Coexistence with the Community:
Social Contribution Activities

Our Social Contribution Activities

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 educational support programs such as “Environmental Education for Elementary School Students,” “Career Education for Middle and High school Students,” and “Field Trips to the Museum of Packaging Culture.” In these on-site classes, we incorporate active learning and use ”packaging” as a topic to help the next generation of children think about the future. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also started offering classes online.

In fiscal 2022, we conducted these classes at a total of 51 schools for 4,329 students. Although we had suspended field trips to the Museum of Packaging Culture due to the pandemic, we resumed them in November 2022 and accepted 325 students from 16 schools.

Factory Tours and Workplace Experiences

Starting from 2022, Toyo Kohan’s Kudamatsu Plant has reopened its doors for factory tours, which had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcomed elementary and middle school students from various parts of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Q&A sessions were filled with unique questions from the children, continuing until ran out of time.

Furthermore, we hosted middle school students from Kudamatsu City for a workplace experience program. This program provided them with a variety of experiences, including hazard simulations, hands-on maintenance tasks, and tours of our research labs. Through these experiences, we believe the students gained a deeper appreciation for the joy of manufacturing and developed a stronger interest in Toyo Kohan.

Conducting On-site Classes at Elementary and Middle Schools

At Toyo Kohan’s Kudamatsu Plant, we initiated on-site classes in fiscal 2021 as an alternative to factory tours, which were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative was continued into fiscal 2022. During the classes for elementary school students, we utilized slides and quizzes to discuss the plant’s recycling efforts, environmental initiatives, and safety measures. For middle school students, the classes focused on the challenges and rewards of work, as well as the instructor’s past dreams and reasons to choose the current career. We received appreciation from teachers and numerous thankyou letters from students, which greatly contributed to strengthening the bond between our company and the local community.

Next-Generation Fostering Support

Toyo Kohan makes donation every year to next-generation fostering activities of Kudamatsu City, where its Kudamatsu Plant operates.

Until fiscal 2021, during the COVID-19 outbreak, the company donated musical instruments, books, and other educational materials to the city’s elementary and middle schools. In fiscal 2022, the company’s donation was used for a theater performance for the first time in three years. Around 1,600 students from the city’s middle schools were invited to a concert by mixed a cappella choir RAGSPi.

Sponsoring a Program for ASEAN University Students

Toyo Seikan is committed to fostering talent in the food industry in ASEAN countries. In line with this, we have endorsed the “Japan-ASEAN Public-Private Partnership Project for Human Resource Development in the Food Industry” implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. As part of this initiative, we have been delivering lectures on food packaging to university students.

In 2022, we conducted an online lecture for students of Visayas State University in the Philippines. The lecture was attended by around 80 individuals, including students and university officials, and government representative. The lecture covered the history of food containers, the process from filling the containers with food to consumption, and the technical aspects involved, thereby deepening their understanding of food containers.

Scene from the lecture in September 2022

Supporting the Production of Canned Mackerel Sourced Entirely from Miyagi Prefecture

Toyo Seikan has shown its support for a joint project by second-year students of Miyagi Prefectural Fisheries High School and STI Food Holdings, a seafood processing company, to produce canned mackerel. The company provided cans and lids for project and delivered lectures to the students on the process of canning. All ingredients and materials, including mackerel, water, salt, miso, cans and lids, were sourced entirely from Miyagi Prefecture. The finished products were sold at Aeon stores in throughout Tohoku region.

Our Social Contributions Abroad

The operations of the Toyo Seikan Group are deeply intertwined with the lives of people in the local communities, making our role as community members a crucial aspect of our communication efforts. We strive to contribute to these communities by leveraging the unique features of each of our facilities and by understanding and respecting the social conditions, cultures, and customsof each country. Here, we present some of the social contribution activities we have undertaken abroad.

<Asia>

Bangkok Can Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

  • Donated consumer goods, home appliances, drinking water, and gifts supporting National Children’s Day, to a local government.
  • Organized a cleanup activity at temples near Rangsit Plant and on streets and public sites around the area.
  • Donated computers and fire extinguishers to schools; provided school meals.
  • Conducted blood donation activities at hospitals and medical centers.

Next Can Innovation Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

  • Planted trees in the industrial park where it is located.
  • Conducted blood donation activities.
  • Accepted interns.
  • Donated to temples and schools.

Toyo Seikan (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

  • Donated to a marathon event.
  • Donated to Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.
  • Donated to a robe offering ceremony to monks.
  • Donated to a safety manager memorial event of Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health.

Global Eco-can Stock (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

  • Donated tables to school cafeterias.

Toyo Filling International Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

  • Donated to humanitarian activities in Ukraine(toothbrushes and toothpaste as relief supplies toevacuees in Poland).
  • Collected used PET bottles to recycle into a new material, by mixing with water hyacinth, to produce bags that were donated to local schools.
  • Donated buffer sheets to schools and clinics (for use as partitions to prevent infection and as educational materials).
  • Donated food, clothing and daily necessities to disability support organizations.
  • Conducted blood donation activities.
A bag made from collected used PET bottles

Toyo Pack (Changshu) Co., Ltd. (China)

  • Donated beverages to fire departments, police stations, etc.
  • Accepted interns from local universities.

<Europe>

Stolle EMS Group Limited (United Kingdom)

  • Hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning* event.
  • A fundraising event organized by Macmillan Cancer Support, a cancer care charity founded in UK in 1911. The funds raised at the event were donated to Macmillan Cancer Support to be used for cancer care.
  • Joined a charity walk event organized by a hospice.

<South America>

Stolle Machinery do Brasil Industria e Comercio Equipamentos Ltda. (Brazil)

  • Its employees served meals on Children’s Day (October 12).

Participation in TABLE FOR TWO

Since February 2018, we have participated in the TABLE FOR TWO program. When employees purchase a designated healthy meal at our company cafeteria located in the head office building, 20 yen from each meal is automatically donated to support school meal programs in developing countries. As of the end of fiscal 2022, our cumulative donation to this initiative has 302,130 yen. We also keep our employees informed about this initiative through display panels.

In fiscal 2022, we partnered with the company that operates our canteen to support a charity event called “Onigiri (rice ball) Action” in conjunction with World Food Day. During this event, we sold rice balls and donated a portion of the proceeds equivalent to the number of rice balls sold to school meal programs.

Received the Kanagawa Prefectural Governor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Blood Donation Promotion

Tokan Kogyo’s Atsugi Plant was recognized for its longstanding commitment to blood donation activities and was awarded the “2022 Kanagawa Prefectural Governor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Blood Donation Promotion”. At the award ceremony held on November 9, 2022, 14 organizations from Kanagawa, including our plant, were honored with certificates of commendation.

Since 1973, the Atsugi Plant has been actively involved in blood donation activities, conducting them twice a year. Over the course of 50 years, approximately 2,000 individuals have participated in these activities. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the plant has continued its blood donation efforts, taking necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

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.

  • The table can be scrolled left or right.
Signed date Region / Name of agreement
July 2019 Sakura City, Tochigi
Agreement on provision of emergency supplies and other relief services in disasters
June 2020 Soka City, Saitama
Agreement on provision of cardboard beds and other emergency supplies in disasters
July 2020 Anjo City, Aichi
Agreement on accommodation of facilities in disasters / Agreement on provision of cardboard products and other emergency supplies in disasters
July 2020 Taiwa-cho, Miyagi
Agreement on provision of emergency supplies in disasters

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

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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
Donation of containers
  • 700 thousand paper cups for beverage
  • 350 thousand paper bowls for food
  • 12 thousand emergency toilet bags
Japanese Red Cross Society
13 municipalities with more than 1,000 evacuees that asked for paper containers

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.