For over 100 years since the founding of UBE Corporation, the UBE Group has sought to coexist and mutually prosper with all stakeholders and consistently apply creativity to manufacturing.
The UBE Group will continue to transform itself and leverage original technology to make products that meet the needs of today. As a good corporate citizen that seeks to coexist with society, the Group is committed to pursuing social initiatives in and outside of Japan and contributing to the development of communities.
UBE Group Guidelines for Social Contribution Activities
Under the UBE Group’s founding spirit of “mutual coexistence and prosperity” and as a responsible corporate citizen of the international community, we will engage in diverse social initiatives and foster positive community relations.
- We will broadly utilize technologies and human resources from diverse business sectors to build positive societal relations.
- Our business locations will take a central role and make certain to engage in social initiatives that contribute to the advancement of communities.
- We will actively support each employee who chooses to be involved in volunteer initiatives.
- We will pursue social investments centering on the following areas: global environment, communities, science and research, and education and culture.
Approach to Community Investment
Our business strategy is formulated based on our founding principles and UBE Management Principles. The former stipulates respect for “coexistence and mutual prosperity,” while the latter focuses on creating value as a corporate group that contributes to all stakeholders, including local communities. We set the global environment, local communities, and other areas as priority social contribution investments (community investments) based on such material issues as the environment, society, and governance.
Framework for Social Initiatives
Social initiatives are implemented under the guidance of the UBE Group Guidelines for Social Contribution Activities. These guidelines are a matter of deliberation and approval by the headquarters executive meeting, which is headed by a director of UBE and is responsible for deliberating on the Group’s business strategies and other important matters. In line with the guidelines, Group companies and business sites implement self-driven social initiatives, which they regularly report to senior management.
The Legal & General Affairs Department conducts an annual survey on social initiative performance among business sites and Group companies. The department uses the survey data to track the Group’s social initiative performance and reports on it to the officer responsible. The entire Group is made aware of the performance so that they can execute social initiatives more effectively.
Budgets for social initiatives and corporate donations are approved by the president or officer responsible, depending on the amount involved.
Actual Expenditures for Social Initiatives
The UBE Group prescribes its Basic Guidelines for Social Contribution Activities to guide its investment in various social initiatives.
The Group tracks and publicly releases its annual social contributions and investments, focusing on the following four areas.
- 1. Global Environment
- We will seek to conserve the global environment in all its diversity and ensure a global environment that is safe and secure to live in for future generations.
- 2. Communities
- We will contribute to the advancement of communities, under the founding spirit of “coexistence and mutual prosperity” that has guided the UBE Group for over 120 years.
- 3. Science and Research
- We will aim to contribute to scientific progress and foster richly creative human resources by collaborating with universities and research institutes.
- 4. Education and Culture
- We will broadly send the message of chemistry as an appealing field to future generations in whose hands we will leave the future, and will continue to support cultural activities and the arts.
Actual expenditures for social initiatives are as follows.
Total Expenditures for FY2021
Total Expenditures for FY2020
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Financial donations | Financial donations related to social initiatives and welfare |
| 2. Material donations | Material donations including the provision of UBE Group products to social welfare organizations |
| 3. Access to facilities | Expenses related to providing external access to Group facilities such as gymnasiums, grounds, and meeting rooms |
| 4. Employee participation and outreach | Labor and travel expenses for employees participating in social initiatives during working hours, such as participating in a community event as part of work duties, hosting lectures, etc. |
| 5. Other | Donations and expenses for other activities not falling under the preceding four categories |
Note: Above is consistent with the implementation procedures for Survey on Corporate Philanthropic Activities from Keidanren (the Japan Business Federation)
Summary of Main Social Initiatives
| Four Areas Covered by Guidelines | Description and Purpose of Initiatives | Performance | Detailed Description of Initiatives and Outcomes |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency of Implementation | No. of Employees Involved | |||
| Global Environment | Conserve ecosystems around business sites and conserve the environment in communities, through tree planting and clean-up efforts | 52 in total | 2,705 in total | The Group implemented the following initiatives, some of which received local media coverage.
|
| Communities | Promote a better understanding of the Group’s environmental conservation, process safety, and disaster prevention initiatives as they relate to its businesses and Responsible Care commitment, through dialogue with communities | 18 | 41 | Group business sites exchange opinions with community members concerning their business operations and the community’s future, to facilitate the sustainable development of communities. In particular, community dialogue about Responsible Care is enhancing the level of mutual understanding regarding environmental conservation, process safety, and disaster prevention initiatives, between Group business sites and community residents, the education field, governments, various organizations, and other companies. (Approximately 500 participants) |
| Disseminate information about and promote a greater understanding of the Group’s business activities among a wide range of stakeholders, by hosting visits and giving plant tours | 46 | 498 | Group business sites receive visits from a wide range of stakeholders including students, the general public, and business partners, which gives them a better understanding of the Group’s business. These efforts have elicited letters of appreciation from schools and other stakeholders. UBE also hosts an industrial tour organized by the Ube Visitors & Convention Association that is conducted 12 times per year. (Approximately 18,000 beneficiaries) | |
| Maintain lines of communication with communities by organizing, participating in, and supporting local events | 59 | 1,046 | Group business sites participated in various locally organized events both in Japan and other countries including Spain and Thailand. The Ube Chemical Factory organizes an annual summer festival that is popular among community residents. (Approximately 360,000 beneficiaries) | |
| Science and Research | Help stabilize the operation of academic research institutes and promote technology development by extending donations and scholarships as well as lending staff to provide instruction | 52 | Sent 28 instructors | The Group is helping to further stabilize the operation of research institutes including universities and promoting new technology development by making regular donations and lending its researchers to provide instruction. (Approximately 2,000 beneficiaries) |
| Education and Culture | Increase awareness of chemistry and an understanding of the chemical industry’s social contributions by organizing science experiment workshops | 3 | 39 | The Group organizes science experiment workshops to foster children’s interest in chemistry. The workshops have drawn positive feedback from participants and have been featured in local media and on television. (Approximately 272 participants) |
| Help young people to better understand the Group’s business, foster career awareness, and choose occupations through internships | 50 | 282 | Every year the Group offers internships to gain work experience at the head office or plants. The level of satisfaction among the participants is high and the program has led to the hiring of employees. (Approximately 293 interns participating) | |
| Enhance the local music culture and foster the next generation by holding concerts and supporting the arts | 12 | 40 | The UBE Group Charity Concert has been held every year since 2008 with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra performing in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. All ticket proceeds are donated to local music-related organizations. The concerts provide the citizens of Ube City with the opportunity to experience classical music in all its magnificence performed by a full orchestra, and are in line with the Group’s founding spirit of “coexistence and mutual prosperity.” The concert is enhancing the local music culture and helping to foster the next generation. (1,353 beneficiaries with donations amounting to approximately ¥2.5 million) |
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Social Initiatives
Business Site Initiatives
UBE Contributes to COVID-19 Relief Efforts
Responsible Care Regional Dialogue Meetings
UBE’s chemical plants are regional members of the Responsible Care Committee of the Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA), specifically in the Western Yamaguchi, Sakai/Senboku, and Chiba regions. JCIA member companies conduct biennial regional dialogue meetings in each region to inform community residents about their Responsible Care initiatives, which encompass environmental conservation, process safety and disaster prevention, and occupational safety.
Because UBE’s production base is located in Ube City and since the dialogue meetings provide valuable interaction with regional industry, government, academia, and residents, the Company hosts an Ube regional dialogue meeting every other year in the absence of a Western Yamaguchi regional dialogue meeting, as an annual initiative.
UBE and its Group companies will continue to practice Responsible Care emphasizing dialogue with community residents, in order to coexist with communities and for corporate growth and the advancement of communities.