Participation in External Initiatives

The UN Global Compact, proposed by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is a code of conduct regarding human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. Signatory companies are called on to take measures to implement the compact. In July 2005, the Group signed the compact, becoming the first Japanese bank to do so, and declared its resolve to act as a good corporate citizen by complying with and promoting the code of conduct. The Group also became a member of the Global Compact Japan Network (GC-JN), in which signatory companies of the UN Global Compact participate.

The UNEP FI is an international network that encourages financial institutions to take action to preserve the environment and to make development sustainable. The Group has proactively supported UNEP FI ever since it became the first Japanese trust bank to sign on to it in October 2003.

The Group companies became a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment, which were jointly established by the U.N. Global Compact and the UNEP FI. These principles require institutional investors and fund management institutions to give consideration to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors when making investment decisions.

At the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, the Group, together with 33 other companies from around the world, signed a leadership declaration under the Business and Biodiversity Initiative "Biodiversity in Good Company," which was led by the German government. Since that time, we have been playing a role as a leading company in this field and making proactive efforts to address this issue.

Under the CDP, institutional investors and financial institutions around the world cooperate in urging companies to disclose information regarding their greenhouse gas emissions. The Group joined the CDP in January 2007.

BSR, based in the United States, is an organization that promotes CSR, and it is engaged in the development of sustainable business strategies through collaboration with more than 250 member companies all over the world. In January 2010, the Group became a member of BSR and is receiving various forms of support in promoting CSR that is specific to its business, such as the provision of research information on China Stock SRI funds and the dispatch of lecturers to training programs for managers.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group is a signatory to the "Principles for Financial Action towards a Sustainable Society," drafted in October 2011. These principles set out guidelines on the responsibilities and roles of financial institutions, including banks, insurance, securities, and fund management companies, needed for the creation of a sustainable society. The Group played a central role in establishing the principles and signed it in December 2011.

The Equator Principles are international guidelines for private-sector financial institutions concerning project finance implementation that call on them to take fully into consideration the environmental and social impacts of projects. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited (SuMi TRUST Bank) became a signatory to the Equator Principles in February 2016.