activity in which teams take turns walking for 24 hours, and an amount of money corresponding to the number of steps taken by all members is donated to the Japan Cancer Society.
It is a social contribution activity that employees participate in, and we have continued it for 10 years since 2014. In FY2024, we made a donation equivalent to 4,039,497 steps taken through our employee relays. We continue to build on and develop the activities established by our predecessors.
Nakai
Over the past 10 years, we have promoted initiatives and disclosures on various sustainability themes. For example, we have strengthened our efforts to address human rights risks in our value chain. We consider this to be an important issue that needs to be addressed for the continuation of our business and as we expand globally in the future. First, we held a workshop with the leaders of relevant departments to identify risks and establish human rights themes that need to be focused on. Making the abstract concept of human rights more concrete was not easy, and it took time to sort out the differences in perceptions among departments and to prioritize our responses. Subsequently, based on the themes established, we conducted surveys and interviews with packaging-related business partners that may be employing foreign workers to confirm the working conditions of various workers in the supply chain. We confirmed that there were no major concerns from the perspective of respecting the human rights of foreign workers. In the future, we plan to fully understand the actual situation of foreign workers in areas other than packaging.
Through these activities, our human rights initiatives have gradually begun to be recognized externally. This is an example of how the entire company is working together to strengthen our sustainability initiatives.
Tsujita Cooperation with relevant departments within the company is essential to strengthening sustainability initiatives and improving information disclosure. However, societal expectations have become more sophisticated and complex with each passing year, and new perspectives and responses are sometimes needed, which is why it took time and ingenuity to gain understanding and cooperation. Therefore, we revisited the essence of sustainability based on the initiatives established by our predecessors and considered what is necessary to achieve the common goal of "increasing corporate value" for each department. We carefully explain the background and significance for each ESG initiative in response to society's demands. We thoroughly investigate and analyze the initiatives and information disclosures of other companies to identify areas where we are lacking and strive to provide useful information and proposals to related departments, such as the necessity of these initiatives and the benefits to employees.
SECTION 03
A Leading Environmentally
Friendly Company
Tsujita Our company achieved the top score in the pharmaceutical industry in the "DJSI World Index" and was selected for inclusion for the fifth consecutive year. The company was honored with the highest rating of “Top 1%” in the pharmaceutical sector in “The Sustainability Yearbook,” which is an annual publication released by S&P Global Inc. to recognize companies for their outstanding sustainability performance. We also made the CDP A-list, the highest rating, for climate change and water security in 2024. Only a small percentage of the approximately 25,000 companies CDP assesses worldwide have been included on the CDP A-List in at least one category. Ono has been included on the A-List in two categories for four consecutive years. Aside from Ono, only one other pharmaceutical company has been placed on the A-List in two categories for four consecutive years. As such, we have earned high praise from many external organizations. ※As of the end of September 2025
Nakai
The “E” (environment) in ESG is one of Ono's strengths. Under our medium- to long-term environmental vision "Environment Challenging Ono Vision 2050 (ECO VISION 2050)," established in 2019, the company set the three priority issues of "Realization of a decarbonized society," "Realization of a water recycling society," and "Realization of a resource recycling society." We aim to be a leading environmentally friendly company in the pharmaceutical industry. ECO VISION 2050 has set specific and challenging targets, including zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and 100% renewable energy for purchased electricity by 2025. In FY2024, 93.2% of the electricity we purchased came from renewable energy sources, and we are currently stepping up our efforts to use renewable energy not only in our own buildings but also in our tenant buildings to achieve our 100% target.
Our companywide commitment to environmentally friendly initiatives is very strong. At our monthly environmental subcommittee meetings, representatives from each plant and research institute actively contribute unique ideas and proposals specific to their work sites, demonstrating a genuine sense of unity in our collective efforts.
Tsujita
The level of awareness and engagement with sustainability initiatives across the entire company is very high, and I was quite surprised by this when I joined Ono Pharma mid-career. I think another strength of Ono lies in the fact that its management team recognizes the importance of sustainability in corporate management and communicates its message throughout the company.
Several times a year, when we share information on sustainability initiatives at Board of Directors meetings, we receive constructive feedback from the management team. I think that this strong sense of unity is a reason Ono has earned such high ratings in external sustainability assessments.
SECTION 04
Helping to Foster Employee
Pride and Motivation
Nakai Ono’s initiatives have been receiving interest from a wide range of sources, including requests to give lectures at seminars, interviews from investment institutions that handle ESG stocks, and inquiries for hearings regarding biodiversity from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. I am especially pleased that the items related to sustainability management were highly regarded in our internal engagement survey. I feel that our efforts have raised employees' awareness of sustainability and have helped to foster pride and sense of purpose in their work. I am very proud to be involved in this work.
Tsujita
As Ono Pharma continues to pursue sustainable growth, we always strive to keep in mind what is important and necessary to achieve this goal in our work. Improving access to medical care is one of the initiatives that we intend to focus on going forward.
By welcoming the American company Deciphera Pharmaceuticals into the Ono Group in 2024, we created a framework that enables us to provide pharmaceuticals on a global scale. At the same time, we have taken on the mission of delivering medicine worldwide. However, just because we aim to deliver drugs does not mean that we can deliver them to all countries around the world. There are various issues, such as people not being able to access medical institutions or those who cannot afford medical services for economic reasons.
In order to put into practice our corporate philosophy of "Dedicated to the Fight against Disease and Pain" we hope not only to deliver drugs on a global scale, but also to collaborate with various partners to provide medical services and contribute to resolving societal issues, among other efforts.
Ono is a company with a history spanning over 300 years. Looking ahead to the next 100 years, we at the Sustainability Promotion Office will continue to keep taking on new challenges for the benefit of patients, while also addressing environmental and societal issues with determination. We are committed to playing our part in passing on the legacy we have inherited from our predecessors to future generations.
※1 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices
A sustainability stock index jointly developed by S&P Dow Jones Indices Inc. of the United States and RobecoSAM of Switzerland. It evaluates companies from the three aspects of Environment, Social, Governance, and selects companies with excellent sustainability as constituents. Companies in the top 10% of each industry worldwide are selected to be included in the DJSI World Index.
※2 The Sustainability Yearbook
A sustainability assessment report issued by S&P Global Inc., a global research and evaluation organization in the U.S.
World-class external evaluation.
Ono, leaving no room for complacency,
continues
to strive for greater heights
and take on new challenges.
Aiming to become a truly
sustainable Company in every sense.
Director, Sustainability Promotion,
Corporate Planning Department
Hideshi Tsujita
In 2024, he joined Ono mid-career from another pharmaceutical company. In April 2025, he was appointed Director of the Sustainability Promotion Office, drawing on his experience in managing divisions related to CSR and the environment. He leads his team by leveraging each member's interests and strengths and helping everyone to realize their own vision for the future.
Sustainability Promotion,
Corporate Planning Department
Yuki Nakai
Inspired by his father, who was proud of his job as a Medical Representative (MR), Nakai joined Ono as a new graduate in 2015. After accumulating experience as an MR (something he always wanted to do), he was assigned to the Sustainability Promotion Office in 2022. He is in charge of two areas of ESG: Social and Governance. He continues to expand his perspective and acquire new knowledge.
September 2025
