Business objectives in the articles of incorporation updated
to reflect SDGs to include “Sustainability First”

Euglena Co., Ltd.

　Euglena Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO Mitsuru Izumo, hereafter “Euglena”) is pleased to announce that at today’s board meeting, it was decided to completely update (hereafter “the update”) the objectives of our businesses outlined in our articles of incorporation to reflect the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals.) The decision will be presented to our shareholders at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (hereafter “the general meeting”), currently scheduled for August 26, 2021, to seek approval.

　In August 2020, celebrating our 15th anniversary, we announced a renewal of our Corporate Identity (CI)^{※ 1,} and set up “Sustainability First” as Euglena’s Philosophy, the image we aspire to attain. Operating sustainability-based businesses, we are looking to sustainability for our customers, society and earth through our businesses and products.

Articles of incorporation, also commonly called “company constitutions,” are basic rules pertaining to company organization and activities. Their contents need to be based on the Companies Act, of which “Business objectives” especially is one of the items that must be included in the articles of incorporation as an important provision that clarifies the scope of businesses that companies can operate. To make Euglena’s Philosophy “Sustainability First” more effective in the future, including legally, we have decided to clearly include “Aiming to bring sustainable society” in the business objectives of our articles of incorporation, reflecting the seventeen SDGs in the updated contents. Even though the update can only come into effect upon approval at the general meeting, we expect receive the approval of our shareholders as we believe that operating businesses that will help bring sustainable society will result in profit for our shareholders in the medium to long term.

　The draft for the update has been prepared under the supervision of CFO (Chief Future Officer, hereafter “CFO”), the highest ranking officer leading the efforts to change the company and society for the future, as well as Euglena future Summit members (hereafter “Summit members”). CFO and Summit members commented, “This is a challenge that is typical of Euglena as it shows the company’s seriousness toward achieving sustainability, and we hope that it will help spread the values of sustainability throughout society. The important thing is action. We would like Euglena to create a framework, taking the lead in carrying out corporate activities in line with the new business objectives, monitoring the progress in management meetings and disclosing results to society. We hope that through this, it will encourage other businesses’ corporate activities toward sustainability, making Japan a sustainable society as a whole.” Going forward, we will evaluate developing a structure and contents to disclose, reflecting this feedback.
* 1 News release, August 11, 2020 https://www.euglena.jp/news/20200811/

■ Ideas for new business objectives outlined in our articles of incorporation

　We plan to update and present to the general meeting, Article 2, as follows.

　Article 2: To bring about a sustainable society, we aim to operate the following businesses and all associated businesses that contribute to:

(1) Ending poverty in all its forms everywhere
(2) Ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture
(3) Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages
(4) Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all
(5) Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls 
(6) Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
(7) Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
(8) Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and stimulating and creative work for all
(9) Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation
(10) Reducing inequality of all forms and eradicating discrimination
(11) Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
(12) Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns
(13) Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
(14) Conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
(15) Protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests, combating desertification, and halting and reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss
(16) Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
(17) Strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development

　For the entire draft for the update and details, please read “Notice about setting the base date for an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, holding an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, changing the term (the last day of a business year) for financial results, changing our (English) trade name, and changes to our articles of incorporation associated with the change of business purposes” announced today.

　Based on the new business objectives outlined in our articles of incorporation, we aim to operate businesses that will support a sustainable society.

<About Euglena Co., Ltd.>
In 2005, Euglena succeeded in establishing the world’s first outdoor mass cultivation technology for microalgae Euglena for food use. In addition to developing and selling products that include functional foods and cosmetics that utilize Euglena and Chlorella, Euglena conducts research in producing biofuel and provides genome analysis services. Euglena has also been expanding eligible products for the “euglena GENKI Program” to all Group products including cosmetics since April 2019. This program has been running since 2014 and delivers nutrient-rich Euglena cookies to children in Bangladesh. The company was also listed on the Mothers Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2012 and subsequently updated to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2014. Euglena has been developing its business based on the Euglena philosophy of “Sustainability First”. https://euglena.jp

 Click here for the PDF version. 

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―Media & Press Contact―
Corporate Communication Section, 
Euglena Co., Ltd.