A Message from the Head of the ESG Unit
Guided by our longstanding vision statement, we will continue advancing determined efforts to help realize a sustainable society.
Kuniko Torayama
Executive Officer
Head of ESG Unit
The DIC Group has embarked on the third year of the DIC Vision 2030 long-term management plan. The plan’s sustainability strategies, one of its most important components, have been modified and upgraded with our recent leadership transition from former president and CEO Kaoru Ino to his successor Takashi Ikeda. While certain aspects are still under consideration, we have begun to act on several key initiatives in line with this strategy, which are outlined below.
Returning to the Origins of Our Sustainability Program to Ensure the Achievement of Long-Term Targets
It is important to understand that our sustainability program did not just come into being in recent years in tandem with trendy concepts such as “ESG” and “sustainable management,” but actually dates back to the management vision set forth in The DIC Way, an articulation of our management philosophy: “We improve the human condition by safely delivering color and comfort for sustainable prosperity—Color & Comfort.” The DIC Way was adopted in 2008, and while minor changes have been made along the way this vision statement remains essentially unchanged at its core and continues to guide us in all we do. Particularly key is our belief that for a company to be sustainable, it must support the growth and evolution of society.
In the revised version of DIC Vision 2030 announced in fiscal year 2024, our new president and CEO reiterated that the long-term targets of our sustainability program, including the achievement of carbon neutrality by fiscal year 2050, that is, net zero CO₂ emissions, remain in place despite the current harsh operating environment. He has also promised to prioritize selected initiatives based on a new roadmap, to be drawn up in the near future. In response, the ESG Unit will explore various measures, including shifting to green power, with the goal of driving progress toward our preliminary target, which is to reduce CO₂ emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 50% from the fiscal year 2013 level by fiscal year 2030. The electric power needs of all DIC Group companies in Japan are currently satisfied entirely by green power, so we will now turn our attention to other regions. The global DIC Group operates in more than 60 countries and territories, and we are currently exploring various approaches to the purchase of green power that take into account regional characteristics, as well as scale and scheduling considerations, with a view to optimization and improved efficiency. Guided by our new roadmap, we will seek to drive initiatives aimed at ensuring we meet these targets and at the same time remain mindful of the importance of cost-effectiveness.
Responding to a Circular Economy
One of our core sustainability strategies is to respond to a circular economy. To this end, we intend to actively expand our selection of products incorporating environmental design and the concept of circularity. Recognizing an effective sustainability program as essential to long-term growth, we will be unwavering in our determination to promote related initiatives.
Evolving as a Group that Leverages the Diversity of Employees in More than 60 Countries and Territories
The DIC Group is headquartered in Japan, a country that unfortunately continues to struggle with the challenge of empowering women. Accordingly, the advancement of diversity is an area upon which I personally have placed a particular emphasis. Of particular note, thanks to ambitious steps such as the introduction of a training program designed to transform the mindsets of female employees and interviews with female executive officers, we achieved the target we had set for the percentage of DIC management positions occupied by women of 8% by fiscal 2026 a full two years ahead of schedule. As a consequence, the Company was selected under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Next Nadeshiko: Companies Supporting Dual-career and Co-parenting program in 2024. This program recognizes companies exhibiting excellence in assisting all employees, both male and female, to balance job and childcare responsibilities. While this is indeed a milestone and something of which I am extremely proud, it is important that we do not rest on our laurels and continue striving to create working environments that truly enhance the ability of employees to continue in their careers. I see my next challenge as being to more effectively leverage the diversity of DIC Group employees in more than 60 countries and territories overseas, which I am confident will play a key role in the continued evolution of the entire Group.
There remain many ESG-related challenges that the DIC Group must address as a cohesive entity going forward. We pledge to continue to advance and improve our sustainability initiatives to ensure our ability to achieve growth over the long term and provide value to our many stakeholders.
