Harmony with the Community and Social Contributions
Adding Color and Comfort to Lifestyles 3 GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING 4 QUALITY EDUCATION

Basic Approach to Social Contribution

Based on its Guidelines for Social Contribution Activities, established in fiscal year 2009, the DIC Group works to ensure harmony with local communities and individuals through activities aimed at building a strong relationship with society.

Guidelines for Social Contribution Activities

In line with its vision statement, “We improve the human condition by safely delivering color and comfort for sustainable prosperity—Color & Comfort,” the DIC Group will promote social contribution in three areas: Business activities, culture and education, and communities and society.

Business activities

The DIC Group will offer products and services that contribute to the development of a sustainable society and protection of the global environment from the perspective of “sustainability through business activities.”

Culture and education

The DIC Group will engage in initiatives that will contribute to the development and promotion of culture, the arts, science and education, including fostering next-generation human resources in areas such as the culture of color and chemistry.

Communities and society

The DIC Group will strive to coexist harmoniously with local communities to develop a relationship of mutual trust. Moreover, the Group will provide an environment that enables employees to engage in voluntary initiatives in their respective communities.

Principal Initiatives

CUD-Related Initiatives that Bring Color and Comfort

Guided by its vision statement, the DIC Group is actively involved in R&D in the area of color universal design (CUD), helping to bring color to life through efforts in a variety of fields.

Initiatives in Fiscal Year 2024

In August 2024, DIC revised its design standards for electrical equipment used at DIC Group production facilities in Japan to accommodate diverse types of color vision, thereby enhancing the visibility of information. This move came about as the result of a survey conducted at a site chosen to serve as a model factory, and the discussion of survey findings by an electrical engineering working group. Changes included adding a section about compliance with CUD recommendations and assigning numbers to recommended colors. In addition to reviewing procedures for selecting equipment for use, specifying the color and order of indicator lights and the color of electrical panel wiring, the revised design standards will be applied to new equipment introduced, as well as to existing equipment when repairs are made. This revision of design standards was undertaken with the ultimate aim of preventing accidents and operational errors, improving safety across the DIC Group and creating work environments that are both safe and conducive to job satisfaction.

DIC Chiba Plant

Examples of applicable electrical standards (operation buttons/wiring/display lights)
＊The photo is for illustrative purposes only.

2007–2010

Under the supervision of the University of Tokyo, the DIC Group worked with the Japan Paint Manufacturers Association, the Industrial Research Institute of Ishikawa and the Color Universal Design Organization, a nonprofit organization (NPO), to create the Color Universal Design–Recommended Color Set.

2011–2014

The DIC Group, the University of Tokyo and architect Kengo Kuma collaborated to develop new tactile pavement that ensures high visibility for visually impaired individuals and is in harmony with the environment. Subsequently, in spring 2018, pavement in two new colors—a warm orangey yellow and a cool yellowish green—were commercialized under the name Lucida®. In fiscal year 2024 , DIC began providing the brand logo and user manual for Lucida® tactile pavement free of charge with the aim of cultivating a unified brand image.

2015–2017

The DIC Group participated in a joint industry–academic research project, as part of which Chiba University, the Central Research Laboratories and DIC Color Design, Inc., gave presentations at academic conferences around the world on research regarding the color appearance of red spot colors used for printing warnings and other information on packaging and on the use of color in printed materials to enhance readability for seniors.

2018

Taking into account nearly a decade in use, the Color Universal Design–Recommended Color Set’s color values were revised and version 2 of a guidebook for the set’s use was published to further enhance the set’s usability. In addition, Japan Industrial Standards (JIS) announced a specification for new safety colors that can be distinguished by people with diverse types of color vision. As a member of the original drafting committee, the DIC Group was involved in setting recommended CMYK values for process printing and collaborated in subsequent activities aimed at advancing awareness.

2019–2021

The DIC Group collaborated in the verification of color schemes for disaster applications, including prevention-related information. This included taking part in verification testing to formulate RGB values for screen displays for a five-color color scheme developed to convey heavy rain warning levels in an easy-to-understand manner, which was announced in 2020 by Japan’s Cabinet Office. In formulating CMYK values for this color scheme, announced in 2021, DIC Graphics Corporation cooperated by not only verifying candidate colors but also printing a color chart for use in the verification process.

2022

The DIC Group published a feature article on its efforts to contribute to society through the provision of color in the Japanese-language space of its global website, providing information to stakeholders on its efforts to make society more accessible to people with diverse types of color vision.

2023

DIC began providing the brand logo and user manual for Lucida® tactile pavement free of charge with the aim of cultivating a unified brand image.

Related links

Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art

DIC has operated the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art as a social contribution initiative particularly suited to an organization involved in the provision of color. The museum was established in 1990 on the site of the Central Research Laboratories in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, to exhibit DIC’s extensive collection spanning numerous genres, including modern European and American art, as well as contemporary Japanese art. In particular, the museum is known for works by Mark Rothko and other luminaries of 20th-century America. In addition to a standing exhibit, the museum stages special exhibitions multiple times a year to encourage a deeper understanding of its collection. Another appealing aspect of the museum is its lushly forested 10-hectare site, alive with seasonal flowers and foliage, including 250 cherry trees—10 varieties in total—that blossom every spring.
In March 2025, DIC closed the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art’s original location in Sakura, having resolved to downsize the museum and relocate it to Tokyo. By enabling even more people to appreciate the works of art in its collection, the Company hopes to further expand opportunities to bring color and comfort to people’s lives, as well as to be an embodiment of the Company’s commitment to harmony with community and social contribution.

Initiatives Led by DIC’s Corporate Headquarters

In line with the Japanese government’s efforts to further science education initiatives, DIC conducts visiting science labs at public elementary schools. Since the launch of this program in 2010, DIC has provided labs for approximately 3,400 students at 49 facilities (elementary schools and university facilities, the latter as part of an event).
In fiscal year 2024, DIC also participated in Tohoku University’s Science Campus project with a lab for 40 participants, primarily fifth- and sixth-year students. Based on the theme of “Color & Comfort,” the lab highlighted how science can help secure a brighter future for humanity and the planet, and comprised experiments that involved observing the mechanism of color printing, extracting natural pigments from algae and dissolving recyclable adhesives. The project also contributed to improved employee engagement, with eight employees in their second or third year with the Company who expressed an interest in this initiative serving as instructors and assistants.

Initiatives Led by the Packaging Material Products Division

In September 2024, the Packaging Material Products Division conducted a lesson on the theme of recycling and the environment as part of a comprehensive environmental education program for approximately 90 fifth-grade students in three classes at Fujimino Municipal Oi Elementary School in Saitama Prefecture. During the lesson, instructors and students discussed ways that they themselves could help reduce CO2 emissions and students learned about the rules for separating plastic containers, including food trays, as well as DIC’s new closed-loop recycling system for polystyrene. The Company’s new dissolution and separation recycling technology for recycling colored and/or patterned food trays into new food trays received particular attention and attracted multiple questions, including how long it had taken to develop and the principle behind the technology.

Initiatives Led by Sun Chemical

The IT team at Sun Chemical Corporation in the United States provides support for the local cyber security program in the Spring Grove Village area of Cincinnati, Ohio, home to one of its production facilities. In fiscal year 2024, Senior Director of Business Optimization Chimdi Ifeakanwa, who leads global IT security, taught several classes to students who then visited the company’s headquarters, where they were given the opportunity to put what they had learned into practice at a major chemicals company. This initiative is designed for high school students and is sponsored by local businesses to help interested individuals get a head start on a career in IT by helping them earn cyber security certification.

Initiatives Led by DIC Asia Pacific

In December 2024, DIC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd in Singapore partnered with the SSA Culinary Institute, Singapore’s largest halal cooking school, to organize a sustainability activity for children at Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home. Aimed at giving back to the community, this initiative provided a unique opportunity for these children to develop their cooking skills while forming relationships with volunteers from DIC Asia Pacific. This activity, held at the cooking school, sought to create happy memories for, and foster learning by, children originally from underprivileged areas. More than simply a cooking lesson, the activity was designed to encourage teamwork, creativity and personal growth. Participating children and volunteers worked together to create delicious treats in a fun, interactive environment under the expert guidance of SSA Culinary Institute instructors.

Initiatives Led by DIC Group Companies in Indonesia

In November 2024, Indonesia-based DIC Group companies PT. DIC Graphics, P.T. Pardic Jaya Chemicals and PT. DIC ASTRA Chemicals conducted a joint mangrove planting activity. The three companies together planted more than 5,000 mangrove seedlings in Cilamaya Wetan Karawang, West Java. Mangrove planting helps maintain stable coastlines and protect coastal communities from the impact of flooding, high winds, storm surges and tsunamis.

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