Kakao said on Thursday it was named a top company for a fourth consecutive year in global credit rating agency S&P Global’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA).

S&P Global annually conducts a comprehensive assessment of companies’ environmental, social and governance practices and selects leading companies by industry to publish its Sustainability Yearbook. The CSA is a key indicator used to gauge the level of sustainable management and assesses the reliability of disclosures and execution capabilities. This year, only 848 companies were included in the yearbook out of about 9,200 companies assessed across 59 industries, and Kakao was listed for a fourth straight year.

Kakao scored 76 points, up 6 points from a year earlier, in the interactive media, services and home entertainment (IMS) sector, placing it in the top 5 percent. It ranked second among 148 companies in the sector. A total of 5 South Korean companies were in the top 5 percent by industry, and Kakao was the only one in the IMS sector.

Kakao received strong evaluations across various categories in governance, environment and social areas, and its efforts and results in continuously advancing its ESG management system were recognised. It has systematically raised management standards across ESG by strengthening internal audit systems, improving data centre energy efficiency, upgrading disclosures on environmental impact management systems and expanding the scope of human rights impact assessments. It has also reinforced the foundation for responsible management by strengthening AI safety, reorganising compliance and ethical management systems, and expanding renewable energy procurement.

Kakao said it plans to continue strengthening ESG management to meet global standards and establish itself as a company that creates a sustainable future together with stakeholders.