Grade C-
ChemScore report card 2024

DIC Corporation

About the company

DIC Corporation is a Japanese chemical company, specializing in the development, manufacture and sale of inks, pigments, polymers, specialty plastics and compounds and biochemicals. The company operates worldwide in 62 countries, through more than 175 subsidiary and affiliate companies, and includes the Sun Chemical corporation, based in the Americas and Europe. The company was founded in 1908 and has its headquarters in Tokyo.
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Total score
13 out of 48 points
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Product Portfolio
0 out of 18 points

To reach a final score in this category, we assess the company’s transparency in chemical production. Lower transparency makes it harder to achieve a good score. If the product portfolio transparency is very low, a company producing just one or even zero toxic chemicals (according to available data) might receive the same poor score as one producing 50.

Visit the methodology to delve deeper into the ChemScore ranking.

Registered hazardous chemicals 20
Chemicals on the EU’s Candidate List 4
Chemicals on the EU’s Authorisation List and/or POP substances 0
Persistent chemicals 5
Product portfolio transparency 26%
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Development of Safer Chemicals
6 out of 12 points
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Management & Transparency
2 out of 12 points
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Lack of Controversies
5 out of 6 points

Action points 🔍

1. Increase transparency

Little is known about DIC Corporation’s production or use of hazardous chemicals. We have requested that the company disclose information about its chemicals management, but it has not responded to that request. To demonstrate a commitment to transparency, DIC Corporation should disclose both the share of revenue and production volume of products that are, or contain, hazardous chemicals. This information should cover all operations, including subsidiaries, worldwide. SABIC provides a good example, as it has disclosed its full chemicals portfolio, including production volumes and locations.

2. Map and phase out persistent chemicals

DIC Corporation is responsible for placing at least five persistent chemicals on the US/EU market, including some PFAS substances. The risks linked to these “forever chemicals” are becoming increasingly clear, not only for human health and the environment but also for companies and their shareholders. The regulatory tightening, high-profile lawsuits, and growing consumer awareness make business models based on persistent chemicals increasingly risky. DIC Corporation should first identify all uses and the share of total revenue derived from products that are or contain persistent substances. Then, the company should publish a time-bound plan to phase out persistent chemicals from each product group or business segment. Sika and LyondellBasell have both published the share of their revenue that is generated from products containing PFAS. 3M has also published those numbers and committed to exiting the manufacture of PFAS by 2025.

3. Develop safer solutions

DIC Corporation currently lacks a strict policy for limiting hazardous chemicals in its new product development. As a result, both its existing and future product lines are dependent on substances that run the risk of becoming regulated. Therefore, DIC Corporation may face growing challenges in maintaining profitability in the long term. The company should set a 2030 target for the share of revenue generated by products free from hazardous chemicals and develop a strategy to achieve it. A first step, similarly to Lanxess, should be to publicly state that it will not develop or market new end-products containing more than 0.1% of substances that have the characteristics of a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHCs).

Category breakdown

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How did we come to this score?

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Company facts
Founded
1908
Headquarters
Tokyo, Japan
Revenue
7.4 billion USD
Market capitalization
1.9 billion USD
ISIN
JP3493400000
Category
Paint & Coatings
Other
Plastic & Rubber & Fibres
Other years
Year Rank Total score
2024 36 / 51 13 / 48
2023 46 / 50 8 / 48
2022 47 / 54 7 / 48
2021 45 / 50 8 / 48