History of Sustainability Management
History of Sustainability Management
Casio’s CSR activities have evolved with social trends over the years. This section reviews that history, showing the increasing importance of management focused on social responsibility.
1990s: Establishing Environmental Management
The 1990s was a decade of growing public criticism of corporate practices, with repeated corporate scandals in Japan. Compliance measures were advanced, including the establishment of codes of conduct by large companies. Also, the issue of global warming came to light, and global environmental problems became apparent. Against this backdrop, many Japanese companies shifted to environmental management.
Casio established its Environmental Conservation Committee in 1991 and began to pursue environmental management. In 1993, the Casio Environmental Charter was established. This led to environmental activities across the Casio Group relating to both products and production/business sites.
As a company with a global presence, Casio understands that it is vital to comply with international norms as well as the applicable laws and regulations in each country and region. In 1998, the Casio Code of Ethics was created to ensure that all officers and employees act based on high ethical standards and sound judgment.
● CSR management reinforcement ● Environmental initiative ● Information disclosure ● Social Trends
Social Trends
| 1990 | ● | Action Program to Arrest Global Warming established |
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| 1991 | ● | Act for Promoting the Utilization of Recycled Resources takes effect |
| ● | Keidanren Global Environment Charter established | |
| 1993 | ● | Basic Environment Act takes effect |
| 1994 | ● | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change takes effect |
| 1996 | ● | ISO 14001 international environmental standard created |
| 1997 | ● | Kyoto Protocol adopted by the third session of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) |
| 1998 | ● | Act on Rationalizing Energy Use revised |
| ● | Act on Promotion of Global Warming established |
Casio Initiatives
| 1991 | ● | Casio Environmental Conservation Committee launched |
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| 1993 | ● | Casio Environmental Charter and Environmental Fundamental Policies established |
| 1997 | ● | Environmental activities reported on the Casio website |
| ● | ISO 14001 certification acquired by Aichi Casio and Yamagata Casio |
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| 1998 | ● | Casio Group Code of Conduct established |
| ● | ISO 14001 certification acquired by Kofu Casio, Kochi Casio, Casio Korea, and Casio Electromex (Mexico) |
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| 1999 | ● | Green Procurement Guidelines established |
| ● | Environmental Report first published |
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| ● | First exhibit at Eco-Products |
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| ● | ISO 14001 certification acquired by Casio Electronics |
2000s: Shifting to CSR Management
In addition to environmental efforts, CSR themes including human rights, labor relations, society, and product liability began to be discussed in the 2000s. CSR reports also started coming out as part of stakeholder communication efforts. A growing number of companies established CSR offices and appointed officers in charge of CSR. These efforts took place in the context of management strategy, as an indispensable element for sustainable development of the company.
In 2003, Casio reviewed its corporate creed, “Creativity and Contribution,” in light of the times, and established the Charter of Creativity for Casio to set the course for CSR management. In 2004, Casio established its CSR Promotion Office and CSR Committee. In 2005, the Casio Group identified its key stakeholder segments and started issuing the CSR Report, which clearly described the Group's responsibilities to each segment.
● CSR management reinforcement ●Environmental initiative ● Information disclosure ● Social Trends
Social Trends
| 2000 | ● | United Nations Global Compact initiated |
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| ● | Sustainability Reporting Guidelines issued by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) |
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| ● | Containers and Packaging Recycling Act established |
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| 2001 | ● | Green Purchasing Act established |
| ● | Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources, the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act, and the Basic Act on Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society established |
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| 2002 | ● | World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg |
| ● | Act concerning Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR Act) established |
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| 2003 | ● | WEEE and RoHS Directives take effect |
| 2005 | ● | Kyoto Protocol takes effect |
| 2006 | ● | JEITA issues Supply Chain CSR Deployment Guidebook |
Casio Initiatives
| 2000 | ● | ISO 14001 certification acquired for production sites in Japan and four Casio Computer business sites |
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| ● | Environmental accounting introduced |
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| ● | Green Procurement Standards issued and business partner briefing sessions begin |
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| 2001 | ● | Casio Taiwan and Casio Software acquire ISO 14001 certification |
| 2002 | ● | Casio Electronics (Shenzhen), Casio Electronics (Zhongshan), and Casio Techno headquarters acquire ISO 14001 certification |
| 2003 | ● | The Charter of Creativity for Casio established |
| 2004 | ● | CSR Promotion Office and CSR Committee launched |
| ● | Environmental Report becomes Environmental Management Report |
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| 2005 | ● | Environmental Management Report becomes the CSR Report |
| ● | RoHS compliance achieved for all products sold in Europe |
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| 2006 | ● | CSR Report and Corporate Profile combined to create Corporate Report |
| 2009 | ● | Casio Environmental Charter becomes the Casio Environmental Vision, and the Basic Environmental Policy becomes the Casio Environmental Declaration |
2010s: Integrating CSR into Management Strategy
In the 2010s, the attitude of external stakeholders toward companies has been changing dramatically. In particular, more companies are highlighting their own business activities based on how they address issues targeted under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the United Nations in 2015. Many investors have begun to look at corporate CSR activities as part of investment criteria, labeling them as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information. As a result, companies are starting to actively promote CSR as part of their management strategies.
Casio has also worked to meet the expectations of society through participation in international frameworks such as the United Nations Global Compact and the ISO 26000 standards for social responsibility. In 2016, Casio established a process for identifying materiality in dialogue with various stakeholders and incorporating public expectations into its CSR management.
Since 2018, Casio looking at how it can help achieve the SDGs. In 2019, in tandem with its Medium-Term Management Plan, Casio identified which of the 17 SDGs that it will contribute to and set sustainability goals for each business to address.
● CSR management reinforcement ● Environmental initiative ● Information disclosure ● Social Trends
Social Trends
| 2010 | ● | ISO 26000 standard created |
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| 2013 | ● | G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines released |
| ● | International Integrated Reporting Framework announced by the IIRC |
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| 2014 | ● | Fifth Assessment Report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) |
| 2015 | ● | Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the UN |
| ● | Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) signs the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) |
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| ● | ISO 14001 standard revised |
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| ● | Paris Agreement adopted |
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| 2016 | ● | GRI Standards released |
Casio Initiatives
| 2010 | ● | Corporate Report becomes Sustainability Report |
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| ● | Joined the United Nations Global Compact |
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| 2011 | ● | Casio Group Biodiversity Guidelines established |
| 2012 | ● | Analyzed current status for ISO 26000 |
| ● | CSR Communication Book issued |
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| ● | Replaced the Casio Environmental Vision with the Casio Environmental Vision 2050, and the Casio Environmental Declaration with the Casio Environmental Declaration 2020 |
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| 2014 | ● | Casio Group Basic Policy on Respect for Human Rights established |
| ● | Joined the Consortium for Sustainable Paper Use |
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| 2015 | ● | Casio Group Paper Procurement Policy established |
| ● | CSR materiality studied |
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| ● | CSR Leader system established at Casio Computer |
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| 2016 | ● | Material issues identified |
| 2017 | ● | CSR Leader system expanded to group companies in Japan |
| 2019 | ● | Transitioned from a “Company with a Board of Corporate Auditors” structure to a “Company with an Audit & Supervisory Committee” structure |
| ● | Established sustainability goals for each business to address |
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| 2020 | ● | Reset medium-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets |
| 2021 | ● | Greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets validated by SBTi |
| ● | Endorsed recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Information Disclosures |
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| ● | Generally reassessed the Casio Environmental Vision 2050 and Casio Group Environmental Policy and restructured them to create the Casio Group Environmental Principles |