A Message from the Head of the ESG Unit
We are working to leverage the capabilities of all employees to further enhance sustainability for the DIC Group.
Kuniko Torayama
Executive Officer
Head of ESG Unit, In Charge of Diversity
The DIC Group has now embarked on the second year of its DIC Vision 2030 long-term management plan. Sustainability has been positioned more prominently under this plan, as evidenced by its basic policy, which places a priority on two central goals—“Build a business portfolio that contributes to sustainable prosperity for society” and “Help achieve sustainability for the global environment and for society”—through the Group’s business activities. The Group’s sustainability program encompasses initiatives in line with themes in three categories, which are outlined below.
Three Categories: Sustainable Products, Climate Change and Circular Economy
In the first category, Products, we are working to increase sales of sustainable products, that is, products that contribute to the resolution of social imperatives, to 60% of net sales by fiscal year 2030. Themes include determining what qualifies a product as sustainable and what we can provide to customers through our business activities. I look forward to working with Group employees to achieve this target, bearing in mind of course that sustainable products must evolve with the rapidly changing times.
The second category centers on our initiatives to address climate change. Of particular note, we are actively shifting to green power to meet our target of reducing Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 50% from the fiscal year 2013 level by fiscal year 2030. We are also accelerating efforts with a view to revising manufacturing processes, promoting electrification and, over the long term, generating our own clean energy. We of course understand that day-to-day energy-saving initiatives at sites not exclusively involved in production, including processing facilities and offices, are also indispensable and will continue working and sharing know-how with Group companies around the world.
The third category involves initiatives aimed at responding to and helping to realize a circular economy. Cognizance of this as an issue is increasing in many regions. For example, the European Commission has adopted a new Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe. We will closely monitor the situation to determine whether our regional targets require updating, or rather simply that the speed with which such targets are achieved will vary. At the same time, we will focus on the early practical implementation of DIC’s new closed-loop recycling system for polystyrene.
Improving Job Satisfaction and Productivity by Shining a Spotlight on Employee Competencies
Through measures to encourage diversity spearheaded by the Work Style Revolution (WSR) 2020 Committee, which began with the objective of improving job satisfaction and productivity, in Japan we are working to advance career opportunities for women and to improve our ability to retain and effectively utilize employees who are not Japanese nationals. In fiscal year 2022, we launched a project designed to shine a spotlight on employee competencies. We then developed training and e-learning programs to help employees better reflect project findings in their own work. We also introduced one-on-one meetings between employees and their supervisors aimed at realizing more effective work styles. I am confident that these efforts will go a long way to boosting employee job satisfaction and inspiring a sense of well-being.
Slow and steady wins the race. Recognizing that day-to-day initiatives may not yield immediate results, I will nevertheless press ahead with such initiatives, working together with colleagues from across the DIC Group as a cohesive unit, in the firm belief that the accumulation of such initiatives will help change not only DIC but society itself.
