Corporate social responsibility

CSR (corporate social responsibility) at Sekisui Alveo

As a responsible company, Sekisui Alveo is committed to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. We treat social and environmental matters together in our CSR (corporate social responsibility) programme.

We are in the process of expanding and better structuring our CSR activities. In September 2007 the Management Board created a long-term CSR concept, and formulated this mission statement:

"Sekisui Alveo delivers foam applications for today’s customers as well as for future generations by reducing energy use and waste flows through short-term optimization and long-term product development".

We are translating our commitment into concrete action. Management set three CSR targets to be met from 2008 to 2011:

1. Reduce energy consumption and waste generation by 30%.
2. Hold a CSR event for stakeholders (European Children's Eco-Summit)
3. Focus R&D on the development of environmentally advantageous products.

Our CSR program eases and supports coordination with the CSR efforts of Sekisui Chemical.

We feel indebted to our employees, suppliers, and customers, so we treat them with great respect. We listen to our employees, support their development, give them opportunity to contribute and assume responsibility, and we reward excellent performance. We are fair and loyal to our suppliers and customers, working with them as partners. And we always have the end users in mind, which is why we are committed to delivering top-quality products.

• Safety is a high priority at our plants. We regularly conduct risk assessments and reviews to minimise occupational hazards.
• Our Merthyr plant has been OHSAS 18001 certified since 2006. Our Roermond plant is working towards certification in 2010.
• We communicate openly with all our stakeholders through many channels.
• We survey our customers periodically and listen to what they say.
• Our social service program includes the European Children's Eco-Summit, where 21 children learned the principle reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink.

Our production, as in many industries, consumes finite resources and is energy intensive, and possibilities to recycle the end products are limited. We can't change that reality, but we can minimize our environmental footprint by reducing and rethinking. And we are. Company-wide, we have adopted an attitude of strict compliance, risk management, and disclosure and communication of information. We are continually increasing the efficiency of our use of energy and material resources. We focus our R&D on products that deliver environmental benefits, such as energy-saving thermal insulation and ultra-lightweight automobile components.

• We comply with all applicable environmental protection standards and regulations, monitor and control our emissions, and work to minimise the environmental impact of our products and production processes.
• Our target is to reduce energy consumption and waste flows by 30% from 2008 to 2011 by improving our manufacturing processes.
• Our plants have been ISO 14001 certified since 2004.
• We fully support REACH as an important and responsible program for controlling harmful substances in the manufacturing chain.
• Sekisui Chemical has been in the Global Dow Jones Sustainability Index since 2006.