HOME > Corporate Social Responsibility > Message from Management
Fiscal 2008 will be the final year of New Stage 2008, our new medium-term management plan. The plan has been implemented smoothly so far, and we are making steady progress toward attaining an investment-grade credit rating, having strengthened our management structure and as we further refine our risk management system and accelerate growth strategies, measures that have raised our corporate value and that have been noticed by the market.
Meanwhile, stakeholders are showing ever-growing interest in corporate social responsibility, demanding that companies take a more serious approach to CSR in order to ensure sustainable corporate growth. In line with the Sojitz Group's philosophy of "Sincerity and Trust" with the motto "Turn Words into Action," we will refine our capabilities and boost corporate value by speeding up growth strategies. We also intend to carry out our corporate social responsibility by building better relations with our stakeholders through communication and full disclosure.
Sojitz's Social Responsibility
Sojitz is involved in many different businesses, in the fields of machinery and aerospace, energy and mineral resources, chemicals and plastics, real estate development and forest products, consumer lifestyle and IT business. We not only trade but also invest in businesses, are involved in finance and handle coordination for various businesses. This wide range of corporate activities brings us in close contact with society and the earth’s environment.
For their part, companies participating in various business processes—development, production, sales, services—face even stronger stakeholder expectations that they will incorporate social and environmental perspectives in their activities and that they will provide full disclosure regarding those processes. This makes the trading company function linking these various supply chains more important than ever.
At Sojitz, our corporate philosophy is to produce new sources of wealth by connecting the world’s economies, cultures and people in a spirit of integrity. Therefore, the main focus of corporate management should be on fulfilling our social responsibility and creating new value by continuing our efforts to address social issues through our main business.
Our Response to Environmental and Social Issues
The world today faces many problems: global warming, population issues, poverty, HIV and other infectious diseases, and terrorism, to name just a few.
Climate change and other environmental problems are particularly serious issues that are having a strong impact on daily life and economic activity. Humankind today is faced with its most important challenge: taking steps to deal with environmental problems, and passing on a rich environment to forthcoming generations. I believe that in this regard, it is Sojitz’s social responsibility to carry out its corporate activities in an environment-friendly way, by reducing the environmental burden and improving environmental efficiency.
In 1994, Sojitz started a wood chip and afforestation business in Vietnam, creating a business model for achieving environmental conservation and local development at the same time. In Brazil, we have begun a business that produces bioethanol and sugar from sugar cane, a less environmentally damaging process than making bioethanol from corn.
We have also formed an Environment and New Energy Business Development Committee involving our divisions and departments on an organization-wide basis. This committee, with six sub-committees—on bio-energy, hydro resources, solar power generation, fuel cells, emissions trading and energysaving projects, pools information from the Sojitz Group, harnesses our global network for original ideas and long-range visions and is hard at work creating new environment-related businesses.
Sojitz is also focusing on Africa as a site for our operations. Through business activities there, we hope to contribute to economic growth to eradicate poverty and to help make the region self-sustaining.
The Importance of Developing Human Resources
People are the lifeblood of trading companies, and it is obvious that developing human resources is an important element when it comes to fulfilling corporate social responsibility. For example, compliance requires employees who do not simply follow the letter of the law but who have an appropriate understanding of the spirit behind it and the background social factors. I encourage all our employees to have discussions, since I believe that vigorous discussion of social and environmental issues brings out wisdom and generates novel ideas and specific measures. I hope that their serious discussions will lead to solutions for the issues we face.
Being a True Partner
The demands of society on corporations change according to time and place. That is why it is so important for companies to be aware of stakeholders’ changing needs in their CSR activities. All Sojitz employees should display an awareness of social issues and needs, and strive to become professionals who are thoroughly familiar with markets and businesses and flexible and adaptable to change. In that way, Sojitz can fulfill its role as a function-oriented trading company, identifying various needs and providing services, and offer value as a true business partner.
Sojitz has grown hand in hand with society over the past 100 years, and in the same way we hope to continue growing over the next 100 years. To make this happen, we will focus on coexistence with society and the earth, improving the quality of our business in creative ways and carrying out our corporate activities responsibly.
I hope that this report will help establish a more positive relationship with everyone, and I look forward to hearing your frank opinions. Thank you for your continuing support.
March 2008
Yutaka Kase
President and CEO
Sojitz Corporation
