Samsung Biologics earns top A+ in KCGS ESG rating, placing in top 1.8% of listed firms

Samsung Biologics has received an integrated A+ rating — the highest available — in this year's environmental, social and governance assessment by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability.

Samsung Biologics announced Friday that it earned an integrated A+ in KCGS's 2026 ESG evaluation, one notch above its score from last year. The result places the company in the top 1.8 percent of all listed companies assessed domestically.

KCGS evaluates the sustainability management of major Korean companies each year, assigning one of seven grades ranging from S to D. This year's assessment covered 1,087 companies in total, including 1,020 listed firms. No company received the top S grade, while 18 companies — including Samsung Biologics — earned A+. The results are used as a responsible investment indicator for institutional investors and as a basis for selecting constituents of Korea Exchange ESG indexes.

Samsung Biologics raised its scores across all three ESG categories, recording A+ in both the environmental and social categories and A in governance.

In the environmental category, the company was recognized for setting and disclosing greenhouse gas reduction targets and for cutting emissions and water usage in its biopharmaceutical production processes. In the social category, evaluators credited efforts to strengthen its human rights management framework and expand disclosure of fair-trade education information. In governance, the company was recognized for improving transparency in the operation of its board of directors and audit committee.

Samsung Biologics has also been posting strong results at major international ESG rating agencies. This month it received the top rating in Sustainalytics' ESG risk assessment, and in September it earned an A from MSCI.

The results carry added significance as global big-pharma companies increasingly apply stringent standards on carbon reduction within the supply chain and on human rights and ethical management when selecting contract development and manufacturing organization partners. Samsung Biologics has now demonstrated the non-financial capabilities to support its competitiveness in winning global orders.

"The KCGS evaluation serves as a responsible investment indicator for domestic institutional investors, so this result will reinforce confidence in our ESG risk management capabilities and our standing in the market," said John Rim, chief executive of Samsung Biologics. "We will continue to build stakeholder trust through transparent and accountable ESG management and contribute to long-term enhancement of corporate value."