Through Business Activities

Development and Evaluation of New Tactile Paving Aimed at Low-vision People The DIC Group promotes the development of colors and color combinations that can be recognized equally by as many people as possible.

Tactile pavement that indicate safe walking paths are considered ideal to have a clear contrast with the road by using highly visible yellow color. However, urban landscape designers often feel the color too vivid that does not harmonize with the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is required to develop guide blocks that simultaneously fulfill safety and aesthetical requirements.

Associate Professor Kei Ito of the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the University of Tokyo has been attempting to use two different colors for guide blocks as a countermeasure to this issue. By using low intensity color for the base part and pale yellow for the protrusions, the new blocks would not violate the landscape while securing both visibility and sign property For the project, DIC Color Design proposed color schemes that simultaneously achieve functionality and harmony with surrounding environments and cooperated in color selections for the prototype samples. We have been repeating evaluation experiments by trial subjects and promoting the project for practical usage.

The DIC Group has concluded a support agreement with the Alliance Forum Foundation, which is active in supporting developing countries, with“Spirulina Project”, to eradicate hunger and improve nutrition promoted in Africa by the foundation.

In the Republic of Zambia, which is where the support is provided, we have been working with local NGO organizations actively in the area to improve nutrition through Spirulina rationing to educational facilities since May, 2011. Furthermore, we have acquired the permission to execute the project to measure the impact of the Spirulina supplies from the Zambian government in February, 2012. We have started the efforts to improve the chronic growth deficiency of 1 to 3-year old children （approximately 60 children） in the village of Kanakantapa in cooperation with local volunteers since June, 2012. DIC LIFETEC Co., Ltd. has also provided Spirulina tablet packages with high amounts of vitamins and minerals through the pharmacists associations of Miyagi and Fukushima and NPO to support the health of those affected in the Great East Japan Earthquake.