Message from the Chairperson of the Corporate Responsibility (CR) Committee
Corporate Responsibility is core to our business philosophy. Given the environmental and social considerations facing our communities and our planet, we firmly believe that sustainable and responsible operating practices not only enhance our competitiveness for the short and long term, but such practices make LIXIL a more trusted contributor to the communities in which we work and live.
FYE2017 was a significant year for LIXIL’s progress on Corporate Responsibility. It was the first year following the launch of both our global Corporate Responsibility strategy and, by coincidence, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We welcome the collaborative approach outlined in the SDGs between government, business and civil society and our Corporate Responsibility strategy is well-aligned with these goals.
This year, we made steady progress against the three pillars outlined in our Corporate Responsibility strategy. On improving Global Sanitation & Hygiene, we see it as an age-old challenge whose time has come for some new thinking and new solutions. We launched a dedicated business unit within LIXIL to scale up and accelerate new product development for communities without access to safe sanitation, and expanded the SATO line of products, a range of simple and innovative toilet solutions for rural communities. We are also actively engaged in advocacy to enhance awareness globally of the urgency to improve sanitation for the estimated 2.4 billion people today who lack a clean and safe toilet for daily living.
On Water Conservation and Environmental Sustainability, we developed a robust global EHS management system that keeps us on track toward our goal of being “Net Zero” by 2030. To increase our environmental contribution through products, we successfully launched a variety of innovative energy-saving products globally, such as ultra-high-efficiency toilets H2Option and H2Optimum in North America and ERSTER S, the top-level insulation resin window, available in Japan.
On Diversity and Inclusion, in addition to launching universal design products worldwide, we launched our first contractbased facility management business for serviced retirement homes, Premio Kawaguchi, reflecting the needs of the rapidly aging Japanese population.
One year after its launch, our Corporate Responsibility strategy influences the decisions we make and ensures that sustainable and responsible ways of operating are properly embedded within LIXIL. With a strong foundation built in FYE2017, LIXIL will accelerate our Corporate Responsibility initiatives in FYE2018.
