Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I)
- Related ESG :
- S
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.
＜TOYOBO Group Diversity Promotion Policy＞
Toyobo group is convinced that the happiness of its employees and the sustainable growth of the group stem from diverse employees being able to fully participate in the organization and society with pride and fulfillment.
For the creation of such a workplace, the group is committed to the promotion of diversity based on the following three elements.
- Diversity:
Diversity is a strategy that leverages individuality to enhance corporate value. It means mutually accepting, respecting, and maximizing the individuality. Individuality here refers to the inner and outer aspects of a person including sense of values, culture, religion, personality, experience, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, gender, age, disability, health, family, social status, educational background, work experience, and all other differences. Toyobo group respects differences as diversity and strives to turn them into the strength and vitality of the group.
- Equity:
Equity is a pursuit of "provision of opportunity" and "fairness" to each individual who takes boldly on the task. It is to devise a way for everyone to have the opportunity to take on new leaps forward by utilizing information, tools, and mechanisms according to the individuality of each person and to transform them into the vitality of the Toyobo group. The group continues to reform the workplaces and work styles where diverse human resources can work fairly, without fixing job classifications based on gender, age, or any other attributes.
- Inclusion:
Inclusion means that each individual who boldly takes on the task demonstrates their individuality, mutually recognizes others, and make the most of them as an organization. Each employee of the Toyobo group wishing to contribute in the organization and society thinks independently and realizes the corporate philosophy of “Jun-Ri-Soku-Yu*.”
* “Jun-Ri-Soku-Yu” means adhering to reason leads to prosperity.
We at the Toyobo group believe to be able to create even more value both internally and externally by promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Date of enactment: February 21, 2024
Targets and KPIs
< KPIs and results >
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Initiatives
Participation of women in the workforce
Toyobo group established the Diversity & Inclusion Group within the Human Resources 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
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 June 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
To raise the employment rate of persons with disabilities, it is crucial to implement initiatives at a company-wide level. We therefore share information on the employment status and actively encourage the recruitment of persons with disabilities during the quarterly meetings of the General Administration Departments managers from each business site.
As part of efforts to improve working environments, we have made the offices at the Tsuruga Research and Production Center and Inuyama Plant barrier-free. We are also progressively renovating other business sites to ensure they are barrier-free.
To meet the rising statutory employment rate in the future, we are actively recruiting. Alongside recruitment, we are also taking steps to prevent turnover. This involves gradually assigning tasks from various workplaces to help new employees adapt to the environment and ensuring they are placed in positions suited to their skills and abilities.
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 |
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| Persons taking childcare or long-term care leave |
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| Persons taking mental health leave |
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To support employees raising children, we have introduced the following systems.
| System | Details |
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| Establishment of a nursery school in the company | Opened in Research Center (Otsu, Shiga Prefecture) |
| Baby-sitter support program | The company assists with babysitter expenses during business travel and company-designated training |
LGBTQ+ initiatives
To foster a work environment where diverse individuals, including gender minorities, can thrive, we have implemented the following initiatives.
| Actions implemented | Details |
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| Consultation desk |
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| Furthering use of preferred names |
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| Same-sex partnership system |
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| Training for operations staff |
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| Application form at the time of recruitment |
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| Unisex uniforms |
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| Gender-neutral restrooms |
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| In-house awareness activities |
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Received the highest rating of "Gold" in the "PRIDE Index 2024".
Toyobo has received the highest rank of "Gold" award in the PRIDE Index 2024, which evaluates initiatives related to sexual minorities (LGBTQ+) in the workplace. This is the first time that Toyobo has been evaluated by the PRIDE Index.
The PRIDE Index is an index used by the general incorporated association "work with Pride" to evaluate the efforts of companies and organizations related to LGBTQ+ to create workplaces where sexual minorities (LGBTQ+) can work comfortably. The index evaluates companies and organizations based on the following five indicators, which are the following acronyms for PRIDE: Policy (declaration of action), Representation (community for LGBTQ+), Inspiration (awareness-raising activities), Development (personnel systems and programs), and Engagement/Empowerment (social contribution and external relations activities).
Under its diversity promotion policy, Toyobo group has been promoting understanding of LGBTQ+ and advancing various initiatives in a step-by-step manner. These efforts have been highly evaluated and led to receiving the "Gold" award.
We will further promote diversity equity and inclusion, aiming to become an organization that mutually recognizes the value of different opinions and diverse human resources, and strive to create a workplace that is comfortable for everyone.
