Sanpo-yoshi Communication
Sanpo-yoshi Communication
President's Column] SDGs
Lately, we’ve been receiving more and more media inquiries and questions about the SDGs.
I believe this is because people have taken notice of our initiatives, such as our childcare services for sick children and our achievement of carbon neutrality at the SCOPE 1 and SCOPE 2 levels.
We often get asked, “Where should we start?” In our company’s case, it’s not as if we’ve been carrying out various initiatives specifically for the SDGs.
It might be more accurate to say that we’ve aligned what we’ve done and what we’re doing with the SDGs.
When it comes to daycare centers, the reality is that we were driven first and foremost by the desire to “establish an infrastructure for caring for sick children in this city,” and just as we managed to make that a reality, the new concept of the SDGs began to gain attention. As long as a company continues to operate, it must be serving some purpose in society, and I suspect there are actually many companies that have been quietly engaged in social contribution activities for many years.
If you’re planning to promote your company’s SDGs to the outside world, I recommend starting by taking stock of your company’s operations.
SDGs private placement bonds offered by banks come with high fees, and I don’t think there’s much point in issuing them in this era of low interest rates (speaking from experience). Instead, I recommend first organizing your company’s initiatives within the SDGs framework to identify the areas where your company is already active and those where there are gaps. Then, by linking these to your business operations, you can decide on specific actions to take for the initiatives you’re motivated to pursue.
I think the key consideration here is whether there are benefits for the company itself. While donations and volunteer work are noble causes, small and medium-sized enterprises have limitations in terms of both human and financial resources. In that case, I believe it’s best to meet the SDGs through our business operations.
At our company, initiatives such as switching from gasoline-powered vehicles to hybrid vehicles and converting waste from label printing into RPF (solid fuel) not only reduce our own costs but are also environmentally friendly. There are nothing but benefits. Come to think of it, with the exception of our donations to an NPO that provides financial support to single-parent households, all of our initiatives are directly linked to our company’s own benefits.
On the other hand, the term “SDG washing” has also emerged, and there is a tendency to criticize companies for giving the appearance of working toward the SDGs without actually taking concrete action.
However, Professor Michael Porter has advocated for CSV (Creating Shared Value), arguing that for-profit companies should create both economic and social value by addressing social needs (solving social issues). If it does not contribute to the company’s profits, it cannot be sustainable.
The reality is that large corporations are already actively engaging in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) procurement. Failure to adapt increases the risk of being excluded from the supply chain. Furthermore, schools are teaching children and students about the SDGs, and a generation of so-called “SDG-native children” is about to enter the workforce.
I believe its importance will only continue to grow, both from a business perspective and in terms of hiring.
If you're wondering, "Where should I start?", our PR representative, Tanaka, will be happy to assist you, so please feel free to reach out.