With the Paris Agreement on climate change now coming into force, the Japanese company has devised ways of responding to the growing international importance of such metrics in evaluating products. It aims to double sales of items related to the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals within the next five years.

The SDGs set 17 goals in such areas as clean energy, environmental protection, waste reduction and hunger. Governments, businesses and nongovernmental organizations are called upon to work together to meet the targets by 2030.

Sumitomo Chemical carried out the first round of reviews using the new certification system to find 21 products that qualified, such as lithium ion battery components and special membranes for separating carbon dioxide from gases.

Sales of the now-certified products totaled some 280 billion yen ($2.72 billion) in fiscal 2015, accounting for more than 10% of all sales. Through such efforts as broadening its selection of certified products, the company aims to lift the tally to 560 billion yen in fiscal 2020.

(Nikkei)