CSR

Third-Party Opinion/Response to the Third-Party Opinion

As in the previous year, I read through the Fujikura Group’s annual CSR report. Compared with the 2012 edition, the 2013 edition provides information on many more items, which demonstrates the Group’s proactive approach to information disclosure. In the CSR Report 2013, the Group details the selection process for the issues of materiality. For the new priority CSR measures, the Group set the specific items in line with the medium-term goal of becoming a company modeled after as an advanced company in terms of CSR, and I have the impression that the Group has made steady progress in the field.

For the self-evaluation of the results against the predefined targets, the Group includes the peer evaluation by members of the CSR Committee and the final evaluation by the director in charge in the evaluation process, in addition to the self-evaluation made by the departments supervising the implementation of the CSR measures. This indicates the fact that the Group is fostering the fulfillment of CSR as part of its corporate management.

Also in the CSR report, the Group has included an article on its first stakeholder dialogue meeting. Direct dialogues with external stakeholders provide companies with opportunities to identify potential CSR risks and possibilities. I hope that the Group will continue to hold dialogues with a range of stakeholders in a proactive manner now and in the future.

On the other hand I expect that the Group will maintain and increase the CSR awareness of individual employees. Fujikura has been contributing to society with its employees sharing the corporate culture of being friendly to both people and the global environment. The Group, however, will experience further diversification of employees and stakeholders in the globalization of its business, and it will become necessary for the Group to make sure that all Group employees share the basic CSR ideas and take actions in compliance with all the related laws enforced in each country and also in line with international codes of conduct. Regarding the issue of human rights, it is essential for the Group to take measures in consideration of differences in social backgrounds between countries. It will become increasingly important for the Group to have global human resources who can conduct business operations based on the understanding of CSR in a global context. In the CSR report, the Group introduces its Human Rights Day campaign and I expect that the Group will continue to provide employees with education and enlightenment on human rights. I also hope that the Group will establish systems to deal with related risks, including a whistle blowing system.

In addition I think it is necessary for the Group as a global business entity to continue expanding its scope of information disclosure to introduce more data and measures regarding its overseas activities.

　As demonstrated by the issue of conflict minerals, the possibility of receiving a large order could largely depend on the fulfillment of CSR. I hope that the Fujikura Group will approach CSR from a strategic viewpoint and continue to develop products and services that contribute to the solution of global environmental and social problems while also pursing the fulfillment of its corporate responsibility in its business operations. I expect that Fujikura will untiringly take on this challenge toward its goal of becoming a company modeled after as an advanced company in terms of CSR, while displaying its unique ability as a company that is friendly to both people and the global environment.

On the front cover of our annual CSR report, there is an illustration of a “CSR tree,” through which we show the level of our CSR activities. The CSR tree depicted on the front cover of the CSR Report 2010, which described the CSR activities we conducted in fiscal 2009, was a seedling. Subsequently the seedling grew into a young tree, and then to a short tree, and now in the fourth year, it has grown into a medium-to-high tree. We will grow the CSR tree into a big tree that takes root deep in the ground (society) and extends its branches high into the sky by steadily responding to environmental changes and challenges in our society. We want to create a rich forest in the long run. We will make the sustainable growth of the Fujikura Group compatible with the creation of a sustainable society by fostering the vertical and horizontal growth of the CSR tree (improvement of the CSR level of individual employees across the Group).
Ms. Keiko Omori made third-party comments taking a broad view. She highly evaluated the enhancement of information disclosure by the Group, and indeed we have included the description of the following five items in the CSR report: (1) relationship between the issues of materiality, four focus areas and areas of activity; (2) medium-term CSR goal and new priority CSR measures; (3) direct dialogue with society (stakeholder dialogue meeting); (4) the Group’s activities conducted on about 800 themes (activities for the environment, comfortable workplaces and for social contribution); and (5) launch of biodiversity conservation activities. We will make further improvements regarding these items. Also in response to the points noted by Ms. Omori, we will continuously provide employees with education and enlightenment on compliance and other issues to keep and improve their CSR awareness, expand the scope of information disclosure as a global corporate entity, and link CSR more with our business operations, so that we can receive higher evaluation from our stakeholders, including experts like Ms. Omori.

We will steadily conduct activities across the Group to become “a corporate group that is appreciated by customers and highly evaluated by society,” in reference to the comments made by Ms. Omori, which provide us with important guidelines to foster our CSR activities.