- Basic Policy on Social Contribution Activities
- Social Contribution Focus Areas
- Activities That Lead to Business Growth
- Eco-conscious Activities
- Activities Involving Communities and Personal Development
- Support Activities for Incidents with Major Impacts on Society
- Art and Culture Support Activities
- Examples of Social Contribution Activities
- Data Related to Community Investment
Basic Policy on Social Contribution Activities
The Brother Group Global Charter stipulates that the Brother Group must always be a good corporate citizen, sharing our social, economic and cultural resources in all the communities where the Brother Group operates, and that the Brother Group helps society achieve sustainable development by positively and continuously considering the environmental impact of all aspects of our business operations. Based on this idea, the Brother Group has been globally promoting social contribution activities that further enhance a sense of unity as a group, especially focusing on the following activities:
-
Activities that meet the following conditions and lead to business growth
- Utilizing Brother's resources
- Not only responding to requests and expectations from stakeholders but also taking them as opportunities and proactively getting involved
- Employees can sympathize with and take pride in them
- Eco-conscious activities
- Activities involving communities and personal development
- Support activities for incidents with major impacts on society
Social Contribution Focus Areas
Activities that lead to business growth
The Brother Group had continuously conducted social contribution activities related to health and welfare, educational support, and environmental conservation so far. Activities span a wide scope, ranging from those undertaken by the entire group to those undertaken independently by each facility based on their local characteristics, and are conducted using Brother's resources (such as products, services, technologies, and human resources). Such activities not only encourage business growth but also help contribute to a sustainable society far into the future.
Examples of factors that lead to business growth in social contribution activities:
- Brand image enhancement
- Learning and growth of employees
- Smooth business implementation in each area
- Securing of excellent human resources
- Understanding of social needs and future customers
and others
| Social Contribution Focus Areas | Activity | Relationship with Business Strategy | Facility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eco-conscious activities |
|
|
|
| Activities involving communities and personal development | Learning and growth of employees | Brother Industries, Ltd. | |
| Supporting activities to improve children's education and healthcare |
|
and others |
|
| Participating with employees in charity activities which aim to support cancer patients and conquer cancer |
|
and others |
|
| Support activities for incidents with major impacts on society | Supporting areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the Kizuna Fund, a fund to collect donations from employees |
|
|
Eco-conscious activities
Under the Brother Group's environmental slogan of "Brother Earth,"initiatives are continuously undertaken in all aspects of corporate activities, including creating eco-conscious products, reducing environmental impact on facilities, supporting environmental organizations which work on biodiversity conservation in collaboration with the Brother Eco Point Program participated by employees, and conducting environmental conservation activities with employees.
For examples of activities, please see "Brother SDGs STORY—Better your earth."
Activities involving communities and personal development
The Brother Group continuously undertakes social contribution while always keeping in mind the communities where each facility is located. In addition, we also actively support activities related to personal development in each community.
The Brother Group, for example, has been cosponsoring the Tokai Young Entrepreneur Seminar in Japan since 2008 to assist young entrepreneurs who address local challenges. Regarding this seminar as one of the activities that utilize its resources, the group has been promoting employees' participation in it and involving three or four employees as pro bono workers every year.
In addition, many activities to improve children's education and healthcare have been implemented at various group facilities. The Brother Group also has been increasing opportunities to enhance employees' awareness of volunteer activities. For example, employees at various group facilities have been participating in worldwide charity activities to support cancer patients.
Golden Ring Project
The Brother Group has been promoting participation in charity events to support cancer patients, aiming to conduct social contribution activities with its employees and with a sense of unity on a global scale. In 2011, the Group named such activities the "Golden Ring Project," imagining a ring of support on a world map drawn by connecting the support activities conducted by respective facilities with a line. Since then, many employees and their families have participated in this project.
Even in FY2020 and the following years, which were impacted by COVID-19, the project has continued to be conducted with ingenuity at each facility, such as through the use of online tools. In FY2023, the project was conducted in a variety of formats, including not only online events but also on-site events, which made a comeback, as well as combinations of on-site and online events. Furthermore, facilities in Spain, Mexico, Chile, Peru, and other countries joined the project for the first time, bringing the total number of participating facilities of the Brother Group to 30. Since COVID-19 restrictions were eased, the number of participating facilities has steadily increased. The global support activities have been further propelled. Many of the facilities working on the Golden Ring Project have taken part in the charity event "Relay For Life (RFL)." In this event, participants make donations and walk for 24 hours with their team members to increase their awareness and knowledge about cancer and encourage cancer patients. Donations raised are used for new cancer treatment/medication development, scholarships for young doctors, and so forth.
Teams of employees in many of the Brother Group's facilities are currently participating in RFL on a voluntary basis to expand this ring of support, with continuous participation by the U.S. subsidiary from 1999 and by the New Zealand subsidiary from 2006. In Japan as well, employees and related individuals of the Brother Group, predominantly from Brother Industries, have been participating voluntarily every year since 2010 as "Brother Team Japan." Including independently organized talks by cancer survivors at RFL venues, a range of activities have been conducted to raise awareness about cancer. In recognition of this long-running cancer awareness activity, the Brother Group received the 2020 Japan Cancer Society award (Organization Category)*. In Germany and Austria, five sales facilities collaborated across different business domains in FY2023 to hold online events in addition to running events, which helped raise numerous donations.
- Awarded to individuals and groups who have made outstanding achievements in anti-cancer activities. Established in 1968 by the Japan Cancer Society, the award aims to encourage the fight against cancer.
- This video is from YouTube.
*: (Clockwise from upper left) Germany, Thailand, China (Shenzhen), India, Chile, and Italy
Support activities for incidents with major impacts on society
The Brother Group has been working with its employees to provide support to the areas affected by large-scale disasters around the world.
Brother's main support includes the following two ways:
- Monetary donations from Brother Industries, Ltd. (BIL) and Brother group companies
- Donations and volunteer activities by employees
Monetary donations from Brother Group companies are sent mainly to Japan Platform and the Red Cross as emergency assistance while donations and volunteer activities by employees are provided in a way that meets the needs of each devastated area.
For more information about the amount of global donations and BIL's donations to NPOs, refer to "Social Contribution - Data Related to Community Investment."
Brother's response to large-scale disasters
Kizuna Fund, a donation program that encourages employee participation
In FY 2012, BIL established the Kizuna fund, a fund that Brother Group employees can easily donate to through payroll deduction, bank transfer, etc., and has sent the donations from employees to devastated areas.
Today, 13 years after the the Great East Japan Earthquake, BIL continues to make donations to Shichigahama-machi, Miyagi Prefecture, which BIL has been supporting since the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Onagawa Kogakukan in the Onagawa-cho, Miyagi Prefecture, Shinsei, the Fukushima-based NPO, and the Sanriku Railway in Iwate Prefecture. In FY2023, BIL expanded its support to Namie-machi, Fukushima Prefecture.
The donations have been used to meet the needs of the times: by Shichigahama-machi to support global talent development projects and to help install ohajiki artwork on the seawalls, for Onagawa Kogakukan to provide educational guidance and mental care support for disaster-stricken children, for the Fukushima-based NPO Shinsei to support the independence and employment of the people with disabilities who suffered greatly from the nuclear plant disaster and tsunami, for the Sanriku Railway "Sanriku Smile" campaign, and by Namie-machi to promote community building and advance Hope Tourism.
The mayor of Shichigahama-machi expressed his appreciation to BIL for its consideration to the town, saying that BIL has acted kindly as if it were the town's relative that was away in a distant location.
To remember the Great East Japan Earthquake—From support to interaction
With the aim of preventing employees from forgetting the Great East Japan Earthquake and helping them prepare for disasters, the Brother Group hosts various events for employees. Since FY2019, the Group has been holding "Tohoku lectures," in which the victims share their experiences and lessons they learned, in the after hours.
Even in FY2020 and the following years, which were impacted by COVID-19, the project has continued to be conducted, mainly through the use of online tools. The event is attended by many employees and many members of management, creating an opportunity to think about what they can do as members of society and how they should prepare for disasters. In FY2023, lectures were held four times in total. Residents of Namie-machi, whose entire population was evacuated due to the nuclear plant accident, expressed their thoughts on community building toward restoration.
Employees who attended these events have commented as follows: "It was a great opportunity to share the moment and communicate with people from Tohoku, even online," "I feel that the interaction with the people of Tohoku is a valuable asset," and "Since we can never know when or where things will happen, I'd like to be more mindful of our preparedness."
The Brother Group will continue to deepen interactions, and value close communication with those living in the devastated areas.
Organizing Earthquake Reconstruction Support Market Events
In response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, BIL started to organize "Earthquake Reconstruction Support Market" (Market) events every year as part of its "disaster relief purchasing*" activities. The first Market event was organized in March 2012, the year following the Great East Japan Earthquake, as a fair featuring products of the Tohoku region. By FY2023, 30 Market events were organized in total. More than 3,600 employees in cumulative total have supported reconstruction by purchasing products.
In FY2023, the "Ishikawa & Tohoku Market" event was organized to support reconstruction from the 2024 Noto earthquake in addition to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the Market had been held online since FY2020, but it was held on-site for the first time in three years. About 260 employees purchased products from devastated areas.
BIL will continue to work on activities to help maintain the economic activities of devastated areas and support reconstruction.
- Consumer action to support producers by purchasing goods and services
Art and Culture Support Activities
Support activities for Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Since 1984, when BIL donated funds for the construction of a stable for koalas, it has provided various forms of support to the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens over the years. In 2021, BIL concluded a public relations partnership agreement with the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, becoming "an official public relations partner" responsible for spreading information on "species conservation" and "environmental education," promoted by the zoo. As part of this activity, BIL produced commemorative T-shirts featuring a koala and donated them to the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens to commemorate the 40th anniversary, which is 2024, of the first koala arriving at the zoo. The donated T-shirts are worn by the zoo staff at events, such as the "spring festival." BIL also created videos introducing the biology and ecology of koalas in an enjoyable and entertaining manner and posted them on YouTube and other platforms. Through these activities, BIL introduces the role that zoos and botanical gardens play in preserving life for the next generation and the reasons why various animals around the world are in danger of extinction, conveying the importance of biodiversity and the global environment.
As a public relations partner, BIL published a newspaper ad titled "A message to the newborn baby" on the day of the ceremony to name a baby Asian elephant that was born at the zoo. This ad won the Excellence Award at the 14th Chunichi Shimbun Advertising Awards held in FY2023. The ad message was written as a letter from zookeepers to parents and children of Asian elephants to publicize the importance of passing the baton of life. The ad was highly evaluated because it presented the issues faced by zoos and botanical gardens to reproduce precious species to the next generation and hinted at the future possibilities that may be changed by humankind, in addition to simply providing opportunities for people to interact with animals and plants.
BIL also continues to support the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Life Connect Fund* (Nagoya City Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Fund). In FY2023, BIL was certified again as a "Platinum Partner," the highest rank of support.BIL will continue its activities to achieve the SDGs and raise awareness for the protection of animals and plants through its support to the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
- Funds to be used for the maintenance of the facilities in the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the adoption of animals and plants, habitat conservation, and the enrichment in environmental education, etc.
Examples of Social Contribution Activities
In addition to the activities stated above, the Brother Group also conducts a variety of social contribution activities.
For examples of social contribution activities, please see here.
Data Related to Community Investment
| FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees' participation in the Golden Ring Project | At 23 facilities | Suspended | At 13 facilities | At 24 facilities | At 30 facilities | |
| Amount of global donations | 130,259,278 yen | 94,467,274 yen | 225,495,501 yen | 188,320,870 yen | 229,866,510 yen | |
| The Kizuna Fund | Number of employees who participated | 152 | 97 | 129 | 105 | 112 |
| Amount of donations | 5,050,216 yen | 1,524,950 yen | 2,570,965 yen | 4,211,876 yen | 3,696,388 yen | |
| Amount of donations to registered not-for-profit organizations (Brother Industries, Ltd.) | 10,699,112 yen | 3,472,020 yen | 65,014,680 yen | 44,307,800 yen | 42,831,730 yen | |
| Tokai Young Entrepreneur Seminar | Supported by Brother Industries, Ltd. since 2008 | |||||
| Number of pro bono participants (Brother Industries, Ltd.) | Target | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Achievement | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
