Other Initiatives

Serving "Tohoku and Kanto Support Meals" in Our Cafeterias

  • A Tohoku and Kanto support meal served at the Tokyo Head Office

To support people engaged in agriculture and fisheries in the Tohoku and Kanto regions who suffered damage from the earthquake and are suffering from harmful rumors concerning radiation, meals made using ingredients produced in the Tohoku and Kanto regions are being served in our cafeterias. A portion of sales from these meals, along with a matched contribution by the Company, so far totaling approximately 16 million yen, is being donated to scholarship funds established by Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures to support children who lost their parents due to the disaster until they become full-fledged members of society.

Holding Fairs to Support Affected Areas

  • Fair held at the Osaka Head Office to support the affected areas

Since April 2011, Sumitomo Chemical periodically has been holding fairs to sell agricultural, marine, and processed food from the Tohoku and Kanto regions. To date, 14 of these fairs have been held, including some held in collaboration with neighboring corporations, and Sumitomo Chemical intends to continue to hold these fairs.

Activities in Collaboration with Local Volunteer Centers

Three volunteer activities from August to September 2011

  • Cultivating land on the side of the Otsuchi River under the Nanohana Project

1. Redeveloping Grounds of Elementary School and Participating in Nanohana Project
In Toni Elementary School in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, our volunteer team helped with work on redeveloping the tsunami-damaged school grounds, removing rubble and pebbles and digging through the soil. This was organized so that the children can once again play freely in their school grounds. In Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture, volunteers participated in the Nanohana Project, in which they cultivated land on a riverside area along the Otsuchi River and sowed rape blossoms seeds to help complete the plan of filling the riverside field with bright yellow flowers the following spring.

  • Washing dishes in a disaster-hit hotel

2. Delivering Relief Supplies to Temporary Housing Units and Washing Dishes in a Disaster-Hit Hotel
To help distribute relief supplies sent to affected areas, our volunteers delivered them to individual temporary housing units. The volunteer team also helped with restoration work in a tsunami-hit seaside hotel in Otsuchi Town by washing muddy dishes and utensils.

  • Mud removal on sites where wrecked houses had been cleared

3. Removing Debris and Mud, Weeding Around Public Apartments
Our employees helped with clearing land following removal of the wreckage of collapsed houses with heavy machinery. The volunteers also helped with cleanup work around public apartments that were being temporarily used by disaster victims, clearing weed-strewn yards and removing mud from storage areas.

Supporting the Move of Otsuchi Town Hall to a New Location

  • Town Hall relocation

In August 2012, when the Town Hall of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture moved from its temporary site into its newly-built quarters, Sumitomo Chemical provided help with the move. We also donated additional office equipment and supplies.

Holding Sales Fair to Sell Agriculture and Processed Food Products from Agricultural High Schools in Fukushima Prefecture

  • The bustling scene at Fukushima's Next-Generation Farmers Market

In November 2013, a sales fair called Fukushima's Next-Generation Farmers Market was held at Shibuya Hikarie in Tokyo to sell agricultural and processed food products from agricultural high schools in Fukushima Prefecture.