Steps in Their Review
We identified issues while referring to international guidelines and stakeholder feedback in the context of our business.
We held internal discussions to review the identified CSR issues and decide which were material aspects for the Taiheiyo Cement Group, and ranked them in order of priority.
We scrutinized whether the selected issues encompassed key issues for the Taiheiyo Cement Group, and whether they reflected the expectations of our stakeholders, before coming to a final decision.
We review the issues every fiscal year for a published report.
The Taiheiyo Cement Group’s Approaches
| Category | Material aspects | Management approach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic | Creating and distributing economic value | Policy | ・Conduct business activities in accordance with our 20 Medium-term Management Plan (FY2019 to FY2021) |
| Environmental | Improving energy and resource productivity (promoting resource recycling) | Policy | ・ Environmental Management Policy ・WBCSD Charter |
| Mitigating climate change | System | ・GCCA Sustainability Charter |
|
| Preventing environmental pollution | |||
| ・Establish the Environmental Management Committee | |||
| ・All plants and branches, Headquarters and the Central Research Laboratory operate in compliance with ISO 14001 | |||
| Conserving and restoring biodiversity | Evaluation | ・Framework for Our Long-term Vision of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction toward 2050 | |
| Provision of environmentally sound products and services | ・CSR Objectives for 2025 | ||
| ・Group environmental targets and KPIs based on the WBCSD Charter and the GCCA Sustainability Charter | |||
| ・Monitoring and review by the Environmental Management Committee | |||
| Social | Occupational health and safety | Policy | ・Occupational Health and Safety Policy |
| System | ・Company-wide Health & Safety Committee | ||
| ・OSHMS in operation at all plants and mines | |||
| Evaluation | ・CSR Objectives for 2025 | ||
| ・Monitoring of data on health and safety including information from contractors | |||
| Workplace diversity and equal opportunity | Policy | ・Basic Policy Concerning the Development of Human Resources | |
| System | ・The Basic Policy Concerning Diversity | ||
| ・Development of a long-term human resource development system, a fair evaluation system and comfortable working environments | |||
| Evaluation | ・CSR Objectives for 2025 | ||
| ・Quantitative targets for diversity | |||
| ・Monitoring of various kinds of personnel data | |||
| Maintaining product quality and safety,and ensuring stable supply | Policy | ・Quality Policy | |
| System | ・A unified ISO 9001-based management system for product development, design and production | ||
| ・Taiheiyo Brand Cement/Concrete (TBC) activities | |||
| Evaluation | ・Analysis of suggestions and inquiries related to quality | ||
| ・Regular disclosure of safety-related data about our products on our website | |||
| Participating in and respecting local communities | Policy | ・Identification of communication with communities as a material issue in the Mission of the Taiheiyo Cement Group and the Basic Policy of CSR | |
| System | ・Promotion of company-wide activities by the Stakeholder Communication Committee | ||
| Evaluation | ・Management of progress and sharing of information under the company-wide action plan | ||
| Respect for Human Rights | Policy | ・Basic Policy Concerning Human Rights and Labor Practices | |
| System | ・Promotion of company-wide activities by the Human Rights & Labor Practices Committee | ||
| ・Contact points for counseling | |||
| Evaluation | ・Management of progress and sharing of information under the company-wide action plan, and facilitating negotiations and the exchange of opinions at labor management consultations | ||
Stakeholder Engagement
We strive to fulfill our responsibilities in response to the expectations and demands of stakeholders while directly and indirectly maintaining sound relationships with them. Listed below are Taiheiyo Cement Group’s key stakeholders, identified through consideration of our business characteristics and environment.
| Shareholders | Business partners | Employees | Local communities and local governments | |
| Key stakeholders | Shareholders, investors Financial institutions |
Cement sales agents Ready-mixed concrete companies Construction companies Orderers Suppliers Waste disposal companies |
The Taiheiyo Cement Group Contractors |
Local communities in which we do business Local governments NGOs and NPOs |
| Environmental (E) | ●Measures to mitigate climate change, and information disclosure ●Enhancement of environmentally sound management ●Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions |
●Provision of environmental products ●Contributions to waste treatment |
●Promotion of environmentally sound management ●Environmental education |
●Reduction of environmental impacts ●Measures to mitigate global warming ●Conservation of biodiversity |
| Social (S) | ●Timely and appropriate information disclosure ●Rejection of antisocial forces ●Appropriate allocation of capital |
●Stable supply of products ●Maintenance of product quality and safety ●Greater customer satisfaction |
●Respect for human rights and diversity ●Health and safety assurance ●Skills and career development |
●Contributions to the building of social infrastructure ●Job creation ●Contributions to disaster preparedness, and to restoration work after disaster damage |
| Governance (G) | ●Enhancement of corporate value ●Appropriate redistribution of profits ●Transparent management |
●Compliance ●Impartial business transactions ●Respect for human rights |
●Good work environment ●Adherence to laws, ordinances, and systems ●Human resource development and fair evaluations |
●Compliance ●Timely and appropriate information disclosure |
Collaboration with External Organizations
Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA)
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) was established in 2018. As a founding member, Taiheiyo Cement is the sole Japanese cement and concrete manufacturer participating in its activities. The GCCA inherited the activities of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), a sector project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), in January 2019 and collaborates with the WBCSD in initiatives aimed at sustainable development. The GCCA has established six working groups to develop various guidelines on such themes as responses to climate change, a long-term roadmap for CO₂ reduction, low-carbon concrete, biodiversity, and health and safety. We are working to build a sustainable society via such GCAA initiatives, for example by setting and disclosing CO₂ emission reduction targets for each member company.
In addition, the GCCA launched a research network called Innovandi in 2020 and is expanding research worldwide into sustainable concrete and cement, which are characterized by low CO₂, as well as into the separation and recovery of CO₂. We have participated in Innovandi since its establishment. We recognize the challenges that the GCCA and Innovandi are working on as one of our management issues and strive to engage with them.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
As a core member of the WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) since 2000 we have engaged in international activities for sustainable development. Even after the activities of CSI were taken over by the GCCA, we continue to work as a WBCSD member and exchange the latest information on ESG with member companies from a broader perspective.
In addition, each year we enroll one employee in the WBCSD Leadership Program. We have sent eight employees so far, and this training program is helping us to develop global human resources.
Participation in the Industrial Federation for Human Rights, Tokyo
Taiheiyo Cement is a participant in the Industrial Federation for Human Rights, Tokyo. Established in November 1979, the federation now consists of 123 companies (representing about 1.5 million employees as of July 2020), most of which are headquartered in Tokyo. Under its basic philosophy of voluntary management and full participation, the federation endeavors to resolve the “Dowa issue” (discrimination against a caste-like minority of ethnic Japanese) and other human rights issues from a company perspective.
