Delivering Value to Communities
Delivering value to communities is a means for the SuMi TRUST Group to have a positive impact on stakeholders in a more direct manner. Some initiatives are Group-wide (see below), while others are being implemented independently by Group companies, like the "With You" activities (see page 81). We will look to ascertain the social value that these activities generate so that we might implement more beneficial initiatives in the future.
*Refer to pages 164–194 in our 2019/2020 ESG Report for more information.
UWC ISAK
Supporting a school that unearths and nurtures "changemakers" from disadvantaged backgrounds
| Initiative | Value generated (particular SDGs emphasized) | KPI |
|---|---|---|
| Every year since 2013, the Group has paid for the travel expenses and tuition fees of one scholarship student attending the summer school program of United World College ISAK Japan (Lin Kobayashi, School Founder and Chair of the Board), a school that incorporates the idea of nurturing "changemakers" into its educational philosophy. As of 2020, UWC ISAK Japan has accepted seven participants into the summer school program, most of them being scholarship students from Shanti Bhavan, a school for lower-caste children in India. |
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The career of students after graduating (where possible, trace the career paths of scholarship students that received assistance) |
ESD project
Innovative SDG-focused education program that sparks awareness of sustainability in the next-generation
| Initiative | Value generated (particular SDGs emphasized) | KPI |
|---|---|---|
| The Group collaborates with sustainability and communication company TREE (Masahiro Mizuno, Representative Director) to run a progressive ESD (education for sustainable development) project at mainly schools throughout Japan with the use of visual aids and ICT. Since 2012, 13 sessions of the program have been held at a pace of two per year. In recent years in particular, collaboration with local boards of education across Japan has focused on the education of teachers. Going forward, online classes and other cutting-edge initiatives will be employed. |
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Accumulation of social value generated by each program (recorded video supplied to schools, new method trials, etc.) |
Supporting national trusts
Supporting national trust activities mainly to protect local ecosystems
| Initiative | Value generated (particular SDGs emphasized) | KPI |
|---|---|---|
| Since 2005 the Group has teamed up with the Association of National Trusts in Japan and the Ecosystem Conservation Society-Japan (which has a close relationship with the former) to engage in various activities. For example, setting up a donation program to help purchase trust land, hosting panel exhibitions at our branches, cooperating on a joint display at the EcoPro exhibition, and hosting ESD programs on trust land. More recently, most of our activities have focused on supporting regional revitalization. |
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Zero plastic waste declaration
Implementing Group-wide measures to help reduce ocean plastic pollution
| Initiative | Value generated (particular SDGs emphasized) | KPI |
|---|---|---|
| In 2019 the Group declared it would aim to achieve zero plastic waste (i.e., plastic discarded without being recycled) by the year 2030. To this end, Group-wide measures are currently being promoted, such as activities that aim to encourage employees not to throw out plastic rubbish, reviewing the Group’s material that is often distributed to clients, and changing the material used in windowed envelopes. |
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All Group companies will switch totally to using windowed envelopes that use Graphan (a pulp-based material) in FY2020 |
UWC ISAK
ESD project
Supporting national trusts
Zero plastic waste declaration
