Sustainability
To achieve sustainable growth, Sekisui Medical engages in sustainability activities to improve the quality of Our Business while fulfilling our social responsibilities and creating value according to the SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group Vision.
SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group upholds "Innovation for the Earth: In order to realize a sustainable society, we support the basis of LIFE and will continue to create peace of mind for the future" as the Group's vision.
Through our core business, we will contribute to solving the challenges outlined in the SDGs proposed by the United Nations in 2015. We are promotinges a variety of sustainability initiatives that are integrated with Our Business activities to address challenges faced by society.
Our Initiatives
For the global environment
The Sekisui Medical Environmental Charter
We strive to be a company that creates a healthy environment, and that achieves sustainable growth with 'the environment' as our cornerstone.
To achieve this goal:
- 1Each one of us pays due consideration to the environment in our actions at work.
- 2Each one of us also engages in environmentally-friendly action at home and in the local community.
To realize a decarbonized society
Sekisui Medical is promoting the following initiatives to decarbonize the entire company, including the head office and plants: energy conversion from heavy oil to LNG in 2012, switching to renewable energy sources such as solar power, and promoting zero CO2 emissions from electrical energy used. In addition, the company sets GHG emissions reduction target by 2030 of 50% below 2019 levels, working to reduce electricity and fuel consumption and install energy-generating equipment.
To prevent violations of environmental laws and regulations and environmental incidents resulting from business operations, we have established an Environment Legal Leader (ELL) certification system,which is assigned to each business site to enhance the knowledge and expertise of our environmental personnel.
Our Commitment to the Environment
- Tsukuba Plant
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The Tsukuba Plant is located in the Tsukuba-no-sato Industrial Park in Ryugasaki, Ibaraki Prefecture, and manufactures in vitro diagnostics along with reagents for research use. The Plant implements environmentally friendly measures including the use of renewable energy, the cultivation of native plant species, and the removal of introduced plant species. It acquired ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification in September 2011 (assessment and registration) and actively engages in efforts to protect the environment.
- Ami Office
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The Ami Office is located in the Fukuda Industrial Park in Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture. It manufactures in vitro diagnostics and reagents for research use. The office implements environmentally friendly initiatives, such as the energy-saving operation of its manufacturing equipment, garbage separation and processing, and clean up campaigns. The Ami Office acquired ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification in May 2006 (assessment and registration) and actively engages in efforts to protect the environment.
- Tokuyama Plant
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The Tokuyama Plant is located in the Shunan Industrial Complex in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and manufactures vacuum blood collection tubes, diabetes diagnosis columns, and eluents. The Plant has reduced waste and since 2000 has been maintaining a forest leased from Shunan City. In March 2000, the plant obtained the ISO 14001 environmental management system certification (assessment and registration), and is committed to environmental protection.
- Iwate Plant
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The Iwate Plant manufactures pharmaceutical raw materials and other products in a naturally beautiful enivronment with a view of the mountains of Towada-Hachimantai National Park.
The Plant strives to coexist with the irreplaceable natural environment by taking environmental considerations into account through the use of renewable energy, the installation of LNG boilers, and the effective use of methane gas with a wastewater treatment system.The Plant acquired ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification in February 2001 (assessment and registration) and actively engages in efforts to protect the environment.
- Drug Development Solutions Center
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The Drug Development Solutions Center is located in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki Prefecture, and conduct safety studies of pharmaceuticals. The Center is involved in a number of environmental initiatives, including the installation of LNG boilers , the use of renewable energy, waste separation, the reduction of copier paper usage, and the implementation of a clean up campaign. The center has been EA21 certified since 2011 and is currently pursuing ISO 14001 certification.
For secure and enriched lifestyles of all people.
Vacuum blood collection tubes and diagnostic agent systems
We were the first in the world to introduce plastic vacuum blood collection tubes, helping to prevent breakage during examinations. The testing system, which integrates the steps of blood collection, testing and results, combined with test instruments, enables us to confirm the cause of the disease at an early stage and use the results for treatment, thereby contributing to the early detection of diseases by improving the efficiency of medical care.
Fostering a Corporate Culture to Embrace Challenges
Our Approach to Human Resource Development
Based on our belief that employees are precious assets bestowed on us by society, we, SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group, are committed to developing an environment where employees can work enthusiastically. We also offer various opportunities through which we help individual employees enhance their specialties and grow personally through embracing challenges.
Sekisui Medical has established "Customer Focus" as one of its values to achieve the Group vision of "Creating a Healthy, Sustainable World." We launched the Customer Focus Project in 2021, which includes activities such as discussions between sales and other sites, hands-on training at sales and production sites, and temporary assignments to other departments. Through the project, we make the value of customer focus take root among our employees, while also allowing them to experience firsthand helping to solve social challenges.
Deepening Engagement
SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group periodically conducts an engagement survey targeting all employees every three years. We assert that continued empathy with, and undertaking of, the Vision, as well as the feelings of individual employees that they are always the key players and that they have the determination to do their best and not give up until the results surpass expectations, in other words engagement, is crucial for achieving the SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group Long-term Vision, Vision 2030.
Promotion of Social Contribution Activities
Empowering the Next Generation
As part of our social contribution activities, one of our action guidelines, from fiscal 2016 to 2019 we conducted "Science Classes" at junior high schools in Ryugasaki City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where our plant and laboratories are located. In fiscal 2020, we developed and implemented a special online career education class entitled "R&D and Manufacturing Jobs Open the Future." In this program, our employees served as instructors to introduce students to their "intentions," "roles," and "skills" in their work, giving them an opportunity to think about actual work and their future.
Continuing to contribute to society
SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group is striving to improve management ability to sustain business by thoroughly improving compliance, and CS & Quality. These efforts are aimed at reducing risk and avoiding serious incidents (in terms of safety, quality, accounting, legal and ethical issues, and information management).
CS Quality Management
CS Quality is our management cornerstone. In all of Our Business activities, we seek meticulously innovations to improve product quality, and provide products and services that live up to customer expectations. We want our customers to continue to choose us, and aim at to achieve long-term growth and sustainable development along with our customers.
Quality initiatives in each business
- Diagnostics Business
- The Tsukuba Plant has established a quality management system based on the QMS Ministerial Ordinance on Standards for Manufacturing Control and Quality Control for Medical Devices and In-Vitro Diagnostics to supply high-quality products worldwide.
We continue to hold ISO9001 certification (acquired in March 2004) and ISO13485 certification (acquired in March 2005). In 2017 the Ami Office was added to the Tsukuba Plant as a new manufacturing base, and we completed the update to ISO9001:2015 and ISO13485:2016.
The Tokuyama Plant has also established a similar quality management system based on ISO 13485 certification (in April 2005).
- Pharmaceuticals & Fine Chemical Business
- Based on ministerial ordinances with regard to GMP for pharmaceuticals and medicated products, the Iwate Plant manufactures high-quality chemicals, with a particular focus on APIs, pharmaceutical intermediates, and food additives. We are registered with the American FDA and official bodies in the EU and elsewhere, and we ship APIs not only within Japan but also to the global market.
- Drug Development Solutions Business
- The Drug Development Solutions Center has conducted non-clinical drug safety studies in accordance with the Ministerial Ordinance on Good Laboratory Practice for Nonclinical Safety Studies of Drugs (GLP Ordinance). The Center has received a conformity of assessment/results in the survey on toxicokinetics (TK) test by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency while assisting pharmaceutical companies in Japan and overseas in the development of new drugs.
Initiatives to Foster a Healthy Global Quality Culture
We are constantly emphasizing quality and have developed a program specifically to ensure that our quality culture is being reinforced. Additionally, we have launched this program globally. We are quite aware of the relationship between a robust quality culture and the influence it has on the quality of products and services provided.
All Sekisui Medical Group companies located in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia share a common commitment to our Quality Culture Statement and employees at every level of the company are actively involved in enhancing the quality culture.
- Quality Culture Statement
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- 1We evaluate and plan with Quality as our focus
- 2We decide based on our core values and our commitment to Quality
- 3We act to achieve and maintain high Quality
(Extract from the Sekisui Medical Quality Culture Statement)
We are dedicated to a Quality Culture recognizing the performance of our products and services is what contributes to the improvement of patient care worldwide.
Legal / Compliance
Based on the spirit of the conduct guidelines set forth in the Corporate Activity Guidelines, we have delivered on our commitment to earn the high trust from our society through serving compliance with the laws and the spirit of the laws and acting with integrity in our all corporate activities. We will continue our efforts to improve compliance awareness.
Growing Awareness Toward Compliance
SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group has created and distributed the Compliance Manual, in which are described the matters with which each Group employee should comply, and also created a pocket version called the Compliance Card in order to instill awareness of compliance in each and every employee. The Compliance Manual includes information on topics such as the prohibitions on corruption and bribery, respect for human rights and the prohibition of discrimination, data management and protection, compliance with antitrust legislation, prohibitions on insider trading, conservation of the global environment and compliance with labor-related laws and regulations, and the internal whistleblowing system; it publicizes, and promotes thorough adherence with these requirements among all employees.
Compliance Training
As part of our efforts associated with putting compliance management into practice, we also focus on employee compliance education. We continuously provide opportunities for all Group employees to learn about the importance of compliance, such as by conducting e-learning sessions specific to compliance . These e-learning programs include information about compliance as training for new employees and as rank-specific training.
Initiatives to Strengthen Accounting Compliance
SEKISUI CHEMICAL Group is working to improve accounting skills and financial expertise across the Group as a whole in order to reduce risks related to finance and accounting.
we conduct accounting workshop meetings as well as e-learning sessions to provide training on accounting skills and financial knowledge, to prevent any incidence of accounting treatment error or accounting fraud, and to enhance the awareness of divisions and employees involved in accounting operations regarding compliance.