Kaneka Group CSR Report 2013 PDF Version Contents
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CSR REPORT 2013 PDF Version What’s CSR? page 2 corporate social responsibility Four years have passed since the Kaneka Group renamed the Responsible Care Report the CSR Report. To date, we have provided an overview of the Kaneka Group’s CSR activities in order to inform our stakeholders. Although people within the Group are familiar with CSR means that a the term CSR, we need to increase understanding. company contributes For the Kaneka Group to become a truly CSR-driven entity, all employees must ask actively to social progress themselves what they can do for society, and act accordingly based on the through its business as knowledge that both the Company and employees are members of society. part of society and allocates management So, again we ask, what is CSR? resources toward that What do stakeholders expect from the Kaneka Group? goal. And how do we respond? The Kaneka Group proposes new value for society through discussions with each Group employee while deepening communication with stakeholders. ? ! CSR essentially concerns What is CSR? contributing to Doesn’t it society through contributing to business. How should society? employees Employees should know their act? stakeholders and identify issues to enable them to provide new value. Isn’t CSR unrelated to Both companies and employees are members of society. Accordingly, our business? they must consider what they need How does CSR to do and how to realize their ideas. change a From the next page onward, we showcase the corporation and Kaneka Group’s CSR in the special features and highlights sections, as well as in the message from its employees? Kimikazu Sugawara, Kaneka’s president, on top management’s commitment. Contents page 3 Kaneka Group CSR Report 2013 PDF Version Contents ● Commitment of Top Management 4 ● Serving Shareholders and Investors Dividend Policy and Disclosure 53 Important Strategic Domains and Products 6 ● Fulfilling Our Social Responsibilities Kaneka Group Profile 8 Highlight—Helping to Eradicate Hunger and Editorial Policy 9 Food Imbalances as a Partner Company of WFP Corporate Programme in Japan 54 ● Special Features Highlight—Support Initiatives following I Caring for Our Employees the Great East Japan Earthquake 55 Top Management Collaborates with Production Frontlines to Community Contributions of Domestic and Cultivate CSR Management 10 Overseas Group Companies 56 Third Stakeholder Dialogues 59 II Safeguarding the Environment Proposing Lifestyles for a New Future of Energy Conservation 14 ● Caring for Our Employees Cultivating Human Resources and Creating III Fulfilling Our Social Responsibilities Comfortable Work Environments 62 Leveraging Locally Driven Globalization to Contribute More Occupational Safety and Health and Disaster Fully to American Society 18 Prevention 66 Initiatives Related to the Great East Japan Earthquake 22 ● Kaneka Group Overseas Group Company Initiatives 69 The Kaneka Group’s Approach to CSR 24 Domestic Group Company Initiatives 70 ● CSR Promotion Third-Party Verification 72 Corporate Governance and Compliance 26 Third-Party Opinion 73 CSR Implementation 28 Stakeholder Feedback 74 Producing New CSR Activity Targets 29 Editorial Afterword Responsible Care and Management 31 (Response to Third-Party Opinion) 75 Report Coverage 33 Group Product Registered Trademarks 76 Responsible Care Activities 34 ● Safeguarding the Environment Highlight— Initiatives in Biodiversity 36 Materials Balance in Production Activities 37 Environmental Accounting 38 Measures to Prevent Global Warming 40 Environmental Management Systems and Environmental Efficiency Indices 42 Reducing Waste and Preventing Pollution 44 Cutting Chemical Emissions 46 ● Benefiting Customers Highlight—Promoting Medical Advancements through Initiatives in Tissue Regeneration and Cell Therapy 48 Quality Management Initiatives (Product Safety and Quality Assurance) 49 About the Front Covers ● Working with Business Partners A childlike curiosity is fundamental to realizing Kaneka’s long-term Highlight— Improving Customer Satisfaction vision of building a more impressive and productive future. The by Overhauling Logistics 51 three colored balls indicate that we are always there for the Ensuring that Suppliers Fulfill Their Environmental and young, and graphically complement the special features in this Social Responsibilities 52 report. Contents 01 Commitment of Top Management page 4 Each employee is a part of the community. We make concerted efforts to improve our corporate value out of a keen awareness of our role as members of society No Easy Answers in Times of While it is yet too early to say whether nationalities at 24 subsidiaries in 10 coun- Change Japan’s real economy is improving, some tries. In 2012, we established regional parties believe Japan will strengthen by the headquarters in Asia and the United States, Various factors have combined to make end of this year as a result of “Abenomics” transferring extensive authority to them from global economic prospects difficult to initiatives that came into effect at the start of Japan. We must continue striving company- predict. the year. wide to empower overseas operations so we Europe remains in the doldrums as a Even so, the world is increasingly in- can further globalize our organization. result of risks from its financial crises, and terconnected, and problems occurring in one Kaneka plans to concentrate opera- is likely to continue experiencing negative country or region can easily trigger a global tional resources in Asia as a growth center growth. In 2012, China’s economic growth recession. As an executive, I am keenly of the global economy. We plan to invest rate declined to 8%, casting a shadow over aware that sudden changes are not neces- around ¥40 billion, or half of all our capital its position as a driving force behind the sarily temporary and can be ongoing, which expenditure, in Asia under our current me- global economy. At the same time, countries is why we must always have several plans dium-term plan. We will devote considerable in Southeast Asia are fast becoming regional prepared so we can adapt flexibly to new resources to upgrading Malaysian operations growth centers, with many companies aug- situations. and complementing key plants in Belgium menting their China policies with initiatives and Texas, while focusing on strengthening in the region. Change is an Opportunity, Not a local management. The United States has begun to show Threat To this end, reinforcing our global signs of a recovery. People are looking to a technological capabilities will be essential shale gas revolution to lead the American We have globalized our operations even in fields such as production technology and economy into a new expansionary phase and more since issuing the Declaration of engineering. We will thus accelerate training deliver anticipated real GDP growth that ex- Kaneka United. Outside Japan, we have and recruitment in diverse fields. ceeds expectations. nearly 2,000 employees from numerous Another consideration is that we are Commitment of Top Management 01-1 Commitment of Top Management page 5 Each employee is a part of the community. We make concerted efforts to improve our corporate value out of a keen awareness of our role as members of society seeing a worldwide revolution in the use of Safety Is Central to Our corporate value in the context of leveraging materials. For example, it was previously Manufacturing Skillset science to make wishes come true. I believe thought that it would take more than a de- that this stance is in line with our approach cade for LED lighting to become popular Major accidents have occurred at chemical to corporate social responsibility. Thus, I around the globe. However the spread of this companies in the past two years. Kaneka make every effort to encourage employees to technology has greatly accelerated, and LED believes that safety is integral to production fulfill their roles as citizens and provide them lighting is now common in housing, automo- as an overriding priority and that no manu- with opportunities to reflect on their work biles, and industrial products. Carbon fiber facturer can be strong without it. Safety is and their communities, to ensure that Kaneka has also swiftly gained popularity, transform- central to workplace practices, and we must employees are highly aware people. ing the aviation and automotive industries. maintain our team spirit to doubly and triply I will continue working with employ- Such changes offer massive opportunities for ensure safety. ees to meet the challenges of such changes Kaneka as a materials supplier. Kaneka emphasizes to employees that in keeping with our slogan of Kaneka, Our Research and development will remain they must make safety an overriding priority. Science makes wishes come true. the driving force behind our growth, which That said, we realize that it is part of human is why we have maintained R&D spending nature to take shortcuts and that the safer an over the past three years. In the previous fis- operation seems, the greater the risks there cal year, we prioritized research speed and are. Unless we act based on this assump- focus, restructuring our organization accord- tion we believe that it will be impossible ingly. This year, we plan to further accelerate to create an organizational culture that is development so we can commercialize proj- accident-free. ects and harvest the fruits of investment. Kimikazu Sugawara Finally, Kaneka will continue to engage with President the world so it can earn recognition