Zeroboard Research Institute President Tomoo Machiba participates as a judge in the Environmental Finance Research Institute's "2025 Sustainable Finance Awards"

Sapporo Stock Exchange Wins Grand Prize - Utilizing Global Environmental Finance Knowledge and Recognizing Japan's Leading Initiatives

Zeroboard Inc.(Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Michitaka Tokeiji ; hereinafter referred to as "the Company"), which supports corporate sustainability management, is pleased to News that Tomoo Machiba, Director of Zeroboard Research Institute, an in-house think tank, served as a judge for the 2025 Sustainable Finance Awards, hosted by the Research Institute for Environmental Finance (hereinafter referred to as "RIEF").

Group photo at the award ceremony (second from the right is the waiting area) *Photo: Hironori Kato/RIEF

Machiba (second from the right) and RIEF CEO Yoshihiro Fujii (right) present the Sustainability Support Award certificate to ERM Japan. *Photo: Hironori Kato/RIEF

The award is widely recognized as a prestigious award system that drives the advancement of environmental and sustainable finance in Japan's financial markets. This year, the 11th award, the Grand Prize went to the Sapporo Stock Exchange, which established the Hokkaido ESG Pro Bond Market, Japan's first bond market for professional investors specializing in ESG bonds.

The awards ceremony was held at the Japan National Press Club on Friday, January 23, 2026, where Machiba handed out certificates of commendation to the ERM Japan team and the cities of Yokohama and Nagoya. In his comments, which marked his first time participating as a judge, Machiba said, "I am encouraged by the steady progress being made in the development and use of various sustainable financial products among Japanese Financial Institution, companies, and local governments, despite the global headwinds against ESG."

About the Sustainable Finance Awards

The Sustainable Finance Awards is an awards system run by RIEF since 2015, with the aim of popularizing and promoting "environmental finance," which uses the power of finance to solve environmental problems. Now in its 11th year, the awards are given to Financial Institution and related organizations in Japan's financial markets that are developing environmental financial products and Service and cutting-edge initiatives, and are evaluated from a specialized and multifaceted perspective.

The 2025 review was based on six criteria: "New," "ESG Level," "Impact (impact on others)," "Impact (impact on customers and society)," "Profitability," and "Organizational Evaluation," and involved a comprehensive review from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Utilizing his many years of research and practical experience in the fields of environment and sustainability, Machiba worked with other judges to evaluate initiatives that contribute to the development of sustainable finance in Japan.

This year's selection process saw the selection of numerous cutting-edge initiatives with a significant social impact, including the creation of Japan's first market for professional investors specializing in ESG bonds, as well as green bonds, transition bonds, and nature-positive financial products and investment schemes. For more details on the award results, please visit the RIEF website. ( https://rief-jp.org/ct7/163849 )

About the judges

The 2025 Sustainable Finance Awards were judged by the following 10 experts:

• Ryuta Uozumi, Representative Director of Uozumi Sustainability Institute
• Former Goldman Sachs employee Hideki Goto
• Attorney Izumi Sato
• Hideki Takada, Secretary General of the Green Finance Network
• Mr. Rintaro Tamaki, Chairman of the Japan Center for International Financial Information
• Ms. Reiko Toritani, Member of the Steering Committee of the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan
• Mr. Yoshihiro Fujii, Representative Director, Environmental Finance Research Institute
• Zeroboard Research Institute Director Machiba Tomoo
• FINEV CEO Miki Mitsunari
• Tomoki Miyazaki, former Asahi Shimbun journalist

Zeroboard Research Institute has provided knowledge to support the decision-making of companies and Financial Institution through research and studies on sustainability information disclosure, GHG emission amount calculation, ESG/impact assessment, and sustainable finance.

Going forward, we will continue to contribute to improving corporate value and realizing a sustainable society by providing the data infrastructure and intelligence that support the practice of sustainable finance and sustainability management.

About Zeroboard Research Institute

Zeroboard Research Institute is a think tank established within Zeroboard , Issue Issue Japan and the world, and proposes and disseminates solutions based on scientific judgment. Members with expertise and practical experience in various fields conduct surveys and research on sustainability, as well as make policy recommendations.https://www.zeroboard.jp/service/zri

Company Overview

Company name: Zeroboard Inc. Inc. (Zeroboard )
Location: 10 floor, Sumitomo Fudosan Tokyo Mita South Tower, 3-5-27 Mita Minato -ku, Tokyo
Representative: CEO Michitaka Tokeiji
Established: August 24, 2021
Service: Development and provision of ESG information centralization solution "Zeroboard Sustainability Platform" / Consulting on sustainability management / Operation of Community "All Aboard""All Aboard!"

Overview of Zeroboard Sustainability Platform

This comprehensive cloud solution supports the collection, management, and disclosure of ESG-related data. With a wide range of products, it seamlessly supports the processes required for sustainability management, including ESG disclosure.

• " Zeroboard " - a cloud Service for calculating GHG (greenhouse gas) emission amount and managing environmental items
• ESG legal disclosure cloud Service"Zeroboard ESG"
• "Dataseed SAQ" is a cloud Service that streamlines the collection and management of SAQs (Self-Assessment Questionnaires) from buyers to suppliers.

With these products as a core, we provide industry-specific products, various optional functions, and consulting for compliance with regulations and complex calculations, thereby supporting corporate sustainability management.

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