Alteogen has won a gold medal in the 2026 ESG assessment by EcoVadis, a global sustainability rating agency, placing it in the top 4% worldwide. The company, which received a bronze rating last year, jumped two levels in a single year, raising its evaluated standing in non-financial management areas such as environment, human rights, business ethics, and supply chain management.

Meanwhile, Alteogen's share price closed at 222,000 won last Friday, down 9,000 won (-3.90%).

[Top 2% Within Science R&D Sector... Balanced Scores Across Four Categories]

According to Alteogen's announcement on the 21st, the EcoVadis gold is a rating granted to companies within the top 5% of assessed firms. In this evaluation, Alteogen's overall ranking was tallied at the top 4%. Notably, when narrowed to the science research and development sector, the company said Alteogen ranks in the top 2% among companies evaluated worldwide over the past 12 months.

Alteogen received relatively balanced scores across the four main assessment categories. Its scores in environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement all fell within the 83-85 point range. Rather than results being concentrated in a specific field, the company secured even scores across its overall management systems.

[EcoVadis Ratings Used as a Screening Standard for Pharmaceutical Industry Partners]

EcoVadis is a sustainability rating agency headquartered in Paris, France, with more than 150,000 companies across some 180 countries participating in its assessments. It is characterized by comprehensively reviewing not only corporate environmental policies but also working conditions, human rights protection, ethical management, and supply chain sustainability.

The assessment results are used by global companies to gauge the sustainability management levels of their business partners. In the pharmaceutical industry, they also serve as one of the standards for checking partners' ESG management systems and supply chain-related risks.

[From Bronze to Gold, in Step with ESG Management Overhaul]

Alteogen received a bronze medal in its first EcoVadis assessment in 2025. Bronze corresponds to the top 35%. In the 2026 assessment, the company rose two levels to gold.

This change has been in step with the ESG management overhaul the company pursued this year. Alteogen designated 2026 as the starting point of its ESG management and reformed its organizational operations and related systems. It established an ESG committee within the board of directors and also formed a dedicated organization responsible for sustainability management affairs.

In the environmental area, the company built an inventory to systematically manage greenhouse gas emissions and obtained verification from an external body. It secured a Management level rating in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and also received approval for its short-term greenhouse gas reduction target from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company stated that this SBTi approval achievement was the first in the KOSDAQ bio/pharmaceutical sector.

The company also broadened its participation in international sustainability activities. It pursued activities related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN Global Compact (UNGC), and Korea's RE100 (K-RE100), and implemented a renewable energy transition. In addition, it obtained ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management, and ISO 45001, the international standard for occupational health and safety management. It also published its first sustainability report summarizing the company's ESG policies and related activities.

['Advanced' Rating Also Received in Carbon Assessment]

Alteogen received an 'Advanced' rating in EcoVadis' carbon assessment. This evaluation examines how a company manages its greenhouse gas emissions and operates its reduction policies, as well as how systematically it discloses related information. This carbon assessment result is meaningful in that an evaluation of the company's climate change response management system was conducted separately from the comprehensive ESG rating.

EcoVadis' medal system consists of platinum for the top 1%, followed by gold at 5%, silver at 15%, and bronze at 35%. By moving from bronze last year to gold this year, Alteogen raised its relative position in the assessment.

However, this assessment result covers sustainability-related policies, management systems, and implementation performance. The gold medal itself does not guarantee future contract signings with global pharmaceutical companies, investment attraction, or improved financial performance. Alteogen views this result as an achievement in building a management system to meet ESG standards required in the global business environment.

[ESG assessment ratings reflect the results of a company's sustainability management evaluation and do not guarantee future contract signings or investment performance. AI assisted with parts of this article.]