Sumitomo Chemical Group: JIRI-RITA ACTION

To accelerate the promotion of sustainability, the Sumitomo Chemical Group considers it essential that all executives and employees share the Corporate Philosophy, have a deep understanding of sustainability, and work together to carry out our initiatives. As an effort to engage all officers and employees and promote this “participation by all” principle, we have run the Global Project since 2014. Via a dedicated website, we strive to deepen understanding of this initiative's established themes. The initiative is intended to spur action to promote sustainability and foster greater Group unity by enabling participants to post about their own ideas and actions and to share their views. In 2023, the 10th year since the start of this initiative, we are still promoting relevant activities and changed the name to JIRI-RITA ACTION to better communicate the idea that each action a Group employee takes should be imbued with the spirit of "Jiri-Rita Koushi-Ichinyo (Our businesses must benefit society at large, not just our own interests)." 

Initiatives to Date

  • The Global Project to Date

2023 Initiative

In 2023, we chose carbon neutrality as the theme, and, on the dedicated website, the Sumitomo Group's management executives and employees around the world are posting and sharing what they are doing and their thoughts on carbon neutrality in their daily lives and work. Posting and sharing their thoughts and actions help accelerate understanding and implementation of "Jiri-Rita Koushi-Ichinyo (Our businesses must benefit society at large, not just our own interests)." In addition, by expressing empathy and support for ideas and actions being undertaken around the world, we aim to create a reinforcing cycle of inspiration among Group employees as well as between management executives and employees.

Title:

JIRI-RITA ACTION 2023 - Shape Our Sustainable Future with JIRI RITA

Theme:

Creating a Carbon-Neutral Future through Your Action

Overview:

Focusing on carbon neutrality, which is part of the green transformation (GX) set out in the Corporate Business Plan, we ask management executives and employees to share information on the actions they are taking to reduce CO2 emissions in their daily lives and work. 

  1. Check awareness level: Check your level of awareness regarding carbon neutrality
  2. Know: Know what you can do to reduce CO2 emissions
  3. Post: Post about the actions you take to reduce CO2 emissions
  4. Empathize: React to nices and positive comments on posts from around the world
  5. Invite: Invite colleagues and others to the dedicated website and amp up enthusiasm across the entire Group for initiatives aimed at realizing carbon neutrality

  • Shape Our Sustainable Future

Implementation period:

May 8 – July 31, 2023

Platform: 

Dedicated website that Group management executives and employees can access 

Sumika ★ Stories

For the purpose of instilling sustainability among young employees, Sumitomo Chemical began Sumika ★ Stories, a new series of events held in person and online, from November 2021.
For the Sumika ★ Stories, we tell “stories about contributing to society through our business” using examples of successful contributions made through technologies and initiatives related to Sumitomo Chemical’s unique style of sustainability undertaken with a sense of purpose and passion. We aim to continue creating Sumitomo Chemical stories with an eye to the future, fueled by awareness and a sense of accomplishment gained through these events.
In fiscal 2022, we held the event four times. Participants offered such feedback as "I was able to see another side of Sumitomo Chemical. Learning more about the Company made me like it better," "This was significant for me because it gave me information I could use in my own private life," and "The atmosphere of the event venue was welcoming, and I liked how all audiences could participate using the real-time feedback system." Going forward, we plan to hold four to five events every year.

Concept

Points:

  1. Stories Unique to Sumitomo Chemical
    We use cases related to the Group’s sustainability, such as SSS, as topics and get speakers to talk about case overviews, dreams, ideas and other private matters, bolstering participants’ awareness, pride, and sense of accomplishment.
  2. Facilitation Centered on Young People
    To realize a sustainable society, going forward, young employees, who will be central to leading the way, will facilitate fun conversations in a casual atmosphere with the support of veteran employees.
  3. Interactive
    We are using a real-time feedback system as a form of two-way communication. This expands our scope of empathy by enabling employees participating on-site and those participating online to immediately share their ideas.

FY2022 Event Results

 ThemeNumber of participants
Third talk Close-up New Corporate Business Plan 277
Fourth talk The Present, Past, and Future of Inorganic Materials 369
Fifth talk Let's create an Era of Circular Plastics 359
Sixth talk

Now? Now is the time!

Talk from Digital and Data Science innovation Department: DX Drivers who can create "value" from "data"

 353

  • Use of the real-time feedback system

  • Scene from the day of the event

Sustainability