Pulmuone has ranked third among global food companies in S&P Global’s 2025 Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), marking its highest-ever position and an improvement from fourth place last year. The company has now maintained a Top 5 ranking in the global food industry for three consecutive years.
The CSA, conducted by S&P Global, is widely regarded as one of the most authoritative global benchmarks for corporate sustainability. This year’s assessment evaluated approximately 9,200 companies across 59 industries worldwide. Only 848 companies, representing the top 9%, were selected for inclusion in the Sustainability Yearbook. Among 241 companies in the Food Products category, Pulmuone emerged as the top-ranked Korean food company, reaffirming its strong ESG competitiveness on the global stage.
Pulmuone’s achievement reflects comprehensive improvements across governance, environmental, and social dimensions. In governance, the company received strong recognition for enhancing board independence and transparency in decision-making. Environmentally, Pulmuone advanced its company-wide management system under its “Eco-Caring” strategy and demonstrated measurable progress across key indicators. On the social front, the company strengthened its global-standard human resource framework and enhanced food safety systems.
The company continues to reinforce sustainability management by focusing on governance advancement, eco-friendly initiatives, and food tech innovation.
In governance, Pulmuone has introduced a committee-driven pre-review system that allows its Board of Directors to concentrate on key agenda items. Independent director-led committees, including the Audit Committee and ESG Committee, have been expanded to improve expertise and objectivity. The company has also linked board evaluation results to compensation and reappointment decisions, further strengthening accountability.
Additional reforms include enhancing transparency in compensation decisions and setting dividend record dates after resolutions to improve shareholder predictability. At its March Annual General Meeting, Pulmuone amended its Articles of Incorporation to replace the term “outside directors” with “independent directors” and increased their mandatory ratio from one-quarter to one-third of the board.
On the environmental side, Pulmuone operates a systematic management framework under its Eco-Caring strategy. The company developed a carbon footprint calculation system aligned with ISO 14067 standards and completed third-party verification for key products such as tofu and udon. Lifecycle data from production to disposal is integrated into product-level management, with plans to expand globally and into broader service areas.
Food tech innovation is also accelerating. Pulmuone has reached the commercialization verification stage for land-based seaweed cultivation technology, enabling stable year-round production. The technology was selected for a national R&D project by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 2025. The company is also developing animal welfare-based farms, robot-driven smart vertical farms, and low-carbon agricultural models using biochar.
In terms of social responsibility, Pulmuone is enhancing product quality and safety through advanced biotechnology. The company has developed genome-based diagnostic kits for pathogenic microorganisms and secured patents for CRISPR-Cas-based diagnostic platforms. These technologies are expected to enable faster and more precise responses across production and distribution.
“This achievement represents global recognition of Pulmuone’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, rooted in our founding philosophy of ‘Love for Neighbors and Respect for Life,’” said Lee Jeong-eon, Head of Sustainable Management. “We will continue to strengthen ESG practices aligned with global standards and build a stronger foundation for sustainable growth.”
