Toshiba Group positions environmental communication as one of the activities of “Enhancement of the basis of environmental management” under the Seventh Environmental Action Plan and is promoting activities centered on “External communication” and “Networking with stakeholders.” In terms of “External communication,” we disclose the latest information mainly on Toshiba Group Environment Website because we consider disclosing Toshiba Group’s environmental initiatives to stakeholders in a timely manner important. For “Networking with stakeholders,” we promote activities with the action goal of promoting communication activities suitable for the age of the new normal to create networks with stakeholders, based on collaboration with communities and organizations at each site worldwide, such as local residents, NPOs, NGOs, and administrative offices as well as among employees.
External communication
Toshiba Group had issued the Environmental Report since FY1998 and the CSR Report since FY2004. In FY2020 and FY2021, we integrated these reports into the Sustainability Report. In FY2022, in an attempt to disclose information in a more timely manner, we discontinued issuing information in a report format and have been disclosing Toshiba Group’s comprehensive environment related information on Toshiba Group Environment Website. In addition, we disclose information on our latest initiatives reflecting global trends through advertisements and exhibitions.
Networking with stakeholders
Toshiba Group considers it is important to improve environmental awareness and to contribute to solving various environmental issues through communication with communities and organizations, such as local residents, NPOs, NGOs, and administrative offices as well as through collaboration among employees. In FY2021, we carried out approximately 250 environmental activities with stakeholders in 14 countries around the world, under the five activity themes of energy, resources, chemical substances, water, and nature. All the participants united to think about the importance of environmental conservation and contribute to solving environmental issues rooted in society and community such as saving energy, resource circulation, and biodiversity, while enjoying relation building with each other.
Case 1: Health Up, Carbon Down campaign (Main activity theme: Energy)
Toshiba Electronics Korea Corporation (Korea)
In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toshiba Electronics Korea Corporation conducted a non-face-to-face decarbonization campaign targeting all employees including the president. Each of the 39 participants had the goal of walking 70,000 steps during the campaign period (2 weeks), aiming not only to improve their health, but also suppress the overuse of automobiles and elevators. The steps of employees who failed to achieve their target numbers were covered by other employees and they took a total of 3,854,713 steps as a result. This figure is far beyond the target steps of 39 persons, 2,730,000 steps, contributing to a CO2 reduction of around 651 kg (company calculation).
Employees actively walking
Case 2: PET to PPE activity (Main activity theme: Resources)
Toshiba Semiconductor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Toshiba Lighting Components (Thailand) Ltd.
In response to the shortage of medical suits worn by healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each of Toshiba Semiconductor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Toshiba Lighting Components (Thailand) Ltd. carried out an activity in which they recycled PET bottles collected from the houses of their employees and company premises into PPE medical suits through local recycling business operators. Toshiba Semiconductor (Thailand) collected 8,731 PET bottles and recycled them into 485 medical suits, while Toshiba Lighting Components (Thailand) collected 374 PET bottles and recycled them into 20 medical suits.
Toshiba Semiconductor (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Toshiba Lighting Components (Thailand) Ltd.
Case 3: Kitahanagawa River cleaning activity (Main activity theme: Water)
Japan Semiconductor Corporation Oita Operations (Japan)
Oita Operations takes the water of Onogawa River flowing nearby and discharges waste water from the operations into Kitahanagawa River. Under its principle of making water used in its operations cleaner than that received before returning it to the river, Oita Operations conducts strict waste water management and at the same time, cleans Kitahanagawa River periodically. In FY2021, the operations narrowed down the number of participant employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic and collected seven 45 liter garbage bags' worth of refuse. Oita Operations also conducts firefly conservation activities at Kitahaganawa River and regularly performs observational studies of the fireflies.
Employees cleaning Kitabanagawa River
Observational study of fireflies
Case 4: Participating in the Plant-A-Tree program (Main activity theme: Nature)
Toshiba Tec Singapore Pte Ltd. (Singapore)
A total of 33 volunteers from Toshiba and e-waste partners (18 companies) took part in the “Plant-A-Tree” program hosted jointly by the National Parks Board of Singapore and Garden City Fund for the purpose of promoting greening of the country. This year, the program was held at the seaside park, Changi Beach Park, located next to Changi Airport, the gateway to Singapore, and the team planted 11 native tree species including Memecylon Ovatum, which is facing extinction, along the park.
Planting 11 species of trees
Case 5: Environmental online education for employees and their families (Main activity theme: Environment in general)
Toshiba JSW Power Systems Pvt. Ltd. (India)
In June, the month of World Environment Day, Toshiba JSW Power Systems Pvt. Ltd. provided separate online education courses to approximately 150 employees and approximately 250 employees and their families for the purpose of improving environmental awareness. In the education for employees, TJPS’s employees and the employees of another Japanese company in India introduced examples of activities on broad themes of energy, resources, and water with each other and they held a training session. In the education for employees and their families, the company called for actions related to saving water, saving electricity, and sorting waste.
Taking the class online
Family members participating in the class
Case 6: FY2021 Toshiba Group Environment Seminar for employees (Main activity theme: Environment in general)
Toshiba Corporation (Japan)
Toshiba Corporation held an online event for members of the environmental department within Toshiba Group, titled “FY2021 Toshiba Group Environmental Seminar.” The participants shared examples of activities by Toshiba Group companies regarding the three measures stated in the Group’s long-term vision, Environmental Future Vision 2050, which are ‘response to climate change’, ‘response to the circular economy,’ and ‘consideration of ecosystems.’ In addition, Mr. Yudai Maeda of SIGMAXYZ Holdings Inc. (then Executive Editor of EnergyShift). was invited as an external lecturer to the seminar who gave a lecture on the decarbonization trends of countries around the world with the theme of “Why is the world heading toward decarbonization.” Approximately 350 people participated that day and they confirmed with each other the importance of the Group being united to work to strengthen environmental management.
Participants interacting with each other online
Lecturer Mr. Yudai Maeda
Case 7: Environmental education program for children (Main activity theme: Environment in general)
Toshiba Corporation (Japan)
Toshiba Corporation collaborates with the Association of Corporation and Education, an NPO that specializes in developing classroom lectures with companies, to hold environmental education programs for children at elementary schools around Tokyo and in communities where Toshiba Group has business and production sites, and branch offices as well as at event sites across the country.
In these programs, we raise children's awareness of global warming, resource depletion, and other environmental issues that seriously affect people's lives. We also introduce various scientific technologies to help solve such issues. By doing so, we encourage children to consider environmental issues, explore ways to help society, and take action as members of society.
The content of these programs is linked to the elementary school curriculum guidelines and is suitable for science, social studies, and general education classes. The program places importance on experiments, group activities, and active communication with teachers in order for children to learn about initiatives and technologies that have been developed to resolve environmental issues, while having fun.
In FY2021, we held two programs, “What's on the other side of the power outlet?” (Theme: Energy) and “A mysterious material that controls electricity!? — Discovery and use of semiconductors and learning how to use energy” (Theme: Semiconductors). The children who will take part in the development of a sustainable society in the future and teachers actively exchanged views during this opportunity to think about what they can do now and what they can do 10 and 20 years from now.
In the program with the theme of energy, children learned the characteristics of various power generation methods, including wind power generation, geothermal power generation, solar power generation, and thermal power generation, while doing experiments.
In the program with the theme of semiconductors, children completed electronic crafts to help them understand that semiconductors can contribute to saving energy in products and they learned that the environment is taken into consideration during manufacturing.