Sustainability

Sustainability Initiatives

Message from Chief Sustainability Officer

Toward the Realization of a Sustainable Society

Noboru Yamanishi
Teijin Group Executive Officer
Chief Sustainability Officer

In recent years it seems as though not a day goes by when the word "sustainability" does not appear in newspapers and other media. I am always a little puzzled, however, because the word is often used without a subject. What exactly is it that must be sustained? Thinking about this question, I understand that the subject must be the society in which we live. So, what is the starting point of this social sustainability?

The origin of sustainability in Europe apparently was the issue of unemployment among young people in the 1990s. Since European society could not be sustained if the matter were left untouched, not only governments but companies also set about tackling the youth unemployment issue. Every person constitutes an essential asset for society. Therefore, since companies were handling social assets, they had to accept the accompanying responsibility. Companies educate and train people and then have them create value. Accordingly, I believe that human rights definitely lie at the root of social sustainability.

Besides human rights, our business would not survive without the sustainability of suppliers. In addition, in the supply of goods and services, it would be inexcusable if they were harmful to people. Furthermore, in the process from producing the goods and services that we supply to delivering them to the customer, the emission of much carbon dioxide would mean that we were cohorts in bringing about climate change.

In this way, to sustain society, steady efforts are necessary to solve multiple problems one by one. The Teijin Group intends to contribute to the sustainability of society by continuing to challenge issues around the clock in our effort to enhance the quality of life, which is our corporate philosophy.

Based on the following sustainability policies, the Teijin Group contributes to the development of a sustainable world through efforts to address its material issues, focusing on people.

We have organized the opportunities and risks the Teijin Group faces, and established a sustainable management base to promote sustainability initiatives.

We introduce the five material issues of the Teijin Group, and the key performance indicators (KPIs) and target values.

The Teijin Group creates new value and provides it to society through three solutions that leverage its strengths.