Social Contribution Activities
Social Contribution Activities
Basic Idea
We aim to contribute to local communities by taking advantage of our unique corporate characteristics, including our capacity to improve living environments and to offer opportunities for personal development. We take part in and support groups involved in activities of this nature. We also undertake our own community projects across the globe, tailoring them to local cultures and customs, and earning the trust of the international community.
Promotional Structure of Social Contribution Activities
The Strategic Corporate Planning Operation, responsible for social contribution activities, drafts policies and plans, and performs the planning and operation of activities. Having established the "Social Contribution Regulations," the Operation set up the "Social Contribution Committee" intended to define priority areas which are to be conducted by the IBIDEN Group and to facilitate the smooth operation of social contribution activities.
Five Pillars of Social Contribution Activities
Setting five activities as its priority areas, we have promoted the IBIDEN Group's social contribution activities.
For activity details, please click the boxes below.
- Protecting the Global Environment
- Fostering the Next Generation
- Contributing to Social Welfare and Local Communities
- Disaster Relief Activities
- Support for employees' social contribution and volunteer activities
Protecting the Global Environment
Grounded in the values of harmony with nature, we are conducting activities that lead to environmental protection globally.
Forest Building Activities "IBIDEN's Forest"
In FY2008, we embarked on a forest building initiative as part of our global environmental protection activities. This activity takes place chiefly in Higashi-Yokoyama, the place where IBIDEN was founded, and where the Company operates its initial hydroelectric power generation business.
1st period (FY 2008 - FY 2017): 41.0 ha (incl. town forests and private forests)
2nd period (FY 2018 - FY 2028): 7.5 ha (incl. town forests, private forests, and company-owned forests)
We plant trees, thin the forests and conduct improvement cutting in the district, together with the local public, employees and their family members, we continue to carry out sustainability activities aimed at maintaining harmony with nature. In collaboration with the local authorities and its residents, we undertake projects ranging from nature walks to community exchange using the forests and local cultures. We held planting activities 45 times over a 15-year period through FY2022, with the participation of more than 4,000 people in all, and planted a total of more than 1,300 trees. We also carried out activities to prevent sediment runoff and protect plants indigenous to the district. We will continue to work to build forests loved by communities while widening the circle of participants.
Local Cleanup Activities
Since 1992, the IBIDEN Group's domestic companies have actively conducted community cleanup and beautification activities in the areas around each workplace. Since FY2010, our employees have provided flower bed maintenance and conducted cleanup activities around the Ogaki Central Plant in cooperation with the local communities on IBIDEN's Kasanui ikoi-no-komichi walkway (for which we received the METI Minister's Award for the FY2012 Factory Greening Award Program), which is accessible to children as a school road. In addition, the Group's alumni and employees actively organize and conduct local cleanup activities in cooperation with municipal governments. Our overseas Group companies, as part of their unique activities, also develop activities to clean nearby rivers and forests.
Fostering the Next Generation
We are promoting activities for the development of young people to foster the next generation for the future.
Hosted the IBIDEN CUP of Soccer Tournament
We host three soccer competitions in cooperation with Gifu football association every year to help foster the youth through sports.
Many teams participate from Gifu, Aichi, and other prefectures.
IBIDEN Tour ‒ Learning from "Water"
In cooperation with education support groups, we have held educational tours through which participants can learn about the mechanism of power generation and the power of natural energy through a study tour at our hydroelectric power plant, which has been operating since our founding.
Volunteer Scholarship Program
IBIDEN Philippines, Inc. has conducted a scholarship program in cooperation with local government for high school students from poor families as part of its educational support activities throughout the year by collecting donations from our employee volunteers since FY2009.
*"Chovola" activities: "Chovola" is an abbreviated word from a Japanese expression of "chottoshita (small) volunteer." We call for our employees to do small volunteer activities for collection events for used stamps and postcards as well as bottle caps, etc. in the IBIDEN Group.
Support for an Orphanage
Since FY2016, IBIDEN Graphite Korea Co., Ltd. supports scholarship program, periodic cleaning, and donation of goods for students at an orphanage in Pohang City, North Gyeongsang Province, Korea.
Contributing to Social Welfare and Local Communities
We are contributing to social welfare and local communities to cooperate with local communities as well as to facilitate local development.
IBIDEN Made Donation to Ogaki City, for Future City-planning
Our company, in agreement with the aim of the "Ogaki City Future Vision Basic Concept" advocated by Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, and from our desire to accelerate efforts for our sustainable growth through public-private cooperation, took the opportunity of the 110th anniversary of our company's founding to present a donation of 300 million yen to Ogaki City for its future city development.
This donation will serve as a fund for keeping the city invigorated to strengthen the disaster preparedness of the whole city, like the enhancement of the disaster-relief system and the support system during disaster, and expanding public services, such as childcare and female empowerment purposes.
Company Blood Donation Drives in Japan and Overseas
The domestic Group companies have have registered as Blood Donation Supporters in a program directed by the Japanese Red Cross Society, running social blood donation drives to provide a steady supply of donated blood.
In FY2022, 297 employees of IBIDEN and IBIDEN Group companies in Japan, 240 employees of IBIDEN Electronics Malaysia SDN. BHD. overseas participated in blood donation activities.
Participation in the Mikoshi Parade in the Jumangoku Festival in Ogaki
Support for the Ibigawa Marathon
The IBIDEN Group serves as an official sponsor of the Ibigawa Marathon, a sporting event that takes place in the town of Ibigawa-cho each November. To support the event, we make parking spots available at our plant in Ibigawa-cho, and participate in volunteer activities as a staff for traffic control in the surrounding area and water stations.
In FY2019, A total of 50 people, including employees and their families, participated in volunteer activities.
Presenting Volleyball Classes with the IBIDEN Women's Volleyball Team and Supporting the IBIDEN Cup Moms' Volleyball Tournament
The IBIDEN women's volleyball club has held volleyball classes such as technical guidance for neighboring elementary, junior and high school students and their mothers as a community contribution activity through volleyball. The Group's Social Contribution Committee works with the Seinou Regional Moms' Volleyball Association to host the IBIDEN Cup Moms' Volleyball Tournament, and 250 members from 17 teams participated in FY2022.
Contribution to human resource development in local communities
To contribute to the revitalization of local industries, we cooperated with the promotion in the region of technology-based human resource development programs such as conservation technician training, utilizing our abundant business experience accumulated to date. We also attended an environment-related course presented by a local high school and university as an instructor, to encourage the revitalization of human resource development from a number of aspects.
In FY2022, as part of Ogaki City's Environmental SDGs Ogaki Future Creation Project, we held a series of three classes regarding SDGs for second-year students of Ogaki Higashi Senior High School. We will continue to strengthen our collaboration with the local community through our efforts, such as to support HR development in the local community based on SDGs.
Disaster Relief Activeities
We implement disaster relief activities to contribute to the recovery and reconstruction of people's lives and social infrastructure in the communities.
Partnership with the Local Government in Preparation for the Occurrence of Disasters
In November 2020, IBIDEN signed an agreement with Ogaki-City, Gifu Prefecture to allow the city to use its private water supply sources upon request from the city, should an earthquake or other natural disaster hit the local areas, creating the need to help affected citizens or otherwise to take emergency measures. We also have an agreement to make our gymnasium available for use as a shelter during disasters subject to a request from the city. As another form of cooperation, we have a system in place for opening a part of the parking space for our employees for use as an evacuation site.
Volunteer Fire Corps Cooperating Office
In December 2017, 34 plants of IBIDEN's eight Group companies in Japan were certified as Volunteer Fire Corps Cooperating Offices by and received issuance of an Indication Plate from the local municipalities of the respective plants. The purpose of the Volunteer Fire Corps Cooperating Office Indication System is that the certified offices' cooperation with fire corps activities are broadly recognized as a social contribution, and that the local communities' disaster prevention systems are further improved through the cooperation of these offices.
Support for employees' social Contribution and Volunteer activities
We are encouraging IBIDEN Group's employees' voluntary, self-motivated participation in volunteer activities.
Volunteer Encouragement Program
IBIDEN and its domestic group companies provide special leave for volunteers (a special paid leave of up to 7 days a year) as a volunteering encouragement program. In addition, the Social Contribution Committee grants awards to employees according to our internal rules.In FY2022, 18 employees engaged in volunteer activities.
"Chovola Activities" : Simple Actions to Start Volunteering
The Company and its domestic group companies encourage and host our employees' small, casual volunteer activities, known as "Chovola Activities," as part of its effort to foster an atmosphere where employees can volunteer without making a very large commitment of time. We have collected used stamps and unsent postcards from our employees, donating them to local charity organizations and nonprofit organizations. We also have collected PET bottle caps from our employees, using the proceeds for IBIDEN Philippine's social contribution activities.