- 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
- 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:
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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 |
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| Activities involving communities and personal development | Learning and growth of employees | Brother Industries, Ltd. | |
| Supporting activities to improve children's education and healthcare |
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and others |
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| Participating with employees in charity activities which aim to support cancer patients and conquer cancer |
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and others |
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| 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 |
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| Responding to the spread of COVID-19 |
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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 group facilities with a line. In FY2019, employees and their families at 23 group facilities all over the world participated in this project. In FY2021, each facility conducted activities with ingenuity despite the impact of COVID-19.
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 borders in FY2021 to hold online events in addition to offline events, contributing to the cause with 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.
- Click image to view video (six-minutes English video)
- This video is from YouTube.
Main facilities which joined "Golden Ring Project" in FY2019
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New Zealand
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China
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United States (New Jersey)
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United States (Tennessee)
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Germany
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Slovakia
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United Kingdom (Manchester/regional headquarters)
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United Kingdom (Manchester/sales facility)
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Singapore
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Malaysia
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United Kingdom (Wrexham)
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Japan
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France
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Indonesia
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South Africa
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South Korea
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Brazil
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Australia
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Vietnam
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Taiwan
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India
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Thailand
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Philippines
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 the Brother Group companies are sent mainly to the Red Cross or NPOs as emergency assistance while donations and volunteer activities by employees are provided in a way that meets the needs of each devastated area.
In addition, against pandemics such as COVID-19, group facilities also provide support toward preventing the spread of infections through the donation of Brother products and donations and volunteer activities by employees.
BIL also continuously donates to nonprofit organizations that work to address social issues.
Brother's response to large-scale disasters
Brother establishes a fund to collect donations from employees and expands support
BIL has established the Kizuna fund, a fund that the Brother Group employees can easily donate to through payroll deduction, bank transfer, etc., and has sent the donations from employees to devastated areas every year.
In FY2021, 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 (managed by Katariba, an authorized NPO) in the tsunami-devastated town of Onagawa-cho, Miyagi Prefecture, Shinsei, the Fukushima-based NPO, and the Sanriku Railway in Iwate Prefecture.
The donations were used by each Shichigahama-machi for installation of ohajiki artwork on the seawalls and a statue of a girl, and for Onagawa Kogakukan to provide educational guidance and to support mental care for disaster-stricken children, for the Fukushima-based NPO Shinsei to support the independence of the people with disabilities who suffered greatly from the nuclear plant disaster and tsunami, and for the Sanriku Railway "Sanriku Smile" campaign.
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
With the aim of preventing employees from forgetting the Great East Japan Earthquake and helping them prepare for disasters, BIL held a photo exhibition for post-earthquake reconstruction assistance in 2018 and the "Tohoku lecture" from 2019 to 2021 for employees, in which the victims shared their experiences and lessons they had learned.
In 2020 and 2021, the Tohoku lecture was conducted online due to COVID-19. Even though it was held after working hours, many employees and members of management participated in the event. It was an opportunity to think about what they could do as members of society and how they should prepare for disasters.
Employees who attended these events commented; "It was a great opportunity to share the moment and interact with people from Tohoku, even online," "I am glad that the disaster will not be forgotten and the stories are passed on," "We cannot be sure when or where things will happen, so it is up to both of us to help each other."
Brother will continue to value close communication with those living in the devastated areas.
Responding to COVID-19
COVID-19 started spreading in early 2020. Amid the need to deal with infected people and adopt measures to prevent infection, the Brother Group continues to provide support while applying our strengths in FY2021.
Donating nonwoven fabric masks made by BIL
In May 2020, BIL started producing nonwoven fabric masks—which were in shortage at that time—at Mizuho Factory mainly for the purpose of use in the Brother Group's business continuity. A portion of the masks was donated to the local government and Shichigahama-machi, Miyagi Prefecture, which continues to support reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In FY2021, BIL continues its own production and sales to Brother Group employees and business partners.
Art and culture support activities
Support activities for Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Since 1984, when Nagoya City brought Koalas to Japan for the first time and BIL donated funds for the construction of a stable for koalas, it has provided various support to Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, including the donation of outdoor playground decking for the koalas, the KOALA FOREST learning facility, the spring festival, and the autumn festival.
In June 2021, BIL concluded a public relations partnership agreement with Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, an unprecedented collaboration between the government and a private company in Japan. BIL is sending out messages on "species conservation" and "environmental education" promoted by the Zoo to reach out to the public widely and profoundly through billboards inside and outside the Zoo, advertising on public transportation, TV commercials, and newspaper advertisements.
In addition, BIL was certified as a "Platinum Partner," the highest rank for the "Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Life Connect Fund* (Nagoya City Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Fund)," which recognizes companies that continuously support the fund with contributions above a certain amount as a "Life Connecting Partner."
Moreover, BIL also contributed to the naming ceremony for the baby koala in 2021 following the one in 2019.
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
| FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokai Young Entrepreneur Seminar | Supported by Brother Industries, Ltd. since 2008 | ||||
| Employees' participation in the Golden Ring Project | At 20 facilities | At 23 facilities | Suspended | At 13 facilities | |
| Amount of donations to registered not-for-profit organizations (Brother Industries, Ltd.) | 8,229,163 yen | 10,699,112 yen | 3,472,020 yen | 65,014,680 yen | |
| The Kizuna Fund | Number of employees who participated | 278 employees | 152 employees | 97 employees | 129 employees |
| Amount of donations | 2,506,607 yen | 5,050,216 yen | 1,524,950 yen | 2,570,965 yen | |
| Number of pro bono participants (Brother Industries, Ltd.) | Target | 3 employees | 3 employees | 3 employees | 3 employees |
| Achievement | 3 employees | 3 employees | 3 employees | 3 employees | |
