Materiality (Sustainability Issues)

To achieve sustainable growth in tandem with society,　ITOCHU has selected and prioritized materiality (sustainability issues), taking into consideration such factors as the Company’s operating strategy, international trends, internal and external opinions, and impacts on society. We have incorporated specific measures to address materiality into our Sustainability Action Plan, taking into account risks and opportunities in each field of business, and are promoting these measures through a PDCA cycle.

Overview of Materiality and Relation to SDGs

Consideration for the Environment

Climate change has a greater risk of natural disaster, including unseasonable weather events. In response, we are introducing measures to alleviate risk, such as diversifying production bases in our fresh produce business. Meanwhile, we are helping to address global warming by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted through our business activities and promoting renewable energy and other solutions. Furthermore, through our businesses and social contribution activities we work to preserve biodiversity and address environmental issues in other ways.

Sustainable Use of Resources

Our businesses are supported by diverse resources from the natural world (e.g., water, air, forests, food, minerals, and fossil fuels). For instance, sustainable forest resources are essential to our softwood pulp business. With concerns about resource depletion, we are enacting measures to decrease risk. At the same time, viewing the situation as an opportunity, we are engaging in the renewable energy business and supplying a steady supply of foodstuffs.

Respect and Consideration for Human Rights

Given our responsibilities as a company involved in diverse businesses in regions throughout the world, as well as our systems for providing a stable supply of products, we think of all our business activities as a value chain. We believe in the importance of respect and consideration for human rights throughout this value chain. We ask our business investees and business partners to understand and implement our thinking on sustainability, as we work to build a sustainable value chain.

Contribution to Local Communities

We address the issues and needs of local communities through both our business operations and our social contribution activities, thereby contributing to the advancement of local communities. For example we provide Web-based customer services that make use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. These services respond to the accelerating increase in the amount of information and help improve corporate operating efficiency and productivity. At the same time, they help resolve a problem that is becoming particularly pronounced in Japan: a shrinking workforce.

Improving Labor Conditions

Human resources are the most important management resource supporting our diverse business developments around the world. To build our management foundation, we are cultivating and reinforcing our human resources, and improving labor conditions is one way to maximize their capabilities. Our working-style reforms center on a morning-focused working system and health and productivity management, while various training programs and efforts to promote diversity are aimed at strengthening the individual capabilities and front-line capabilities, lending high levels of corporate competitiveness to our business activities.