Sustainability - Community
The Meiden Group gains awareness of issues and forms positive relationships with communities through lively two-way communication in countries and regions in which we conduct business.
Furthermore, the Meiden Group is aware of the importance of local hiring and local procurement to contribute to sustainable development in these countries and regions.
The Meiden Group is working to contribute to the economic development of countries and regions in which we conduct business through a range of initiatives.
The Meiden Group aspires to work to build a new society through integrity to the earth, society, and people, and through the power of co-creation. We wish to be an attractive company that seeks to resolve social issues by providing new value created through our business activities. As such, we established the following policy for our social contribution activities.
The Meiden Group pursues social contribution activities that are uniquely suited to the Meiden Group, leveraging the technology and products developed through our business and the skills and knowledge of our employees. Furthermore, we believe that solving social issues through social contribution activities is directly linked to business growth. For that reason, we pursue social contribution activities in the following priority areas.
| Priority areas of social contribution activities | Relationship to our business | Examples | Relevant SDGs |
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| Environmental protection | To realize our goal of “a resilient society where human society and nature are in harmony,” we recognize the importance of environmental conservation for the continuation of our business. |
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| Developing the next generation | To realize our goal of “a safe, prosperous, and exciting society,” we recognize the importance of supporting the development of the next generation, particularly in each of our business regions, for the continuation of our business. |
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| Community contributions | To realize our goal of “a society where diverse communities and people can coexist in harmony,” we recognize the importance of maintaining good communication and building strong trusting relationships with stakeholders in each of our business regions for the continuation of our business. |
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PT. MEIDEN ENGINEERING INDONESIA, a Group affiliate that sells and installs electric power equipment and builds and maintains electrical facilities in Indonesia, helped to plant 1,000 mangrove saplings at Bahagia Beach in Kampung Betting, Bekasi, Indonesia in November 2023. It partnered with a foundation dedicated to mangrove rehabilitation. Mangrove forests protect coastlines from erosion and reduce the force of tsunamis and other large waves. In addition, they absorb and store large amounts of carbon, so they could reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and mitigate climate change. Mangrove fruits can also be processed into various food products and provide an additional source of income for local communities. Our hope is that the 1,000 small trees planted this time will grow into large trees and help preserve the environment in future.
Meidensha and partners Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc., Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd. and National Vending Co., Ltd. launched a “bottle to bottle” initiative in October 2023. The effort recycles PET bottles discarded from Meidensha’s headquarters and R&D Center into new PET bottles. “Bottle to bottle” helps recycle resources by repeatedly collecting and recycling used PET bottles into new ones. The new scheme recycles 100% of the discarded bottles into new beverage containers. The scheme could enable recycling of more than three tons of discarded PET bottles annually, reducing CO2 emissions by about 60% compared to PET bottles made from virgin fossil-derived materials. The Meiden Group will promote collaborative and co-creation projects with companies, including those in different industrial sectors, to further contribute to society as a sustainability partner.
In FY2022, the Meidensha Plant Construction & Engineering Business (PCEB) Group began collecting work clothes that were discarded because they no longer fit or are too old. The division has been recycling them into gloves under the guidance of Nakano Co., Ltd. A major feature of the gloves is that they can be used not just once but washed and used repeatedly, because their durability far exceeds JIS standards. Because they are made with reused materials, the gloves are eco-friendly. They require fewer resources to make than comparable gloves of pure cotton and help reduce clothing waste.
Meidensha’s Numazu Works joined a drive to collect empty disposable contact lens cases to reduce marine plastic waste. Seven collection boxes went up within the works, bringing in 3.15 kg of cases in about two and a half months. The empty cases collected there were sold as raw material for polypropylene, with the proceeds donated to the Japan Eye Bank Association for their efforts to provide doctors to remove corneas.
Since FY2007, the 110th anniversary of Meidensha founding, we have held Meidensha Manufacturing Classes at elementary schools located nearby each of our sites, including Hosui Elementary School. Children get to assemble and operate a motorized toy for themselves and experience the joy of making things. More than 10,000 children have participated so far. Since FY2018, we have also held the event at Iwakuni Elementary School, which was attended by our founder, Shigemune Hosui.
In FY2023, we held these classes at Iwakuni Elementary School, Shinagawa Municipal Hosui Elementary School, Shinagawa Municipal Gotenyama Elementary School, Shinagawa Municipal Mitsugi Elementary School, Ota Municipal Kyuhaku Elementary School, Ota Municipal Chuo Elementary School, and Kiyosu Municipal Nishibiwajima Elementary School, with a total of 154 Meiden Group employees and 945 children participating in them.
Since FY2017 we have held visiting lectures entitled “How does electricity reach us?” for junior high school students in the areas around our sites, through which students can learn about the importance of electricity through experience.
In FY2023, we conducted visiting lectures for 388 junior high school students Shinagawa Municipal Shinagawa Gakuen, Shinagawa Municipal Osaki Junior High School, Ota Municipal Ota Junior High School, and Gunma Kokusai Academy. A total of 56 Meiden Group employees served as instructors and assistants.
Initiatives based on the GIGA (Global and Innovation Gateway for All) School Program are being developed in elementary and junior high schools in Numazu City. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are finding greater use, with each student having one terminal to use in class. Since FY2021, Meidensha employees at the Numazu Works have played a central role in providing instructional and operational assistance using laptop computers and supporting environmental education presentations at four elementary schools and one junior high school in Numazu City.
In addition, employees lead programming classes using drones and classes on disaster prevention and other topics in partnership with local communities.
In February 2024, employees of Group company EAML Engineering CO., LTD. taught a course for Higashihiroshima City elementary school students entitled “Let’s Look at the Power of Water.” The lesson included hands-on learning using models of hydroelectric power generation equipment. As a manufacturer of such equipment for more than 70 years since its establishment in 1947, EAML Engineering showed the appeal of hydroelectric power generation to children, who are our future.
In 2022, we launched a volunteer project to clean up the Shin-Nakagawa River, which flows on the east side of the Numazu Works. Meidensha’s Procurement Group and Sales Planning& Administration Group, together with MEIDEN PLANT SYSTEMS CORPORATION, oversee the project. Since November of that year, the Meiden Group and its suppliers, along with Shizuoka Prefecture and Numazu City, have been collaborating in a public-private volunteer cleanup program. Five cleanups occurred in FY2023 (April, July, September, October, and March) and one in FY2024 (May), with a total of 327,247 participants.
In addition, Shizuoka Prefecture, Numazu City, and Meidensha entered a “River Friendship” agreement in June 2023. Local citizens and users are invited to become “river friends” and join in river beautification efforts. The agreement aims to raise awareness of environmental protection throughout the region. We will continue to run these cleanup events as a local public-private initiative, always putting safety first.
The Meidensha Numazu Works supports an initiative of the Numazu Chamber of Commerce and Industry's women’s association to redeem pull-tabs provided by companies in the city and send picture books to nursery schools and kindergartens there, and works employees help to collect the pull-tabs. In FY2023, it presented 15.5 kg of pull-tabs, which the women’s association used to donate 20 picture books to Ohira Nursery School in Numazu City. Numazu Works looks forward to continuing this activity and donating as many picture books as possible for children to use.
The Meiden Group engages in daily environmental beautification activities such as picking up litter and maintaining grassy areas to stay true to our mission of existing harmoniously with local communities. Residents appreciate these long-standing beautification activities that improve awareness of employees contributing to society and help foster a sense of unity with the community.
Meidensha encourages employees to actively participate in social contribution activities that we sponsor, such as the Manufacturing Classes and Visiting Science Lectures that we offer in partnership with non-profits. We recruit employee instructors internally and encourage participation from every department. We also cover these activities in our in-house newsletters and other media to raise interest within the company.
