en.Wedoany.com Reported - Korea Zinc received an A grade in the comprehensive assessment for the first half of 2026 from Sustinvest, a South Korean ESG rating agency, improving by one level compared to 2025.
Sustinvest conducts ESG evaluations twice a year, with results categorized into seven levels: AA, A, BB, B, C, D, and E. Korea Zinc's rating was BB in the first half of 2025, and it has now been upgraded to A. In the materials sector with assets of 2 trillion won (approximately $1.53 billion) or more, Korea Zinc's ESG score ranking jumped from 68th (out of 174 companies) in the second half of 2025 to 28th (out of 172 companies) in the first half of 2026. Among all listed companies, its ranking also rose from 523rd (out of 1,299) to 293rd (out of 1,305).
Korea Zinc scored above the materials sector average in all three areas—environmental, social, and governance—achieving perfect scores in specific items such as eco-friendly supply chain management, biodiversity, social contribution, and local communities. Scores for innovation activities, supply chain management, and ESG management infrastructure exceeded 90 points.
In terms of building an ESG management system, Korea Zinc established a Sustainable Development Management Committee in 2022, upgraded it to an ESG Committee under the board of directors at the end of 2024, and in 2025, specifically established a Sustainable Development Management Promotion Committee to support the ESG Committee's rapid execution at the operational level. In 2025, the company invested 308.2 billion won (approximately $237.07 million) in safety, health, and facilities, setting a new record. Its zinc, silver, and copper products received carbon footprint certification and carbon footprint reduction labels from the global organization Carbon Trust. The company invested approximately 14.6 billion won (approximately $11.23 million) in energy-saving activities and produced and recovered 3.93 million tons of steam annually through a process waste heat recovery system, improving energy efficiency.
Korea Zinc built the first dedicated charging station for hydrogen fuel cell forklifts within a national industrial park at its Onsan smelter to establish an eco-friendly logistics system. A company representative stated that as a global non-ferrous metal integrated smelter, Korea Zinc will continue to invest to balance the creation of economic and social value. In May of this year, the company was selected for the Dow Jones Asia-Pacific Best Index for the first time, becoming the first in South Korea's domestic non-ferrous metal industry. Additionally, in the ESG Quality Score evaluation by the world's largest proxy voting advisor, ISS, Korea Zinc achieved the highest level (Level 1) across all ESG areas.
