- 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 group facilities with a line. In FY2019, employees and their families at 23 group facilities all over the world 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 FY2022, the project was run in a variety of formats, including not only online events, but also in-person events, which made a comeback, and events that combined in-person and online. Furthermore, facilities in Italy and Switzerland joined the project for the first time, bringing the total number of participating facilities to 24.
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 FY2022 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.
- Click image to view video (six-minutes English video)
- This video is from YouTube.
Main facilities that joined the "Golden Ring Project"
-
Italy
-
Switzerland
-
New Zealand
-
China
-
United States (New Jersey)
-
United States (Tennessee)
-
Germany (P&S*1 sales facilities)
-
Germany (P&H*2 sales facilities)
-
Slovakia
-
United Kingdom (Manchester/sales facility)
-
Singapore
-
Malaysia
-
United Kingdom (Wrexham)
-
Japan
-
France
-
Brazil
-
Australia
-
Taiwan (manufacturing facilities)
-
Taiwan (sales facilities)
-
India
-
Thailand
-
Philippines (manufacturing facilities)
-
Philippines (sales facilities)
-
Hong Kong
- Printing & Solutions Business
- Personal & Home Business
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.
BIL continuously donates to nonprofit organizations that work to address social issues.
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 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 FY2022, 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 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 Shichigahama-machi to support global human resources development projects and to help install ohajiki artwork on the seawalls, and 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 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—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. In FY2018, the group held a photo exhibition for post-earthquake reconstruction assistance and the "Tohoku lecture" from FY2019 to FY2022 in which the victims shared their experiences and lessons they had learned.
In FY2020 and FY2021, the Tohoku lecture was conducted online due to COVID-19, and in FY2022, the event was held part online, and part in person. While the event is held after working hours, it 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.
Employees who attended these events commented; "It was a great opportunity to share the moment and interact with people from Tohoku, even online," "I feel that the interaction with the people of Tohoku is a valuable asset," "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.
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 PR partner" responsible for spreading information on "species conservation" and "environmental education" promoted by the zoo. As part of these activities, when a baby Asian elephant was born at the zoo in June 2022, BIL produced a documentary video of its birth, and also helped with gathering nick name candidates and holding a naming ceremony for the baby elephant. 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.
BIL continued to support the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Life Connect Fund* (Nagoya City Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Fund) in FY2022, and has been certified 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
| FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | At 24 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 | 44,307,800 yen | |
| The Kizuna Fund | Number of employees who participated | 278 | 152 | 97 | 129 | 105 |
| Amount of donations | 2,506,607 yen | 5,050,216 yen | 1,524,950 yen | 2,570,965 yen | 4,211,876 yen | |
| Number of pro bono participants (Brother Industries, Ltd.) | Target | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Achievement | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
