Community Relations
Our Policy on Community Relations
The JSR Group has been involved in various social contribution programs with a focus on community activities. In January 2009, we established our "Basic Approach to Social Contribution" as a policy aimed at further strengthening our activities, and are promoting the initiatives outlined in this policy.
Basic Approach to Social Contribution
1. Our Corporate Mission dictates that we make a contribution to society through our business activities. Further, we are actively engaged in providing solutions to social requirements and issues as a responsible member of society.
2. We are continuously engaged in positive social contribution activities, capitalizing on the chemical and technical knowledge and skills that form the core of the JSR business.
3. Every employee is a point of contact between the company and society. We actively support our employees in their voluntary participation in social contribution activities.
FY2013 Initiatives
The main social and community activities we carried out in FY2013 are described below.
Support for Reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake
Temporary houses onto which the thermal barrier coating was applied
Staff listening to feedback from residents of the temporary houses
In addition to support activities conducted by volunteer employees of the JSR Group on Oshima Island, Kesennuma City, following the Great East Japan Earthquake, a thermal barrier coating based on our product SIFCLEAR™ was applied free of charge to the temporary houses of affected people on the island in 2011 and 2012 as part of the support offered through our primary business. This coating mitigates the increase in room temperature during the heat of summer, thus contributing to improving the living environment for the residents.
■ Publication of "Let's Go to Tohoku," a Pamphlet to Encourage Employees to Visit the Region
Cover page of "Let's Go to Tohoku," published as an additional issue of the company newsletter
The major industries of Oshima Island, Kesennuma City, comprise sightseeing and fishing. Hoping to contribute to the reconstruction of the island, the JSR Group published and distributed "Let's Go to Tohoku," a pamphlet that introduces Oshima and the areas surrounding the island, to encourage employees to visit the Tohoku region. Thereafter, a second issue of the pamphlet was also published to introduce festivals taking place in the region. The publication helped increase the number of employees visiting the region, and their experiences during their travels were shared on the intranet. We thus maintain strong ties with the region.
Fostering the Next Generation and Initiatives in Education
■ Support for Science Education
Visiting lecture of science at Tsukuba Municipal Oozone Elementary School
One of the serious issues facing Japanese society today is our children's waning interest in science. This is illustrated by the results of an international survey that showed that only 20% of Japanese eighth graders wish to enter an occupation involving the use of science, which was 36 points lower than the international average of 56%*1. In response to this issue, with the cooperation of the boards of education in areas where the JSR Group's business sites are located, the Group periodically holds visiting lectures of science at local elementary schools and junior high schools in order to stimulate the curiosity of children, who will lead the next generation, and arouse their interest in science. Schools where we held visiting lectures of science and Fun Lab Classes in FY2013 are listed below. We will continue programs like these in the coming years.
*1 Results of the TIMSS2011 (2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study)
| Fun Lab Classes | Yokkaichi Municipal Utsube-Higashi Elementary School | October 26, 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Yokkaichi Municipal Kusu Elementary School | November 29, 2012 | |
| Yokkaichi Municipal Utsube Elementary School | January 22, 2013 | |
| Tsukuba Municipal Oozone Elementary School | October 24, 2012 | |
| Visiting Lectures of Science | Kamisu Municipal Hasaki Daini Junior High School | December 6, 2012 |
| Yokkaichi Municipal Sasagawa Junior High School | November 19, 2012 |
JSR booth
This event was organized for the first time by the Yokkaichi Board of Education and held on August 8, 2012, attracting about 150 children along with their parents. Nine booths, including those of six petrochemical complex companies operating in Yokkaichi, were installed. The JSR booth featured a rubber making demonstration under the title "Witness the Moment Rubber is Made! Let’s Make Synthetic Rubber."
■ Special Industrial Engineering Course at Nihon University
A lecture at Nihon University
As part of our efforts to promote collaboration between industry and academia*2, every year the Chiba Plant holds a special industrial engineering lecture at the Nihon University College of Industrial Technology. The course, titled "The Properties and Manufacturing Processes of Rubber and Quality Assurance," features actual case studies to pique students' interest in the subject.
*2 This is part of Ichihara City’s program to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia, and we support this program by sending one of our engineers to give a lecture every year upon request from the city.
■ Career Experience Programs
Students from Minami Junior High School gaining experience working for JSR
An externship trainee from Chuo Law School
The JSR Group actively welcomes students to its facilities to give them required experiences to become tomorrow's leaders.
At the Yokkaichi Plant, two students from Utsube Junior High School and three students from Minami Junior High School in Yokkaichi City gained experience as temporary plant managers through activities such as conducting safety patrols, gathering information for the company newsletter, sorting waste materials at the recycling center, and observing a solution polymerization test. At the same time, at the Head Office, we provided externship (training) opportunities for students at Chuo Law School. FY2013 marked the fifth consecutive year and seventh year overall that we have accepted such student trainees. In FY2013, we accepted students from the following schools under the career experience programs and externship program.
| Career Experience Programs | Yokkaichi Municipal Minami Junior High School | September 25 to 27, 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Yokkaichi Municipal Utsube Junior High School | November 13 and 14, 2012 | |
| Externship Program | Chuo Law School | February 8 to March 1, 2013 |
An intern from Washington State, the United States
In addition to Japanese university student interns, who we began accepting several years ago, a foreign intern was accepted for the first time in FY2013. The students engaged in five weeks of training.
■ Teacher Training at a Private Company
Training at the Head Office
Training at the Chiba Plant
In FY2011, JSR began to participate in a teacher training program at a private company organized by the Japan Institute for Social and Economic Affairs. In FY2013, we held a two-day training session from August 22 to 23 at the Head Office and Chiba Plant with four teachers, one each from a kindergarten, junior high school, high school, and a vocational school, to help them learn more about the basic attitudes required to do business and company efforts needed to address environmental problems. In the hopes that this training experience will be utilized for children's education and school administration, we will continue to cooperate in this program.
Environmental Initiatives
■ Yokkaichi Kid’s CO2 Reduction Challenge
A class delivered by JSR
Commendation ceremony
In order to support environmental education for elementary school children, we launched Yokkaichi Kid's CO2 Reduction Challenge in FY2008 as one of the Yokkaichi Plant's environmental activities, and as a way to enhance the plant's communication with the local community. With the cooperation of our Environmental & Safety Department, our General Affairs Department, and Yokkaichi City, this environmental program is carried out for fourth-and fifth-grade students at local elementary schools to devise and implement efforts to save energy at their homes, and to verify the efforts' results.
In FY2013, after teaching a class to fourth-grade pupils at the Yokkaichi Municipal Shiohama Elementary School on June 14, we requested the students to record electricity and water meter readings in their homes every day for six days, plan a consumption reduction plan based on the results, and to record the readings again for another six days during implementation of the plan. Children who achieved the greatest reduction in electricity and water consumption were commended one month later.
Local Community Initiatives
■ Communicating with Local Residents
JSR Harmony Festa in Yokkaichi
Anegasaki Industrial Festival (plant tour)
As members of their respective communities, each JSR Group business site promotes a wide variety of activities enabling interaction with local residents.
The Yokkaichi Plant periodically hosts a social event called the "JSR Harmony Festa." The plant also organizes tours for local residents in which, after explaining our safety and environmental measures, we show the participants around the plant to give them an opportunity to see our environmental facilities, thus deepening their understanding of the activities conducted at our plant.
The Chiba Plant participates in the yearly Anegasaki Industrial Festival to enhance its communication with local residents.
Social Welfare Activities
■ TABLE FOR TWO (TFT) Program
Since February 2010, the JSR Group has participated in the TABLE FOR TWO (TFT) program. The total number of TFT meals purchased across the JSR Group stands at 59,690 as of May 2013, raising donations totaling 1,191,350 yen. This is equivalent to the cost of school lunches provided to 271 children every day for one year. In addition to these TFT meals, CUP FOR TWO beverages are also offered through vending machines at Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. and the JSR Yokkaichi Plant. Being highly regarded for these ongoing efforts, we were selected as a Gold Supporter*4 and were granted a certificate of appreciation for the second consecutive year.
*4 Twenty-three companies and other organizations that have contributed considerably to the program are selected as Gold Supporters from among approximately 560 program participant companies and other organizations.
■ Foreign Coin Collection Campaign
The JSR Group has been conducting a foreign coin collection campaign since 2009 to assist programs that support children around the world through the Japan Committee for UNICEF.
These coins are effectively utilized to protect the life, health, and rights of children in developing countries.
■ i-project Aluminum Can Collecting Program
Since October 2010, the Yokkaichi Plant has been participating in aluminum can collection activities for i-project, a social welfare organization that helps children with disabilities in Yokkaichi City learn to become self-supporting. Aluminum cans help provide work for children who crush the cans at work facilities for the disabled, and can collecting creates opportunities for children with disabilities to interact with other people in society, and also helps them support themselves. The JSR Group will continue to support this program.
■ Donating Hardtack and Water to a Food Bank
On Disaster Drill Day every September, a review of emergency supplies and emergency food is carried out at the JSR Head Office building. Old hardtack and water stored at the Head Office building is replaced with new supplies. While some of these supplies are consumed through sample tasting or on other occasions, others are donated by some of our employees and sent to the Second Harvest Japan (2HJ) food bank, a specific non-profit corporation, in order to make effective use of the hardtack and water which has a shelf life of at least one month. This donation effort was launched last year.
2HJ receives food donations from corporations, farmers, and individuals, and sends them to welfare facilities and other organizations that can utilize them effectively.
■ Promoting Local Food
Since October 2010, Yokkaichi operations of JSR Business Service Co. Ltd. has been supporting the local community and helping to mitigate global warming at the employee cafeteria of JSR's main plant, Yokkaichi Plant. Uokuni Sohonsha, the company that operates the cafeteria, has been increasing its use of local produce by introducing menu items inspired by the seasons and local culture of Mie Prefecture. The company supports JSR Group's social contributions activities by holding a "Local Food Fair" twice a month.
Initiatives at Overseas Offices
■ JSR Micro NV: Significant Decrease in CO2 Emissions through the ik Kyoto Project*5
JSR Micro NV employees took part in the annual ik Kyoto campaign for a period of 86 days from May 2, 2012 to September 30, marking their seventh consecutive year of participation in the project. During this period, employees were encouraged to use environment-friendly means of commuting (bicycle, public transport, carpooling, working at home, etc.) to reduce CO2 emissions.
Thirty seven employees, or 40% of all JSR Micro NV employees, took part in the project, which was the greatest number of participants since the company joined the cause in 2006. Environment-friendly means of commuting were used for a total of 960 days, during which time a total distance of 24,751 kilometers was travelled, which is equivalent to a reduction of 3,604 kilograms in CO2 emissions.
*5 ik Kyoto Project: An initiative named after the Kyoto Protocol that was launched by local governments in Belgium (http://www.ikkyoto.be) (Dutch)
Employees of JSR Micro, Inc. and the staff of the Kinship, Adoptive & Foster Parent Association (KAFPA)
As part of its CSR commitment, JSR Micro, Inc. conducts various volunteer activities for the local community.
Realizing the need to help underprivileged people at times other than the holiday season, which is the peak time for donations, in 2012, JSR Micro, Inc. began donating backpacks to children in foster homes in Santa Clara County.
JSR Micro, Inc. values involving employment as a part of its community contributions, and is promoting volunteer activities by establishing a volunteer committee called “Goodwill Hunters.” The donation of backpacks was the first activity carried out by Goodwill Hunters, who called on employees to purchase backpacks and put them in a box placed at each workplace. This effort resulted in the collection of 51 backpacks along with stationery and other school supplies. To further upgrade its activities, the company is planning to survey its employees and form a collaboration with an organization that employees show interest in so as to allow the company to continue making contributions to the community.
In March 2013, JSR Micro, Inc. published its own CSR report.
JSR Micro, Inc. formed a project team called “Social Network” at the beginning of 2012 and conducted extensive research concerning the impact of its business activities on the environment and society. It took one year before the CSR report was published.
The CSR report is expected to lay the foundation for the company’s future sustainability activities. As a company that aspires to do business in consideration of the environment and society as a good corporate citizen, JSR Micro, Inc. will continue to actively promote CSR activities.
* JSR Micro, Inc. "CSR Report"