Profile
Company Profile ESG Reseach & Evaluation
- Established in July 1998
- Founder, President and CEO : Mizue Tsukushi
- Independent investment-advisory company devoted to social investment research in Japan
- Managed by women’s leadership
- First mover in developing SRI products in Japan/Asia
- Qualified Financial Institutional Investor Registered on The Kanto Finance Bureau
Characteristics of Good Bankers
The Good Bankers Co., Ltd. was established on July 14, 1998 by Ms. Mizue Tsukushi and her highly motivated female friends who wanted to apply their experience in the financial service industry to address environmental and social problems.
It is the first and only independent investment advisory company in Japan that is fully devoted to social investment research and has been the leading firm in the Japanese SRI industry ever since.
Characteristics of the company
- First mover in developing SRI products in Asia
- Well-combined team of analysts : best mix of backgrounds in financial, environmental and social fields
- Core competence of the team : capacity to evaluate intangible assets of companies
- Gender, generation and geographical diversity of personnel
- Independence: 95% of the shares are owned by the management
- Collaboration with experts
- University partnership
- Global network (33 countries)
Products
Products and services for investors
- Providing sustainability research, analysis and ESG Scores & ratings
- Investment research and opinion for institutional investors
- Information provision
- Alert-services & Negative evaluation opinion
- Investor Portfolio screening
- Company profiles
- Engagement services
- Sector and thematic research reports
- Designing the concept and development of the key indicators of new SRI products
- Marketing overseas SRI products to Japanese investors
Clients
- Approximate asset size under advisory : USD 236Million, as of March 2022
- Japanese Asset managers affiliated with major banks, insurers, and brokers
- Tokyo Stock Exchange
- Pension Funds
- Foreign asset managers
- News Agencies
- Labor Unions
Characteristics of the Research of Good Bankers
Based on the Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Information
gathered through:
- Company visits
- In-person meetings and Interviews
- Telephone calls, email communication and video conferences
- Over 4,000 contacts annually inside and outside of Japan (institutional investers, labour unions, religious organization, corporate employers/employees, industry experts & journalists, academic circles, environmental agencies & organizations, and government officials, NPO/NGOs)
Research
Research Subjects
- Coverage
-
1,000 Japanese companies
- Scope of research
-
Full coverage of ESG field
( Environmental performance, social performance, and corporate governance )
Research Analysts
- Full time
-
9 analysts (5 CFA status-Certified Financial Analysts)
- Part time
-
4 analysts
CEO and Evaluation committee supervise the research department. Five full-time research analysts cover ESG research.
Methodology
Good Bankers designs and tailors its research programs according to each client’s specific needs and criteria, which normally differ for each client.
Strength of the Research Products
- Neutrality in rating (Avoid conflicts of consulting)
- Independency, 95% Management
- Historical ESG Score & Rating Database for 15 years
- Stability of In-house rating system in operation for 25 years
- 800 Comprehensive ESG evaluation items
Perspectives in Company Assessment (Ex. Environment) 150 Items
Eco-efficiency
- Is the company effectively using resources and energy in its manufacturing operations while at the same time offering competitive, high-quality products and services?
- Is the company making efforts to minimize its environmental impact and resource consumption over the life cycle of the product or service?
Primary criteria (standards for investment and assessment)
- Management strategy
-
Examine the place of environmental concerns in the management strategy
Research items: presence of an environmental philosophy and environmental policy, attitude of top management, environmental strategy, etc. - Organization and system
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Examine the content of the environmental management system and assess the development of an ongoing and organized system for environmental activities
Research items: status of EMS certification (e.g. ISO 14001), environmental education, information disclosure, green purchasing, etc. - Manufacturing processes
-
Examine measures taken to reduce environmental impact in manufacturing processes
Research items: global warming countermeasures, resource-saving measures, chemical substance control, soil pollution control, etc. - Environmental-friendliness of products
-
Examine environmental considerations in products or services
Research items: product assessment (for energy-saving design, recycling design, etc.), life cycle assessment, green procurement, etc.
Perspectives in Company Assessment (Ex. Social Action) 450 Items
Strategic quality of social action
- Is the company’s social action program creating and maintaining social value and being carried out on a systematic and ongoing basis?
- At the same time, does the social action program possess a strategic quality that allows it to effectively and efficiently contribute to the company’s corporate value?
Primary criteria (standards for investment and assessment)
- Organization & Structure
-
Examine the status of development of an in-house organization and system for social action
Research items: clarification of an action philosophy and policy, presence of a responsible organ, past records of activity assessment and auditing, etc. - Activities
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Examine the scope, achievements, and sustainability of each social action and its bearing on the business operations
Research items: program content in each activity field, content of support for volunteer activities by employees, etc. - Communication
-
Examine employee and community education, diversity of information transmission, and cooperation with NPOs
Research items: manner of information disclosure, offering of opportunities for action, ability to develop programs that meet community needs, etc.
Perspectives in Company Assessment (Ex. Governance) 200 Items
Strategic quality of governance and compliance
- Does the company recognize the risk and reward factors surrounding the company and industry to formulate competitive business strategies and to make right managerial decisions?
- Is the company’s operation Transparent , Accountable and Traceable? Are Corporate governance and compliance policy and systems such as the code of conduct, Business Ethics, Management and Governing system , Audit, Investor Relations and Compliance functioning well?
Primary criteria (standards for investment and assessment)
- Governance
-
Examine the status of organization and system for corporate governance
Research items: shared awareness and understanding with shareholders of managerial policies, independency of outside directors, disclosure of remuneration , etc. - Compliance
-
Examine the status of organization and system for compliance
Research items: the responsible department , staff training course and auditing system such as outside auditors ,etc. - Disclosure
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Examine the status of communication with stakeholders
Research items: continuous monitoring of the level of information disclosure and IR activities, etc.
Network
Japan Network
We work closely with regulators, technical experts, environmental researchers, journalists and NPO in Japan.
Global Network
We have overseas contacts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Iran, Italy, Korea, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, the People’s Republic of China, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, the USA, and Uzbekistan.
Strategic Alliance Partners
For co-research and co-marketing projects
- University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science (Japan)
- University of Kyoto (Japan)
- Ochanomizu Women’s University, Life-World Watch Center (Japan)
- Society for 21st Century Vision (Japan)
- Ethifinance (France)
Network with International organizations
- Amnesty International
Patents
Obtained and registered “ESG patents” (2 cases) in August 2021.
Both are patents with unprecedented novelty, originality, and explanation.
It has an advantage in business activities and marketing activities.
“Display method of non-financial information, information processing equipment and programs”
Display the ESG evaluation of individual brands with an icon (image)
“Portfolio construction method using ESG information”
In the process of stock investment portfolio construction, utilizing the “financial score” of financial analysis and the “ESG score” of ESG evaluation.
ESG investment method by “quantitative evaluation” and “systematic operation”.
Portfolio construction process
- 100 stocks with a high overall evaluation by adding up the “financial score” and “ESG score”
- Build a portfolio based on the “ESG score” for the investment allocation ratio.
- Review regularly to change stocks and rebalance investment weight.
Funds
Nikko ECO Fund
Operation : Nikko Asset Management
launched : August 20, 1999
Mitsubishi UFJ SRI Fund
Known as:”Family friendly”
Operation : Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Investment Trust
launched : December 3, 2004
Advantage Japan Stock Fund
Operation : Capital Asset Management
launched : January 27, 2017
Changes to the Basic Terms and Conditions : October 26, 2023
History
- A winner of the 2001 Good Design Award
- Other companies followed in the wake of this success, giving birth to an SRI market in Japan
- The first tailor-made SRI fund catering to institutional investors in Japan
- In addition to environmental performance, also evaluates social performance (employee treatment, in-house and out-of-house training, social action programs, etc.)
An asset management company of the SNS Reaal Group, the sixth largest Dutch financial group, and a pioneer in SRI management in the Netherlands
Clients include numerous institutional investors, such as ASN Bank, the largest Dutch bank specializing in SRI, and public pension funds
Biography
Mizue Tsukushi, President and CEO of The Good Bankers Co.,Ltd., is a Pioneer in implementing SRI products into the Japanese market. Former Deputy General Manager of the Institutional Marketing Dept. of UBS Trust and Banking Co., Ltd. in Tokyo.
After receiving a language certificate for the French Civilization Course at the University of Paris in 1979, Ms Tsukushi started her career at Technip, a French engineering company and then went on to join TOTAL CFP, a French oil major. In 1988, she moved to the financial industry, starting as the Deputy Representative at KREDIET Bank, Belgian bank’s Tokyo office and then moving in 1990 to UBS Trust and Banking as the Marketing Officer in charge of institutional clients. She left in 1998 to set up her own company, The Good bankers Co., Ltd, which was Asia’s first and solely independent SRI advisory company.
Besides carrying out her challenging job as a CEO, she also enjoys writing for Japanese leading newspapers and magazines in the field of energy, pension industry and country reports, as well as SRI trends domestic and overseas.
Awards
- Awarded 1st prize of “Women of the year 2000: Women Entrepreneur Section” for her successful launch of “Eco-Fund”, the first environmentally friendly mutual fund in Japan and Asia.
- Gained ”Good Design Award 2001” for Nikko Eco Fund
- Commended as a person of merit for Gender Equality of the Cabinet Office by the Prime Minister (2005)
- Gained “Good Design Award 2005” for Mitsubishi UFJ SRI Fund (“Family Friendly”)
Public Assignments
- Member of the special advisory committees of the Government of Japan for
- The Ministry of Environment,
- The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology,
- The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry
- Member of the Japanese National Commission of UNESCO (~Oct. 2010)
- Member of UNEP FI Steering Committee (~Oct. 2011)
- Adviser to the Evaluation Meeting of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (~Jun.2022)
- Advisor to the Planning and Evaluation Committee of NITE (National Institute of Technology and Evaluation) (~Mar.2023)