Social Contribution Activities based on the Sumitomo Business Philosophy
Rooted in the Sumitomo Business Philosophy developed over 400 years, the Sumitomo Rubber Group is promoting various social contribution activities across the Group as a responsible corporate citizen.
In particular, the “GENKI” (vibrant) volunteer projects that started as activities to help realize a society in which everyone can thrive have been carried out for over 30 years at business sites across the country, and a total of about 16,000 employees and their families participate in various activities each year.
Looking ahead, we will continue to proactively implement activities to make the earth and local communities GENKI (vibrant) based on the concept of “Relationship Between Company & Society” as defined by our Code of Conduct.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries CSR Fund, an employee fundraising system
The Sumitomo Rubber Group
The Sumitomo Rubber Industries CSR Fund was established to provide financial assistance to NPOs working to solve global environmental and social issues, intending to support regional communities and foster coexistence within them.
Following its establishment in 2009, the Fund began providing grants in 2010 to eight organizations, including environmental advocates, traffic safety groups, disaster aid groups and others striving to resolve region-specific social issues.
In fiscal 2023, we granted ¥14.70 million to 56 organizations, and total of approximately ¥130 million to 567 organizations.
Ratio of Enrollment in the CSR Fund (December 2022)
Cumulative Total Amount of Subsidies Provided by the Sumitomo Rubber Industries CSR Fund (Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., non-consolidated)
Examples of Recipients Subsidized by the Fund
We support organizations involved with various activities, including a non-profit organization that works to protect the Oyodo River and surrounding environment in Miyakonojo City, a society which works to protect rare species in Tamba City and an organization which runs activities in Kobe City to get children interested in the environment through science experiments.
We also use our CSR fund for various collaborative activities, donations and sponsorships.
Members of NPO cleaning traffic signs to contribute to traffic safety
A member of NPO which provides people with disabilities with mobility assistance for hospital visits, etc., escorting a user
Cooperation with NGOs and NPOs
The Sumitomo Rubber Group
We promote interaction and dialogue with diverse stakeholders by, for example, working in partnership with NGOs and NPOs.
Our business bases acquire information regarding the local need for volunteers via NPOs operating in surrounding communities. This information, in turn, helps us encourage a growing number of employees to participate in volunteer activities. In addition, we cooperate with these partners to take on cleanup activities covering neighboring rivers, the preservation of “satoyama” and other environmental protection initiatives as well as collaborative activities aimed at addressing region-specific issues.
Looking ahead, we will continue to create a place for both NPOs and our employees to encounter and learn from each other as part of efforts to expand the scope of partnerships.
A cleanup activity at the Suma Bathing Beach
Dialogue and Collaboration with Local Citizen Organizations
The Sumitomo Rubber Group
At the Sumitomo Rubber Group, a dedicated contact in place at each business base, along with the General Affairs Dept., is proactively playing a principal role in promoting communication and collaboration with local community residents and citizen organizations. We also endeavor to deepen relationships with local communities and, to this end, promote dialogue by, for example, inviting a diverse range of stakeholders to join factory tours and attend information exchange meetings so that they can understand our approach to manufacturing and appreciate our technologies. Through these dialogue initiatives, we strive to assess the impact of our business activities on neighboring communities and identify issues to be addressed while using the stakeholder perspective.
Stakeholder opinions and other inputs gleaned via dialogue are relayed to relevant departments as necessary and examined by the Management Meeting. We then provide each contact with feedback and otherwise utilize these inputs to improve our services and inform activities aimed at creating societal and economic value.
Locally-Rooted Activities
The Sumitomo Rubber Group
In the course of promoting social contribution activities, the Sumitomo Rubber Group takes an approach that develops deep root in local communities surrounding its factories and other business bases. To this end, employees take the initiative to host events aimed at interacting with residents of these communities in order to create an environment conducive to mutual understanding and develop robust relationship of trust with them. Building on this relationship, we strive to resolve issues confronting each community.
Interaction with Residents of Communities Near Our Factories
The Nagoya Factory, which is based in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, cooperates with the municipality-led traffic safety campaigns that are held quarterly. Specifically, these campaigns involve factory staff who serve as volunteer patrol members standing in position with signs and banners along city roads, including in front of the factory gates and at major crossings within Toyota City, in order to encourage drivers passing by to observe safe driving practices.
Meanwhile, employees at the Izumiotsu Factory formed a street observation team in 2010 to protect local children from traffic accidents. These employees take turns monthly to stand guard at three nearby crossings that children use when walking to school.
Nagoya Factory employees campaigning for traffic safety in spring 2019
Placing Wasp Traps at Neighborhood Kindergartens, etc. (Shirakawa Factory)
The Shirakawa Factory strives to contribute to the development of a safe environment in which children can play with an ease of mind. To that end, in 2013 staff at this factory began placing wasp traps at neighborhood kindergartens and childcare facilities. In 2022, the factory received a growing number of requests for the placement of such equipment from childcare facilities outside Shirakawa City. In response, factory staff placed wasp traps at a total of 12 such facilities. In this way, the factory cherishes relationships with neighboring community residents while continuously endeavoring to help create a safe and secure environment for them.
Providing Tooling Board Materials to Educational Institutions Free of Charge
Group companies
Previously, SRI Engineering, Ltd. had disposed of tooling board scraps generated in the course of manufacturing tire molds. Aware of the potential recyclability of these scraps as materials, the subsidiary considered various viable recycling methods. Consequently, in December 2017, SRI Engineering began providing these materials to educational institutions specialized in industrial and artistic design as well as to vocational training schools.
As of October 2024, the subsidiary had provided tooling board materials free-of-charge on a total of 58 occasions, with the scope of recipients having expanded to comprise 29 educational institutions in Hyogo and other neighboring prefectures. By facilitating the reuse of waste materials, SRI Engineering aims to contribute to society in a sustainable manner.
In recognition of these initiatives, the subsidiary received a letter of gratitude from the governor of Hyogo Prefecture in October 2018. In November of the same year, SRI Engineering was also chosen to receive an Excellent Award under the Sumitomo Rubber Group CSR Commendation Awards Program. Going forward, SRI Engineering will continue to play its part in nurturing human resources by supporting young people who will, in turn, be the next generation of manufacturers.
A CSR activity aimed at supporting young people who study manufacturing at educational institutions and helping them develop their infinite possibilities
Voice from a Stakeholder: Utilizing Tooling Board Materials to Enhance Manufacturing Skills
Group companies
In Hyogo Prefecture, vocational trainees at five vocational ability development schools are striving to enhance their machining techniques on a daily basis using tooling board materials provided free of charge. Meanwhile, students at Hyogo Prefectural Manufacturing College are similarly taking on the challenge of producing various prototypes in an effort to raise their skills.
Today, the automation of manufacturing processes is progressing. However, it is also important for operators to gain real-life experience in creating tangible objects. This experience will better enable them to predict the actual shapes of target items while teaching them how to judge whether an item can actually be produced in line with a blueprint and detect small variances arising from the wear of machines or misalignment so that they can make on-site adjustments. Even amid the advance of automation in manufacturing, which now employs robots and AI, this experience will prove more crucial than ever before.
I hereby express my wholehearted gratitude for the valuable materials that have been provided for use in training and will strive to nurture the human resources who are the future of manufacturing.
Mr. Tetsuya Sakamoto
Principal, Hyogo Prefectural Manufacturing College (Himeji Institute of Vocational Ability Development)
Disease awareness activities
The Sumitomo Rubber Group
Supporting the “Pink Ribbon Campaign” through Motor Sports Activities
For “Pink Ribbon Month” in October, we switch out the usual yellow brand color of the DUNLOP logo printed on the tires of racing cars and elsewhere for pink to help raise public awareness of the importance of early detection and treatment of breast cancer. Moreover, we display this pink logo on banners erected at racing tracks as well as on face masks and wrist bands worn by DUNLOP staff and offer stickers featuring this logo. In these ways, we endeavor to draw the attention of audiences to the Pink Ribbon Campaign at prominent racing events held during October.
Although people working in the motor sports industry, as well as the racing fans supporting it, are predominantly male, we believe that encouraging men to educate themselves about breast cancer is one of the important objectives of this campaign. Raising awareness among men will better equip them to urge their families, partners and relatives to undergo early checkups so that this disease, if present, is detected and treated earlier.
In addition to displaying the pink DUNLOP logo at racing tracks and other locales, we hold similar events at the Nagoya Factory, which produces tires. Furthermore, we conduct fundraising campaigns to support the Pink Ribbon Campaign and otherwise promote social contribution activities in a manner that transcends boundaries among business bases.
The DUNLOP logo displayed on a pink ground helped attract the attention of a great number of racing fans
Staff at the Nagoya Factory, a tire production base, engaged in fundraising activities in connection with the Pink Ribbon Campaign
A GT racing car, which has just finished racing, on display at the Nagoya Factory, with its tires bearing the pink DUNLOP logo.
Supporting the Education of Children
The Sumitomo Rubber Group
Dunlop Environmental Class
In fiscal 2010, we began holding the Dunlop Environmental Class at schools and other institutions in Hyogo Prefecture in tandem with a NPO specializing in the environmental field. Designed to help children learn about environmental issues, such as global warming, and think for themselves about what they can do for the environment, the Dunlop Environmental Class involves on-demand lectures, as well as classes that allow them to participate in hands-on learning and various experiments. In 2023, the Dunlop Environmental Class was held on a total of seven occasions at two places, including a venue provided by a regional organization, with the number of participants totaling 178.
Children and their parents participating in a learning program as part of the Dunlop Environmental Class
Dunlop Monozukuri Classes
Since 2009, we have been a co-sponsor of the Dunlop Monozukuri Classes, an initiative led by NPO Core Net that offers hands-on manufacturing programs for fourth to sixth graders. At these events, children are given a simple set of parts to assemble a gadget called the “Scroller II.” These programs are designed to help children experience the excitement and fulfillment of manufacturing while also building teamwork. By 2023, some 76 rounds of Monozukuri Classes had been held, with the total number of attendees reaching approximately 5,700.
These activities create opportunities for children in the community to learn about the importance of curbing climate change and the fun and challenges of manufacturing. Children’s earnest efforts to learn something new serve as a driving force for us to continue these activities each year.
Children and their parents participating in a learning program as part of the Dunlop Environmental Class
Supporting environmental education at neighboring elementary schools and preschool facilities
The Ichijima Factory, which produces golf balls, has been acting in collaboration with a local greening NPO, Kadono de Morimori Club, to support annual tree planting events to help fourth graders commemorate the joy of becoming teens. This collaboration also involves sponsoring workshops in which children can experience the planting and harvesting of wild rice varieties. Furthermore, the factory invites children from neighboring preschool facilities to observe the Sasakia charonda butterfly and to gather acorns. Through fun activities like these, we offer opportunities for children to become interested in topics related to the conservation of endangered plants and animals and the environment. The factory’s greening team is well-versed in maintaining lawn grass, which is essential to golfing, so its members can also cultivate Celtis sinensis, whose leaves are preferred by Sasakia charonda larvae. Taking advantage of their know-how on these matters, this team is also striving to assist its counterparts at other factories in their greening efforts. Moreover, when preschool children are invited into its premises, the factory opens its proving ground to them so that they can play on well-cared-for lawns.
Since 2022, the Kakogawa Factory has been donating Fujibakama (Eupatorium japonicum), an endangered species, plants cultivated on its grounds to neighboring elementary schools and providing on-demand lectures.
Furthermore, for kindergarteners about to graduate, we offer acorn seedlings that we have nurtured from the nut stage starting from the time of their entrance to the kindergarten as commemorative gifts. In these ways, we strive to secure public understanding of our activities while working hand in hand with people from local communities to promote greening initiatives.
Kindergarteners observing Sasakia charonda on the Ichijima Factory’s premises
Staff from the Kakogawa Factory giving an on-demand lecture at a neighboring elementary school after the donation of Fujibakama
Supporting career education at neighboring junior high schools
In 2021, we cooperated workplace experience programs hosted by Settsu City, Osaka, for local junior high school students. In these and other ways, we support career education for young people who will become the next generation’s leaders.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, the Sumitomo Rubber Industries CSR Fund helps support junior high school students in Udon Thani Province through the provision of scholarships.
Donations / Co-Sponsorship
As we aim to give back to society, we proactively make donations to and co-sponsor local events in regions where we have bases. In Japan, we have sponsored the “STOP! DRUNK DRIVING PROJECT” to eliminate drunk driving. We have also sponsored the KOBE MARATHON since its inaugural event as we align with its concept of communicating the appeal of Hyogo Prefecture and Kobe City and, as an area that experienced a disaster, the recovery process and lessons learned from the earthquake. Overseas, we donated uniforms to sports facilities for people with disabilities in Turkey and made donations to homes for elderly people in the Philippines. In China, we donated funds to support beautification projects. As these and other examples show, we strive to contribute to society through donations and co-sponsorship in regions across the globe.
Supporting Parasports
Today, parasports are attracting growing attention from the general public. The Sumitomo Rubber Group is co-sponsoring various parasports events to help invigorate this sport category. In addition to a number of Group employees who volunteer their time and effort to help organize wheelchair tennis tournaments held in Aichi and Hyogo prefectures, Sumitomo Rubber Industries has been acting as a title sponsor of DUNLOP KOBE OPEN, an international wheelchair tournament, since fiscal 2009.
In 2012, we also began co-sponsoring the “Dream Maker Racing Project,” under which drivers with disabilities take on the challenge of running endurance racing, and providing racing tires for this project.
Going forward, we will continue engaging in these and other activities aimed at contributing to the creation of an inclusive society in which everyone can live in harmony irrespective of the presence or absence of disabilities.
Participants in the “Dream Maker Racing Project” preparing for racing (photo taken in 2019)
Protecting Culture and Nature-Team ENASAVE Future Project
The Sumitomo Rubber Group
In September 2013, the Sumitomo Rubber Group launched the Team ENASAVE Future Project to support the “Legacy for the Future” concept advocated by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ). This project aims to ensure that Japan’s beautiful culture and nature are passed down to future generations for the next 100 years. Portion of proceeds from sales of ENASAVE fuel-efficient tires are utilized in the activities, meaning that the Dunlop brand and its users from all over the country are working together on environmental protection activities.
The project’s activities are held in eight to ten locations each year, and are open not only to employees and their families or members of the organizations, but also to general volunteers. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to hold activities in 2020 and 2021. However, we resumed the activities in 2022, and in 2023, we conducted them at two locations. In 2024, we are planning to hold activities at five locations.
