A total of 17 South Korean conglomerates, including LG Electronics, SK Holdings and CJ CheilJedang, made the list of the 2020 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, according to consulting agency Korea Productivity Center on Sunday.

The DJSI, co-operated by US-based finacial data firm S&P Dow Jones Indices and Switchland-based RobecoSAM, serves as the evaluation method for global sustainability management and the standard for investment. The indices consist of three geographical breakdowns--world, regions, and countries. KPS has announced a local index for South Korea, called DJSI Korea, jointly with S&P Dow Jones and SAM, a corporate evaluation unit of the Swiss firm, since 2009.

The DJSI World list includes 323 companies this year, the top 12.7 percent of the 2,540 companies evaluated.

According to KPC, Samsung Electro-Mechanics has been included in the Dow Jones list for the 12th consecutive year. Samsung Securities, S-Oil and Hyundai Construction and Engineering have been included for the 11th straight year.

LG Electronics was included in the DJSI World for the segments of leisure equipment and products and consumer electronics. The LG affiliate said it received good scores for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and development of energy-efficient products. SK Holdings and Hyundai Steel also made it in the list.

Food giant CJ CheilJedang, on the other hand, has been included in the DJSI Asia-Pacific Index for seven consecutive years since 2015, as the only South Korean food company.

Among the 611 companies in the Asia and Oceania region, 29 Korean companies, including CJ, were among the top 25.5 percent.

CJ said its selection in the DJSI proves that the company is maintaining a sustainable management system and that it is a competitive and respected firm in the Asian region.

On the DJSI Korea list, 42 Korean companies, which is 21.5 percent of the 205 companies evaluated, were listed, KPC said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)