Diversity & Inclusion

Materiality
Related ESG :
S
Employee well-being: Diversity and inclusion
Gender Equality Decent Work and Economic Growth

Management approach

Policy and approach

Toyobo group believes that personal and organizational growth is achieved through a process of mutual respect among our employees, with their differing work styles, careers, gender, nationality, race, and beliefs, and through cooperation to achieve our shared objectives.

We respect different opinions and a wide range of values, and cooperate to achieve ambitious goals together.

The TOYOBO Group Charter of Corporate Behavior also contains the following declaration.

6. Active employee participation
We will respect employee diversity and support work practices that allow employees to demonstrate their individual skills. Also, we will provide workplaces that are conducive to productive work while taking health and safety into consideration.

6-1.
We will work toward developing workplace environments that facilitate active participation among a diverse range of human talent.
6-2.
We will prevent various types of harassment and other forms of mistreatment in our workplaces, and accordingly we will not engage in discriminatory practices neither in regard to hiring nor terms of employment.
6-3.
We will strive to create workplaces that are safe, hygienic and rewarding, and will work to prevent excessive workloads and reduce overtime work.

Targets and KPIs

< KPIs and results >

Initiativevs KPIs Targets (FY2026) Results (FY2023)
  • Realize diversity and inclusion
1.
Women manager ratio
5.0% or above
4.7%
2.
Ratio of men employees taking childcare leave
Over 80% of eligible persons take absence leave, averaging 14 or more days (20% increase from FY2021)
104.3% of those eligible for absence leave, 14.8 days absence leave taken on average
3.
Employment ratio of people with disabilities
2.5%
2.3%

Initiatives

Participation of women in the workforce

Toyobo group established the Diversity & Inclusion Group within the Labor Affairs Department, and the group has been engaged in activities to promote the empowerment of women. We hold events such as presentations, seminars for managers, women leader development seminars, and Women Empowerment Promotion Project on a continuous basis, in order to realize a change of mentality among our employees.

We have also opened a nursery school within in the Research Center in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, as a means of support for childcare. This enables early return to work from childcare leave and planned return to work, and supports the development of an environment in which employees can approach childbirth with peace of mind.

Toyobo Nursery School at the Research Center

Toyobo Nursery School at the Research Center

External evaluation

Certified as an Eruboshi (second level) company based on the Law for Promotion of Women's Activities

Toyobo recieved the second level Eruboshi certification from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare as a company that actively promotes the advancement of women on December 14, 2021.

The "Eruboshi" certification is given to companies that have made excellent efforts to promote the activities of women in accordance with the "Act on Advancement of Women in Employment" (Women's Activity Promotion Act).

In 2015, we established a dedicated organization, the Women Empowerment Promotion Group (the Diversity & Inclusion Group, in April 2023), which has been active in creating an environment and organizational climate where women can play an active role.

Since then, we have hold seminars for managers and women employees and introduced a mentoring system. In 2018, we opened a nursery within the company at the Research Center (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture). We made revisions to the childcare leave system to encourage men employees to take paternity leave, including setting five days of paid paternity leave. The rate of men employees taking paternity leave exceeded 80% in FY2021 and has remained high since.

We are certified as a "2-star" company, the second of three levels, based on the evaluation that the items of "recruitment," "continued employment," " work styles such as working hours," and "various career courses" have reached the specified levels.

Acquisition of Platinum Kurumin certification

The Platinum Kurumin certification is awarded to companies that have achieved a higher level of initiative, such as the introduction and use of systems to support a balance between childcare and work, selected from among those that have received Kurumin certification as companies that support the childcare of their employees in accordance with the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children.
In July 2023, we were certified as a Platinum Kurumin in evaluation of our various initiatives.

Active participation of diverse human resources

In addition to activities to promote the participation and advancement of women, we are also working to ensure that the assessment and treatment of employees focuses on ability and is not influenced by differences such as gender and nationality, and we are aiming to cultivate a corporate culture in which diverse employees can participate actively and find job satisfaction.

Promotion of employment of persons with disabilities

In regard to raising the ratio of employees with disabilities, because it is crucial that initiatives are carried out at a company-wide level, we share information and actively encourage the recruitment of people with disabilities at meetings of the managers of General Administration Departments at each business site held four times a year.

As part of efforts to improve working environments, the Tsuruga Research and Production Center and the Inuyama Plant have been made with a universal design and others are sequentially being upgraded.

In anticipation of future increases in the legally mandated employment rate, we are actively conducting recruitment, requesting the understanding of workplaces as we prepare jobs. 

Ratio of employees with disabilities

Ratio of Employees with Disabilities

Promotion of employment of senior employees

We have introduced a senior employee system to promote employment by rehiring employees who have retired at the retirement age of 60 and who wish to continue working and are considered capable of working normally. The rehired senior employees actively help to train younger employees and pass on skills.

Support system for employees on leave

To enable the smooth return to work by employees who have taken childcare leave, family care leave, or mental health leave, we provide the following support.

Targets Details
Persons taking childcare or long-term care leave
  • Hold interviews with supervisors when returning to work, and carry out support for a smooth return to work
    (Interviews are also obligatory before returning to work after childcare leave)
  • Hold lunch meetings before returning to work (suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
  • Send group newsletters during the leave period
Persons taking mental health leave
  • Conduct follow-up after a leave through the "acclimatization work system" to enable a staged return to work
  • Send group newsletters during the leave period

To support employees raising children, we have introduced the following systems.

System Details
Establishment of a nursery school in the company Opened in Research Center (Otsu, Shiga Prefecture)
Baby-sitter support program The company covers all baby-sitter expenses during travel for business (through the 6th grade of elementary school)

LGBTQ+ consultation desk

In order to promote the creation of workplace where diverse human resources, including gender minorities, can work comfortably, our group has established a LGBTQ+ consultation desk for all employees.
To ensure worry-free use of this consultation desk, we guarantee protection of privacy, including the names of people who seek consultations, ensure that there will be no disadvantage for employees who consult or report, and accept anonymous requests for consultation.