ESG Library
Coexistence with Local Communities
Basic Approach
The Dowa Group operates in various regions both domestically and internationally. The Group has established Policy on Harmony with Communities and, as a company rooted in the regions where it operates, aims to continue to develop together with local communities and create prosperous societies. To this end, we are working on symbiosis with local communities as a priority measure. At our sites in Japan and overseas, we actively support the development of local communities through communication with local residents, such as through local round-table meetings, support for local development, such as through support for sports and event activities, and support for the next generation, such as through the creation of educational opportunities for young people and children.
Priority Areas of Community Coexistence Activities
Based on the “Regional Coexistence Policy,” we will promote regional coexistence activities in the following priority areas.
- Initiatives to realize a sustainable society through our core business, such as resource recycling and environmental preservation.
- Initiatives to support the next generation through education for young people and children, who bear the future.
- Initiatives to support relief activities for large-scale disasters.
- Social contribution activities that respect local cultures and customs.
Initiatives
Activities to Promote of Resource Recycling
The Dowa Group is committed to corporate activities based on the corporate philosophy of contributing to the creation of a resource-recycling society. We are also involved in activities to raise awareness among various stakeholders on environment-related topics, including initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of our business operations, such as recycling.
Environmental Education about Recycling
The DOWA Group conducts environmental education about recycling at its domestic and overseas sites, including by organising on-site classes. GOLDEN DOWA ECO-SYSTEM MYANMAR, which carries out landfill disposal of waste in Yangon, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, conducted on-site classes for junior high school students at a Japanese school in Yangon in 2022. Participants were introduced to the history of pollution control and waste disposal in Japan and environmental protection in Myanmar, as well as various recycling methods for plastics and metals, to deepen their understanding of the effectiveness of recycling.
Produced the Booklet “DOWA x Unko Drill Garbage and Resources”, a Fun Way to Learn about Waste Problems and Resource Recycling
In FY2023, the Dowa Group collaborated with Bunkyosha Inc. to produce the booklet “Dowa x Unko Drill Garbage and Resources”, which makes learning about waste problems and resource recycling easy to understand and fun. By producing and widely utilising this booklet, we will communicate the importance of waste problems and resource recycling to children.
Next Generation Supports
The Dowa Group is actively involved in educational support activities in the communities in which it operates, with the aim of creating a society in which young people and children, the future leaders of our society, can grow up healthy and happy.
Endowed Chairs
The DOWA Group has established endowed chairs at Tohoku University and Akita University and sponsors student activity presentation events held by each university. At the presentation, we deepen exchanges with universities and students by giving special lectures by the Company, awarding the DOWA Prize to the best students, and subsidizing various research activities. The program also holds concurrent international workshops on resource science and sustainable development to deepen exchanges with researchers from overseas.
Scholarships and Other Educational Supports
PPLi (Indonesia) and ESBEC (Thailand) are engaged in waste management business activities, and also support the development of the next generation by providing financial support to local primary and secondary schools, including scholarships, teacher development funds, donations of books and support for out-of-school learning.
Factory Tours for Students and Interviews
The Group’s factories hold factory tours every year for several educational institutions and local residents. Eco-Recycle Co., Ltd., which recycles home appliances in Akita Prefecture, gave tours to about 160 students from four nearby junior high schools from May to June. These tours are part of the curriculum at each junior high school and are held every year to deepen understanding of both occupations and the region by visiting companies and experiencing the work at these companies hands-on. During the tour, participants get an opportunity to develop a better understanding of environmental conservation and resource recycling as guides explain the importance of not only recovering resources but also ensuring complete treatment to protect the environment and human health.
Donation of a Biodiversity Bookcase to a Local Elementary School (Okayama Prefecture)
In September 2020, the DOWA Group donated a Biodiversity Bookcase with 100 books on biodiversity to Fukushima Elementary School in Okayama City via a program run by the Nature Conservation Society of Japan. Under this program, children’s books selected by the Japan Committee for United Nations Decade on Biodiversity(UNDB-J) are donated to several parts of Japan, collected as Biodiversity Bookcases. In support of this program, which aims to promote understanding and raise awareness of biodiversity, DOWA Holdings donated a Biodiversity Bookcase to the aforementioned elementary school, which is in the school district where company housing for employees of DOWA Electronics Materials Okayama Co., Ltd. is located.
Disaster Relief
With Group companies deeply rooted in the local community, the DOWA Group will continue to aid society by providing a variety of support during disasters.
Agreements with Local Governments for the Disposal of Disaster Waste, etc. and the Results of Accepting such Waste
Our group has concluded agreements with municipalities in the regions where we operate, as well as with partial administrative associations that jointly provide administrative services for multiple local governments, regarding the disposal of disaster waste and other related materials. When natural disasters such as large-scale earthquakes, windstorms, and floods occur, huge amounts of disaster waste are generated at one time, requiring prompt and appropriate disposal for early recovery and reconstruction. Under this agreement, the Group will cooperate in smooth disaster waste disposal activities when requested by local governments with which it has concluded agreements regarding the disposal of disaster waste generated by natural disasters. In addition to setting up a system that enables us to promptly assist in restoration, we are building a cooperative system by sharing information with local governments on a daily basis. In addition, the Group accepts disaster waste and other materials from numerous municipalities, including those with which it has concluded agreements.
- 〈Agreements on disaster waste disposal and actual acceptance of such waste〉
- [Akita Prefecture] Odate City
- [Tochigi Prefecture] Ashikaga City, Tochigi City, Nasukarasuyama City, Kamimikawa City, Kanuma City
- [Chiba prefecture] Sodegaura City, Funabashi City, Urayasu City, Kashiwa City, Nagareyama City, Kimitsu City, Kamogawa City, Minamiboso City, Tateyama City, Futtsu City, Kisarazu City, Isumi City, Kyonan Town
- [Tokyo Prefecture] Tama Newtown Environmental Association
- [Kanagawa Prefecture] Kamakura City, Five cities, three towns, and one partial administrative association within the jurisdiction of the Kanagawa Prefectural Shonan Area Prefectural Administration Center (Hiratsuka City, Fujisawa City, Chigasaki City, Hadano City, Isehara City, Hadano Isehara City Environmental Sanitation Association, Samukawa Town, Oiso Town, Ninomiya Town)
- [Okayama Prefecture] Mimasaka City, Kurashiki City, Misaki Town
- [Kumamoto Prefecture] Mashiki Town, Hitoyoshi City, Nishihara Village, Mifune Town, Kosa Town, Ashikita Town, Amakusa City, Yatsushiro City, Kashima Town
Donations for Disaster Relief (Akita Prefecture)
The company has donated funds to Akita Prefecture to assist in the aftermath of the torrential rainstorms that hit the northern part of Akita Prefecture in August 2022.
Donation of Protective Equipment to Eruption Disaster Relief Team (Indonesia)
In Indonesia, Mount Semeru in eastern Java erupted violently at the end of 2021, causing severe damage. In response, PT Prasadha Pamunah Limbah Industri and PT DOWA Eco System Indonesia donated protective equipment, such as protective masks, boots, and helmets, as well as work equipment, such as shovels and push carts, to volcanic disaster relief teams in order to assist in the emergency response.
Sports Supports and Event Supports
The Dowa Group supports activities that respect local cultures and customs. It promotes support for community-based sports organisations and events.
Official partner and SDGs partner of the Akita Northern Happinets
The Dowa Group is an official partner of the Akita Northern Happinets basketball B-League team, and Akita Region Group companies are game sponsors for games held in Odate City.
In cooperation with the Akita Northern Happinets, a team in the B.LEAGUE, a men’s professional basketball league, the DOWA Group placed boxes for collecting small home appliances at game venues in Akita prefecture at home games hosted by the team to promote recycling activities from September 2022 to May 2023. Small home appliances collected during this campaign were recycled into metal resources such as gold, silver, and copper at DOWA Group plants and used as raw materials for new products. As a result of these efforts, more than 70 kg of used small home appliances such as cell phones were collected.
Hanakairo (Flower Corridor) Project at Lake Kojima
The Lake Kojima Flower Corridor Supporters Club (KFSC), which operates the Hanakairo (Flower Corridor) Project at Lake Kojima, was established by the Dowa Group to improve the environment of Lake Kojima and its surroundings, following the legacy of Denzaburo Fujita, founder of the Dowa Group, known for its reclamation work in Kojima Bay. Through activities such as the cultivation of Kawazu cherry trees planted in and around Lake Kojima, the organisation promotes regional exchange and environmental awareness activities. In early March, when the planted saplings come into blossom, the KFSC takes the lead in organising a cherry blossom festival with the cooperation of local neighbourhood associations and various volunteer groups.
Other Activities of the Regional Offices
Environmental Activities for Rivers (Indonesia)
PT PRASADHA PAMUNAH LIMBAH INDUSTRI (PPLi, Indonesia) worked with many stakeholders, including the Jakarta provincial government and non-profit organizations, to implement environmental improvement activities in and around the Ciliwung River in Jakarta province in June 2022. This initiative was organized on the occasion of World Environment Day. In addition to a river cleanup by about 200 people over three days, the event included planting fruit trees, releasing fish, and donating large trash cans from PPLi to environmental managers.
Cooperation in the Running of the Kathina Robe Offering Ceremony (Thailand)
At Wat Mabbon, a temple located near EASTERN SEABOARD ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLEX CO., LTD. the “Kathina Robe Offering Ceremony” is held every year from October to November, where monks donate special robes called Kathina robe to celebrate the completion of their training in the rainy season. ESBEC not only dedicates the Kathina robe, but also provides containers for collecting the waste generated during the consecration ceremony, participates in clean-up activities and ensures the proper disposal of the collected waste, thereby helping to ensure the smooth running of the ceremony.