Sustainability Philosophy and Advancement Structure
Corporate Mission and Sustainability Approach
We believe that to be a sustainable company, we must continue providing value to all stakeholders while responding to environmental changes. We define sustainability as “contributing to society by creating value through corporate activity.” This way of thinking vis-à-vis sustainability is connected to JSR Group's Corporate Mission and in line with our management policies over the years.
Under our Corporate Mission of “Materials Innovation - We create value through materials to enrich society, people and the environment,” we aim to contribute to the development of a sustainable global environment and society by creating value through corporate activity. And we will advance initiatives that benefit all stakeholders—customers and business partners, employees, society, the environment, and shareholders.
The scope of JSR Group's business activities is in the process of shifting from a Japan-centric focus to a truly global focus. In order to carry out global business activities, we need to have a deeper understanding of worldwide issues and the problems faced by regions throughout the world.
On the other hand, these issues and problems can be turned into opportunities for new businesses. By actively seeking to identify these business opportunities, we are working to expand the scope of our business.
Governance and Management Framework
1. Sustainability Promotion Committee
JSR Group established its Sustainability Promotion Committee in 2020. The committee discusses and coordinates on matters related to sustainability, including policies, in line with internal and external circumstances relating to ESG and the SDGs.
Below the Sustainability Promotion Committee are four committees called the Sustainability Planning Committee, Environment, Safety and Quality Committee, Risk Management Committee, and Corporate Ethics Committee. The Sustainability Promotion Committee supervises and guides the four committees, and also strengthens and promotes their management through regularly scheduled meetings (held four times annually) as well as extraordinary meetings. In principle, the Committee also reports on activities once every quarter to the Board of Directors and undergoes supervision/observation by the Board of Directors.
The Sustainability Promotion Committee is chaired by the President. Participants are the secretariats of the four above-mentioned committees as well as company officers (those responsible for corporate planning, manufacturing technologies, procurement and logistics, quality assurance, safety and environmental affairs, research and development, human resources development, accounting and financial affairs, corporate communications, general affairs, legal affairs and compliance, system strategies, cyber security management, sustainability , diversity promotion, the Digital Solutions Business, the Life Sciences Business, and the Plastics Business). This enables the committee’s discussions to touch on all businesses and functions of the Group.
We endeavor to build confidence among our stakeholders by disclosing information on the committee’s activities and results in the Sustainability Report.
- <Major Agenda Items for the 2024 Sustainability Promotion Committee>
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- JSR Group's GHG Emission Reduction Targets for the Purpose of SBT Approval
- JSR Group materiality for FY2025 and beyond
- JSR Group's Policy for ESG Index
2. Sustainability Planning Committee
JSR Group maintains a Sustainability Planning Committee that is chaired by the officer in charge of sustainability. The reason we have this committee is that we recognize the need to respond to changes in the environment, deepen our sustainability initiatives, and continually provide value to all stakeholders.
The Sustainability Planning Committee summarizes the state and results of Creating Shared Value (CSV) activities through co-creation with business departments. It also considers corporate initiatives for sustainability, such as responding to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) and addressing climate warming and sets direction for sustainability strategies in light of the management policy, materiality, and identified risks.
The committee also addresses social contribution activities by studying new undertakings and monitoring the status of existing activities based on JSR Group’s Philosophy for Social Contribution.
3. Environment, Safety and Quality Committee
We believe “making sustainable development possible” is an important form of corporate responsibility. We therefore address the environment, safety, and quality based on the principle of “responsible care.” At JSR, these initiatives are fundamental to our business activities. Therefore, we maintain an Environment, Safety and Quality Committee chaired by the officer in charge of safety, environmental affairs, and quality assurance, who spearheads effective, Group-wide initiatives.
The committee approves plans that concern responsible care activities within the contexts of the environment, safety, and quality. It also evaluates and verifies the results of these activities. The committee additionally strives to maintain and improve responsible care as it pertains to the elimination of accidents, reduction of environmental impacts, chemical management, and product safety.
4. Risk Management Committee
We believe that preventing major crises and minimizing their effects on business activities should they occur are important management challenges. Given this, we have formulated Risk Management Policies and established a Risk Management Committee that is chaired by the officer in charge of corporate management. The Risk Management Committee promotes continuous improvement of guidelines and plans for responding to both manifested and potential crises.
5. Corporate Ethics Committee
JSR Group practices and promotes corporate ethics by setting down the JSR Group Principles of Corporate Ethics—a code of conduct for fulfilling our Responsibility to Our Stakeholders, a key management policy to support the realization of our Corporate Mission. We further pursue corporate ethics through the Corporate Ethics Committee chaired by the officer in charge of compliance.
Employee Promoting Employee Sustainability Initiatives
JSR Group implements the following activities to deepen employees' understanding of sustainability and ensure that they utilize this knowledge in their daily work.
We offer training for new employees and newly appointed managers that explains environmental issues such as climate change and outlines our initiatives. These sessions give participants opportunities to consider and discuss concrete measures within their departments, helping cultivate each employee’s ability to contribute to a sustainable society.