Message from the Chair of the Sustainability Management Committee
Promotion of Sustainability Management in the Kobelco Group
In recent years, the significance of corporate sustainability activities has increased. In this context, it is important for companies to pursue sustainable growth by tackling the issues our society faces through their business activities. As the world confronts various societal challenges, enhancing corporate sustainability will contribute to the sustainability of society as a whole.
Our Group has organized its approach to sustainability management into a framework for sustainability management. Under this framework, we are working to further enhance corporate value by fulfilling our corporate social responsibilities and providing solutions to the needs of society through the provision of enhanced technologies, products, and services.
Our Group’s sustainability management is driven by the Sustainability Management Committee, an auxiliary body to the Executive Council. The committee leads the implementation of the management cycle for key issues, ensuring that activities run effectively through subcommittees focused on specific areas of importance.
In fiscal 2024, the Company newly established Sustainability Management Meetings, consisting of all directors, as a forum to share understanding and exchange opinions on our Group’s major sustainability activities with executives and business divisions on a broad and regular basis, strengthening the Board of Directors’ monitoring function.
Materiality of the Kobelco Group (Key Issues)
In 2021, based on the Group Corporate Philosophy, we identified five items of materiality (key issues) that our Group should address to achieve sustainable growth and become a corporate group that is indispensable to society by providing solutions to the needs of society and promoting value creation over the medium to long term. Through this, we have reaffirmed the Group’s view of the future and mission. Additionally, we have set specific indicators and targets for each materiality item, and the Sustainability Management Committee monitors the progress. We regularly assess these indicators and targets in light of changes in the environment surrounding our business activities. In fiscal 2024, we reviewed them as part of developing the Kobelco Group Medium-Term Management Plan (Fiscal 2024–2026).
Our Group operates a wide range of businesses with production and sales bases around the world, which enhances the diversity of our workforce. We are committed to developing diversity and inclusion, respecting each other’s personality, individuality, and diverse qualities, and creating a work environment where individual employees can work actively while performing to the best of their abilities. We believe that this commitment will enable us to address societal challenges and create new value.
We have created this ESG data book to provide information to our stakeholders on our ESG initiatives in a more comprehensive form. We sincerely hope that this fosters a deeper understanding of the Group.
Executive Vice President and Representative Director
Chair of the Sustainability Management Committee
Hajime Nagara