Sustainability at Epson
Sustainability Management
Epson has been helping to solve societal issues through its products and services. Going forward, we at Epson will continue to work to fulfill our social responsibility and create shared value in order to achieve sustainability and enrich communities together with our customers and partners from a long-term perspective based on our Management Philosophy.
Starting with an analysis of societal issues, Epson identified four priority issues (materialities) that it should address and selected 12 key sustainability topics that it will act on to achieve the materialities. Through these actions, Epson will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the deadline set by the United Nations.
Message from the Chief Sustainability Officer
Solving Societal Issues Based on Epson's Management Philosophy
The global sustainability movement has rapidly accelerated in recent years, as evidenced by the expansion of ESG investment and the formulation of national and regional sustainability policies such as the European Green Deal. Today more than ever, companies must demonstrate how they are responding to the issues facing society through sustainability and growth strategies based on sustainability initiatives. Epson has identified four materialities, including achieving sustainability in a circular economy and advancing the frontiers of industry, as key topics that it should address by capitalizing on its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and other technology assets. The company is working in line with its value creation story to find solutions to societal issues and provide value.
In April 2020, we integrated our CSR and corporate shared value creation (CSV) activities to accelerate efforts to achieve social sustainability and sustained company growth. In conjunction with this, we reorganized the CSR Management Office to create a new Sustainability Promotion Office.
In the 2021 fiscal year, Epson, responding to demands to adopt the TFCD recommendations and demonstrate business sustainability, assessed the quantitative financial impact of climate change from both a risk and opportunity perspective and disclosed the results. In 2019, Epson joined the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), a global coalition dedicated to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in global supply chains, and is executing actions to strengthen its value creation infrastructure in line with the RBA Code of Conduct.
Director and Managing Executive Officer
Corporate Strategy and Management Control Division and Sustainability Promotion Office General Administrative Manager
Sustainability Promotion Organization
Epson established the Sustainability Promotion Office as an organization that reports directly to the president. The executive officer who was appointed to head the office has the responsibility and authority for sustainability activities across the entire Epson Group.
The CSR Executive Council, which was made up of executive officers and other members of executive management, served as an advisory body to the president. The role of the council was revised. It is now responsible for steering the direction of sustainability activities across the Epson Group and was thus renamed the Sustainability Strategy Council. The Sustainability Strategy Council reviews social trends, formulates long-term strategies for sustainability for the entire Epson Group, reviews the actions taken, and discusses initiatives for addressing important issues.
In addition, a Sustainability Management Committee has been established as a subordinate organization of the Sustainability Strategy Council. The Sustainability Management Committee studies and discusses matters related to sustainability that require specialized knowledge. This committee, which is composed of the general managers of certain supervisory departments, advises and reports to the Sustainability Strategy Council. The Sustainability Promotion Office serves as the administrative office for the Sustainability Strategy Council and the Sustainability Management Committee.
Under the control of the Sustainability Officer, the Sustainability Promotion Office and the Sustainability Management Committee are responsible for the execution of business related to sustainability activities.
Main Topics of Discussion by the CSR Executive Council Through FY2020
| Fiscal Year (Meetings Held) | Main Topic of Discussion |
|---|---|
| 2016 (3) | Rebuilding the CSR promotion organization Formulation of CSR strategies and a mid-term CSR plan |
| 2017 (8) | Revisions to the Principles of Corporate Behavior Establishing and announcing a Key CSR Theme Matrix Introduction of the SDGs |
| 2018 (4) | Review of external evaluation results and response to issues Improving the process for responding to CSR requests from business partners Establishing the Group statement on modern slavery |
| 2019 (2) | Joining the RBA Report on actions to educate personnel about the SDGs |
| 2020 (2) | Changes to the organization of the Sustainability Strategy Council Change of external CSR assessment indicators RBA activity progress report |
Main Topics Discussed by the Sustainability Strategy Council
| Fiscal Year | Main Topic of Discussion (Scheduled) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Overview of opportunities and risks from a long-term perspective and their incorporation in management strategies Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) review Selection of important sustainability topics and disclosure of progress |
