Coexistence with Communities : Social Contribution Activities
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Our Social Contribution Activities
The Toyo Seikan Group CSR Policy states that the Group considers local communities as a significant stakeholder and that it aims to coexist with them through active participation in the communities. Our group companies have been individually engaged in social contribution activities in ways suitable for them, while understanding and respecting the cultures, customs and social circumstances of the counties and regions in which they operate.
Our global social contribution activities focus on coexistence with local communities and engagement in programs for children, who will be leaders of future generations.
Our Guidelines of Behavior also cites our commitment to social contribution, stipulating the following practice standards to be followed by all officers and employees of the Group.
<Article 8 of the Group’s Guidelines of Behavior>
Participation in the community and contribution to community development
We, as good corporate citizens, actively participate in the community and contribute to community development.
Active participation in the community
- ・As a member of the Group, each of us understands the Group’s view on participation in the community, actively participates in the community and contributes to its development.
- ・We actively join programs that promote healthy growth of children who will be the next generation’s leaders.
- ・To build mutual trust with the international society and local communities, we understand the social environment of countries and regions where we operate and respect their cultures, customs and religions in conducting our business operations.
Educational Support Programs
We offer two on-site educational support programs for students: the environmental education for elementary school students and the career education for junior and senior high school students. Using the active learning method, these programs are designed to help young people think about the future through the topics related to packaging. In fiscal 2021, as conducting in-person classes was difficult due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we provided both online and on-site programs for a total of 38 schools with 3,033 students attending.
During normal times, we join events at after-school child care centers and invite students to the Museum of Package and Culture for their field studies from time to time.
Joining Summer Research Program for Students as “a Company That Makes Packaging”
Toyo Seikan conducted a class for elementary school students on a company that makes packaging containers for drinks they are familiar with, in a summer vacation event for children organized by a culture center in Yokohama. The lecture, attended by around 20 children mostly in the lower grades of elementary school, covered several topics related to PET bottles, including types of bottles and how to identify them; the processes from forming, filling, packing, and delivery to consumers; and what engineers at a packaging company focus on and care about when developing a new bottle. Through familiar PET bottles, we were able to make children more interested in packaging containers and manufacturing.
Offering Origami-Structured Containers to a School for Free
In September 2021, Toyo Seikan Group Holdings conducted a class in cooperation with Shibaura Institute of Technology Junior High School for seventh grade students. The class is designed for students to learn the advantages of Miura Ori*, find products and methods to which the technique is applied, and suggest a new ideas from a unique viewpoint of junior high school students. We offered Diamond-Cut Cans and Origami Containers as materials for the class. Through this activity, we helped students deepen their understanding of resource conservation using technologies as well as the SDGs.
- * Miura Ori is a folding technique invented by Dr. Kosuke Miura based on space structural engineering research. It enables a folded flat material to be unfolded all at once with a small amount of force.
On-Site Class at Schools
In 2021, Toyo Kohan’s Kudamatsu Plant conducted on- site classes at elementary schools to support education, as the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for the company to invite students to plant tours, which had been conducted every year. Its employees visited two elementary schools in Kudamatsu City and taught students using slides and quizzes about recycling activities, environmental initiatives, and manufacturing work and safety efforts at factories. The students were listening enthusiastically while taking notes.
The company received appreciation from teachers of both schools and many thanks letters from children, while its activity contributed to connecting it with the community.
Internship Programs
Group companies provide internship opportunities for students to deepen understanding of society and work through practical experience. In fiscal 2020, Toyo Kohan invited five students from neighboring junior high schools and conducted a two-day training program to learn about production processes and experience actual work. Toyo Seikan also invited a total of 16 students from universities, colleges, high schools and facilities for the disabled. Outside Japan, its group companies in Thailand and China accepted a total of 16 interns during 2020.
Participation in a “Bell Mark” Project
Since 2016, the Toyohashi Plant of Toyo Seikan has been involved in the “Bell Mark No.1-in-Japan Project” of the city of Toyohashi. By joining the Bell Mark program, which is managed by a Japanese educational support foundation to provide fund for local schools, the plant collects Bell Marks as well as used ink and toner cartridges that are exchangeable into Bell Marks to help schools buy educational materials. In addition, sorting work of collected Bell Marks provides opportunities of practical training for children with disabilities.
Donation to Local Community (Kudamatsu City)
Toyo Kohan makes donation every year to the Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi, where its Kudamatsu Plant operates, for next-generation fostering activities.
Until 2019, the donation had been used to hold an art event, such as an ensemble music performance, hosted by the city for students from the first to ninth grades. However, under the influence of COVID-19, the donation for 2021 was used to purchase musical instruments, televisions, projectors, books, and other educational materials.
Joining TABLE FOR TWO
Since February 2018, the Group’s head office building has participated in the TABLE FOR TWO initiative. Buying a specific healthy meal at the canteen automatically makes a donation of 20 yen to school lunch programs in developing countries. As of the end of fiscal 2021, we have donated a total of 299,050 yen to the initiative. We are also sending out information about this activity to employees using display panels.
Social Contribution Activities Outside Japan
In response to the needs of preventing the spread of coronavirus infections, Toyo Seikan (Thailand) donated drinking water to vaccination centers, alcohol disinfectant to the Department of Labor, and food and beverages to hospitals and a dermatopathology laboratory. Toyo Filling International donated buffer sheets to schools and medical facilities for use as partitions to prevent infection and educational materials. Meanwhile, Toyo Pack (Changshu) in China donated beverages to vaccination sites, the fire department office, and police stations in the Gaoxin District.
Cooperation with Local Governments at Emergency
Nippon Tokan Package has signed disaster relief agreements with the local governments stated below for providing corrugated cardboard products for people at evacuation sites to alleviate their suffering during disasters such as earthquakes and floods. These products include cardboard beds and partitions. As a member of the communities in which we operate, we will do our best to support them by utilizing our expertise and experiences in the event of an emergency.
| Signed date | Region / Name of agreement |
|---|---|
| July 2019 |
Sakura City, Tochigi |
| June 2020 |
Soka City, Saitama |
| July 2020 |
Anjo City, Aichi |
| July 2020 |
Taiwa-cho, Miyagi |
The Komaki Plant of Tokan Kogyo installed a solar power system in December 2020. The system, combining solar power generation and rechargeable batteries, is a self-sustaining, decentralized energy facility that can enhance disaster preparedness of the region while reducing carbon footprint. Even when the power grid shuts down, electricity will remain available with the combination of solar cells and batteries. The plant has also signed a disaster relief agreement with Komaki City for the use of its canteen as a temporary shelter for residents in the area in the event of a major disaster.
TOMATEC has cooperated with the local community in which its head office and Osaka Plant are located for the area’s disaster preparedness, setting up a signboard on a building near the site entrance to indicate the flooded water level in the event of a flood of the nearby river. The water level is estimated to be as high as 3 meters at the point. The signboard, which people will often see in their everyday life, is expected to raise their awareness of preparedness. The company also conducts earthquake and tsunami evacuation drills on a regular basis to confirm contingency procedures and evacuation routes.
Aid for Disaster-Hit Areas
The Group is engaged in support activities to aid relief and recovery efforts in areas struck by severe natural disasters. In fiscal 2020, we made a donation of 10 million yen through the Japanese Red Cross Society to relief efforts for the victims of the July 2020 torrential rains and floods on Kyushu island of Japan.
Major disaster relief donations
| Year | Disaster | Amount donated | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
Support for Turkey-Syria Earthquake Response |
Group total 23 million yen |
Japanese Red Cross Society |
| 2022 |
Support for Ukraine and neighboring countries |
10 million yen |
Japan Association for the World Food Programme |
| 2020 |
July 2020 Kyushu Floods |
10 million yen |
Japanese Red Cross Society |
| 2019 |
Typhoon Hagibis (No. 19 in 2019) |
10 million yen |
Japanese Red Cross Society |
| 2018 |
July 2018 Western Japan Torrential Rain |
10 million yen |
Japanese Red Cross Society |
| 2016 |
2016 Kumamoto Earthquake |
10 million yen |
Japanese Red Cross Society |
Blood Donation Campaign
The Toyo Seikan Group has been engaged in blood donation to contribute to local communities and society. In cooperation with the Japanese Red Cross Society, its group companies regularly conduct blood donation activities, in which employees participate at their workplace during working hours.
Despite the growing need for blood transfusion due to the aging population, the number of blood donors is decreasing year by year and young people’s contribution is strongly needed more than ever. Periodic blood donation at corporations is therefore an effective way for wider generations, including younger people, to cooperate in solving this issue.
In order to help secure a stable blood supply, we implemented the donation campaign during fiscal 2021 while taking preventive measures against COVID-19. Group companies in Thailand also conducted their regular blood donation campaigns in cooperation with the Thai Red Cross Society. We will continue with our commitment to social responsibility through blood donation both in Japan and abroad.