Our corporate philosophy of contributing to the world by pursuing the possibilities inherent in carbon embodies the objective of corporate social responsibility (CSR) itself, namely, contributing to sustainable development. Based on our corporate philosophy, all employees including senior management vow to make ongoing contributions to sustainable development by maintaining healthy relationships with all our stakeholders and working on environmental and social issues. Corporate Governance Under our corporate philosophy of contributing to the world by pursuing the possibilities inherent in carbon, to develop perpetually as a global corporate group, we have built a firm internal control system and also promote healthy corporate activities that prioritize compliance. All Toyo Tanso employees are provided with a copy of our behavioral standards, which indicate action guidelines, and our compliance guidebook, which explains laws and regulations that must be observed. In addition to carrying out educational activities to encourage awareness, we have rolled out this policy at our affiliates in Japan and overseas with the aim of ensuring a unified awareness across the entire group. We have also established a risk and compliance committee, and are working to solve various issues through interdepartmental coordination. Employment and Workplace Environment In addition to striving to create workplace environments that provide job satisfaction, we aim to ensure that every employee can enjoy well-being in mind and body. To respect basic human rights and guarantee fair and equitable employment free from discrimination, in addition to providing company regulations, we support all employees through a comprehensive system that includes a dedicated help desk. We have also thoroughly implemented occupational safety and health measures and taken steps to prevent industrial accidents through the establishment of an advisory committee. In 2010, we formed a dedicated department to promote work–life balance, and are also focused on ensuring that our workplaces provide job satisfaction and are easy to work at, for example, by holding annual factory tours for families of employees and obtaining the Next-generation Certification Mark (also known as the “Kurumin Mark”). Quality and Product Safety Based on the ISO 9001 standard, which all our Japanese production bases have acquired, we are striving to improve quality and are engaged in continuous improvement activities every step of the way from design and development to production, sales, and service. For these activities, we have adopted a theme of prioritizing the improvement of customer satisfaction to ensure that we are able to manufacture completely unique products and deliver the highest standards of quality. Environment We conduct corporate activities that contribute to environmental protection with the aim of ensuring coexistence and harmony between humankind, carbon, and nature. Carbon products contribute to the prevention of global warming and environmental preservation through factors such as clean energy, energy efficiency, and recycling. We focus on the environment and energy fields, in which our products and technologies play active roles. Moreover, we have made efforts not only on waste reduction and strict management of environmental pollutants based on various laws and regulations, but also on making energy use more efficient and labor-saving in manufacturing processes. As a result, in December 2016, we obtained certification of the international standard “ISO 14001: 2015” of the management system, and we will continue to proactively engage in environmental conservation activities. Community Participation and Development In Kagawa Prefecture, which is home to four of Toyo Tanso factories including affiliated company, we are proactively involved in efforts to encourage regional development and coexistence with the community, including: Fighting fires and participating in relief efforts in the event of a natural disaster through involvement with local fire brigades. Participating in community clean-up activities. Sponsoring and proactively participating in festivals, community events, and sporting events to support regional development activities. Employee Development and Academic Promotion Toyo Tanso supports the operation of the Kondo Memorial Foundation, a public interest foundation that is currently primarily funded by Toyo Tanso stock. Established at the behest of our founder, the late Teruhisa Kondo, the foundation contributes to social development through its scholarship program and to academic research through its research grant program.