Corporate Social Responsibility2019

Medium-term Management Policy Initiatives

Since our establishment in 1847, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical has been working toward the realization of our corporate mission, “Promoting patch treatment culture worldwide” under the corporate philosophy of “Delivering a Better QOL to the world.”
In May 2019, according to a survey by Euromonitor, Salonpas_® was certified as the OTC topical analgesic patch brand with the world's number one market share for three years in a row. We feel a deep responsibility to fulfill the role.
We will pursue every opportunity to reach greater heights, such as providing products and services that enable many people to feel a “richness of mind” and “happiness,” improving the environment for employees, and building stronger relationships from an ESG perspective in the supply chain.
Although we are making steady progress in promoting ESG under the “6th Medium-term Management Policy” announced in 2017, we believe it is necessary to speed up our initiatives.
In Japan, efforts are being made in important areas such as environmental considerations for products and ISO certification for occupational safety. Noven has also worked on a comprehensive quality and business process improvement program. Going forward, to carry out integrated ESG promotion, we are promoting the establishment of an organizational structure and detailed examination of basic information.
These efforts will make it possible to examine various ESG issues, including systems and cultures in each country and region in an integrated manner, and steadily move forward with important issues.

Aiming to improve Environmental and Social Value

In consideration of the important environmental issue of climate change, transitions have begun to be made from voluntary initiatives such as TCFD* to mandatory initiatives based on the system. Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical has been working to reduce environmental impact mainly at production bases in each country. However, based on a long-term perspective, we are also considering the direction of further initiatives based on fundamental changes. Regarding climate change, beginning with global warming, we believe that a strategic plan is necessary as a case with an important impact on business management.
We also recognize that the impact of plastics on the environment, which has become a problem in recent years, is an issue that we should consider as a company. As a product manufacturer, we will work to resolve environmental issues through revisions at all stages, including the development of products that efficiently use plastics that reduce environmental impact, and searching for alternative materials with less environmental impact.
On the social side, there are many aspects to consider, such as quality, safety, human rights, employment, and relationships with local communities. We believe it is necessary to promote more appropriate management from the perspective of promoting ESG.
The “Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. Hot Heart Club,” which was established twelve years ago, supported 55 organizations in fiscal year 2018, helping the activities of various organizations working to solve social issues.
We are promoting measures related to national policies on employment, such as the active participation of women in the workforce.
As an important social aspect, regarding the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” advocated by the United Nations, efforts are being made to verify the relevance of various initiatives within our company and increase our impact on society.

Opportunities from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games

In February 2018, we became an official partner (external pain relief products) for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (hereinafter referred to as the Tokyo 2020 Games). Through our participation in the Tokyo 2020 Games, we are again responding to social changes from a global perspective.
We have always strived to incorporate the voices of many stakeholders, particularly customers, and accurately develop and improve products and services, as well as businesses management. The Tokyo 2020 Games, which involve people from around the world, also present an opportunity to review our activities by learning from its policies based on broader perspectives on procurement and management in consideration of stakeholder diversity and sustainability, a basic awareness of human rights, and attitude to global issues such as climate change.
Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical's statement for the Tokyo 2020 Games, “Patch, moving into the future,” is not only about expressing our attitude to stakeholders, but is also a sign that each person involved at Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical is determined to improve their efforts in a future-oriented manner.

Our CSR report is a tool for communication in the evolution of our activities while evaluating the CSR activities of the Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Group with our stakeholders.
In this report, the overseas activities on which we have continuously reported introduce activities in China that are expected to grow in the future.
The Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Group will continue to contribute to the development of a sustainable society through our business to continue as a company that is needed by society. We encourage our stakeholders to communicate their opinions and requests regarding anything that may be unclear in the content of our reports or their expectations of our company. We will do our best to continue to enhance the content of our reports.