SDGs

We have long offered free lunch as a benefit to our employees.

Nutritious meals are provided so that employees can work in a safe, food-friendly environment.

We have health management days twice a month to promote weight and blood pressure measurements for our employees.

In addition, radio calisthenics are conducted every morning.

By continuing these efforts, we are able to notice daily changes in physical condition and deal with health problems at an early stage when they occur, thereby contributing to the reduction of medical costs.

By striving to maintain good health, we provide a safe and long-lasting working environment.

Since 2010, we have been offering half or all of the cost of acquiring all types of certifications (currently over 90), regardless of whether they are required for operations, as well as a monthly qualification allowance to encourage continued learning.
Since 2016, we have also established the Showa Kako Scholarship, an endowed scholarship, through a donation to the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES), and are working to provide fair, high-quality education outside the company.
In addition, Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd. provides support to the NPO Kids' Door through a contract for the SDGs lease "Mirai 2030™" (donation-type), which is provided with support from the Japan Research Institute, Limited.

We have been promoting women's activities within the company as well as supporting all employees in balancing work and family life.

We have published our General Employer Action Plan at the Support for Balancing Work and Family (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) since 2017 and our Action Plan for Promotion of Women's Activities since 2019. In 2019, the company received a birth-compatibility grant for male employees taking parental leave, and as of October 1, 2024, the ratio of female executives and employees was 25.0%.

We own forests with a "water source recharge function," which can prevent landslides and stabilize runoff.
The function of a security forest is to remove trash and other debris as rainwater soaks into the ground, clean it up, and discharge it into the river.
Through the division of forestation contracts, we are working to maintain and improve the water storage and purification functions of forests, contributing to the provision of a stable supply of safe and abundant water, and ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all people.

By utilizing the extraction technologies we have developed since our founding, we are working to "recycle" food by-products in order to reduce waste and contribute to the construction of a recycling-oriented economy with less environmental impact.

Citric acid is produced from a food byproduct called starch cake, which is generated during the production of sweet potato starch, and tartaric acid is produced from a food byproduct called raw tartar (agor), which is generated during the production of wine.

In addition, although we are a manufacturer, we are also licensed to dispose of industrial waste (at our Kanoya and Minami-Satsuma plants), and we are working to reduce waste not only in our own company but also in the local community.

In recent years, climate change has caused major disasters in many parts of the world.

The function of forests is not only to recharge water sources, but also to absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and purify the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the prevention of global warming and other environmental preservation effects.

Forests are indispensable places where various plants and animals grow and inhabit, and where ecosystems are maintained.
By protecting the land, we are also protecting marine life, thus creating a food chain.
It also leads to water conservation and environmental protection.
We endorse the forest management plan for the forests we currently own to promote these efforts.

We have long aimed to grow and develop together with the community, and from fiscal 2019, we are working with Gamba Osaka and its youth to further revitalize and beautify the community. We also support children's dreams through "GAMBAssist".