Sustainability Communication Book 2018 - Casio · From Partial to Total Optimization In fiscal...

Sustainability Communication Book 2018Welcoming the Challenge of Helping to Build a Sustainable Global Society

To create something from

nothing—to go from “0” to

“1”—takes the courage to go

beyond conventional thinking.

Plus, even if the creation is pre-

cise and seems perfect at first,

new ideas and concepts are still

critical—to keep re-engineering

the original success. It may be

difficult to abandon commonly

accepted ways of thinking, but

at Casio, we are convinced that

the only way to create new value

is to overcome all hesitations

and keep taking on challenges.

Cover story

02 Message from the President

04 Social Trends and CSR Progress

06 Case Study of Creativity and Contribution

12 Environmental Executive Message

14 CSR ConversationLearning from Model CSR CompaniesOMRON’s Integration of Business Goals and Sustainability Goals

18 Stakeholder ConversationPartnership to Change Education in Developing Countries

Casio has a long track-record of contributing to society by providing products that deliver

unprecedented innovation. Simply put, Casio develops products by going from “0” to “1.”

This is how we fulfill our corporate creed of “Creativity and Contribution.” We issue this

Communication Book every year to share Casio’s unique approach to meeting social respon-

sibilities, illustrating how these efforts fulfill the creed.

As Kazuhiro Kashio, President and CEO, states in his “Message from the President,” all

of Casio’s work is connected via business cycles of creativity and contribution. This enables

Casio to keep ensuring that what it does is useful to society. This approach is at the foun-

dation of CSR for Casio, and it has been the company’s practice since the beginning. In the

“Social Trends and CSR Progress” section, we reprise Casio’s contributions in light of evolv-

ing social trends across the eras.

Casio delivers on “Creativity and Contribution” by adopting a user-first perspective and

continually taking on the challenge of contributing to end users’ lives. This approach is artic-

ulated in the feature, “Case Study of Creativity and Contribution,” which focuses on Casio’s

projector business, and in the “Stakeholder Conversation” section, which details Casio’s

efforts to help solve social issues in a developing country.

In the “Environmental Executive Message,” Makoto Kobayashi, General Manager of

the Sustainability Promotion Department, discusses Casio’s response to the UN Sustainable

Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Then, a special section summarizes a conver-

sation with a sustainability leader from Omron Corporation. Omron is a leading example of

how to pursue sustainability strategically to deliver on a corporate philosophy. The conversa-

tion offers a window into the initiatives of this highly regarded firm, and also sheds light on

the direction Casio is heading with its integrated management.

Casio reinforced its CSR implementation structure in a June 2018 organizational

reform. Accompanying this change, the name of this report was also changed from the

CSR Communication Book to the Sustainability Communication Book. The idea is to further

develop Casio’s CSR activities and aim to make even greater contributions to sustainability

in the future. We hope this book will give you even better insight into the efforts Casio is

making to foster sustainability.

We also invite you to visit the Casio website for comprehensive information on the com-

pany’s CSR activities.

https://world.casio.com/csr/

Contents

01CASIO Sustainability Communication Book 2018

contribute to society by using Casio’s original digital tech-nology to create authentic, unique and surprising expe-riences and develop new cultures together with users.” All Casio Group employees will practice “Creativity for Contribution” with a shared commitment to this vision.

From Partial to Total Optimization

In fiscal 2018, we worked hard on company-wide orga-nizational reforms. In recent years, Casio’s divisions had been operating their own businesses separately without sufficiently sharing objectives among development, man-ufacturing, sales, and staff departments. Reflecting on the fact that we had concentrated in the direction of partial optimization and were not embodying the essence of Casio originality — creating something from nothing — we carried out large-scale reforms to ensure the whole company operates efficiently. Specifically, after integrating our existing divi-sions in the R&D center into the Product Development Headquarters, we created a new Business Strategy Headquarters. The new headquarters collaborates with the Global Marketing Headquarters and the Product Development Headquarters in a structure that optimizes business. Furthermore, in order to strategically retie technologies and markets, we introduced a system of six business units: timepieces; electronic dictionaries and English conversation learning tools; educational scientific calculators; musical instruments; DPJ and VI; and system equipment. We also established the Business & Technology Development Center, which is tasked with combining Casio’s diverse assets to create new businesses. The key to our efforts is making the most of manage-ment assets from the perspective of total optimization, establishing themes that clarify the objectives for each

How Casio’s Unique Approach to Value

Creation Contributes to the World

Casio is a company that has grown by creating innovative products, creating markets, and creating cultures, based on our corporate creed of “Creativity and Contribution.” The ability to create and build up new things is a distinc-tive strength of Casio. We aspire to fulfill our social responsibility by ensuring that each and every person working at Casio embraces that basic creative stance. This is the key to contributing to a sustainable world. Helping to solve various social issues by continually providing new value to the world through our core business is the very thing that increases Casio’ corporate value. In line with that idea, this year Casio established a new vision: “We will

Message from the President

Transforming the Entire Company to Pursue

“Creativity for Contribution” in order to

Grow Sustainably with SocietyKazuhiro KashioPresident and CEO

02 CASIO Sustainability Communication Book 2018

Misono

テキスト注釈

technology → technologies

Implementation Subcommittee to advance company-wide measures and, as a core organization, we also created the Sustainability Promotion Department, which is responsible for environmental, social, and governance issues. We also regard reinforcement of our governance system as an important issue. We will appropriately introduce outside scrutiny into our management while separating management from operations and improving decision-making and the checks on operations.

Pursuing True Reform as a Unified

Company

Now that we have established a foundation for “Creativity for Contribution,” from here on the Group’s employees must all move into action and change Casio. True reform will only make progress with two-way move-ment: top-down, in which the company sets business strategy and optimizes organizations, and bottom-up, in which all employees think of the most appropriate action for themselves and their departments and seek action from the company. We are currently reviewing Casio’s Charter of Creativity with the intention of revising it to make our creed of “Creativity and Contribution” easier to under-stand and to turn the Charter into something upon which employees can rely in their daily conduct of business. That is why young officers and department heads, who are the future leaders of Casio, are taking charge of this effort, engaging in repeated conversations with the aim of cre-ating a Charter that anyone can fully understand. I think this process itself is highly valuable. All of Casio’s work is connected by the business cycle of “Creativity and Contribution,” and we are determined to keep working together as a Group on corporate activi-ties that continue to provide utility to users.

market, and operating our business in a trans-organiza-tional way. I feel that the structural reforms we made have laid the foundation that will allow us to accomplish all this.

Returning to a User-First Commitment

In carrying out our reforms, the biggest key is a user-first commitment. Placing the user first means thinking about what we should do now, with the sole aim of continually providing utility to end-users. We will return to Casio’s starting point as a company that has created markets together with customers and retie Casio’s technologies and our target markets, while focusing on users, in the shortest time possible and with the greatest efficiency. Electronic dictionaries, one of our flagship prod-uct categories, are a good example of a product that accurately captures users’ needs. We have continued to strengthen these products with an obsessive commitment to user friendliness, such as coordinating them with textbooks used by different schools. This kind of care has resulted in the establishment of such a solid market that nearly all students in Japan buy a Casio electronic dictionary when they enter high school. It is important to clearly define the target for each business in this way and to get stronger in segmented areas. We will expand our markets by deeply understanding users and continuing to provide value that exceeds expectations. Optimization of distribution is also essential. In the case of the G-SHOCK, in which Casio’s originality stands out, it is normal for customers to make their purchase based on the brand. As such, we will not leave things up to sales out-lets; we will connect with users directly and offer products where it is more convenient for users to make purchases. In new fields as well, we will leverage the technolo-gies and knowhow we have built up thus far to develop

products that are truly useful from the perspective of our user-first commitment. Our imaging diagnostic support system for cancer and other conditions of the skin, which leverages our camera technology for the medical use of dermoscopy, is a perfect example.

Linking Business and CSR Under Our

New Structure

In recent years, society has continued to pay more atten-tion to the way companies handle environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters. It is therefore extremely important to link initiatives that address social and envi-ronmental issues with business strategy. At present, our education business is the business that embodies this con-cept in Casio. In our GAKUHAN activities in developing countries, we support children’s learning in cooperation with local ministries of education, schools, and NPOs, and have established a system in which “academic develop-ment in regions where we conduct business” is itself our business goal. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shared by the international community, have also given us a new perspective for thinking about Casio’s medium- to long-term growth. Right now we are formulating a medi-um-term management plan. In the process, we are aware of the connections between our business and the 17 SDGs and are considering targets where Casio can con-tribute globally. In fiscal 2018, we revised our CSR implementation structure in order to integrate our pursuit of social respon-sibility and business goals. We changed the positioning of the CSR Committee, upgrading it to a body chaired by the president with its members consisting of all directors, Audit & Supervisory Board members and executive officers. Underneath the CSR Committee we established a CSR


1990 ● Action Program to Arrest Global Warming established1991 ● Act for Promoting the Utilization of Recycled Resources takes effect ● Keidanren Global Environment Charter established1993 ● Basic Environment Act takes effect1994 ● United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change takes effect1996 ● ISO 14001 international environmental standard created1997 ● 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 established2000 ● United Nations Global Compact initiated ● Sustainability Reporting Guidelines issued by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) ● Containers and Packaging Recycling Act established2001 ● 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 established2002 ● World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg ● Act concerning Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR Act) established2003 ● WEEE and RoHS Directives take effect2005 ● Kyoto Protocol takes effect2006 ● JEITA issues Supply Chain CSR Deployment Guidebook2010 ● ISO 26000 standard created2013 ● G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines released International Integrated Reporting Framework announced by the IIRC2014 ● 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) ● ISO 14001 standard revised ● Paris Agreement adopted2016 ● GRI Standards released

Social Trends

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.

Social Trends and

CSR Progress

1990s

Establishing Environmental ManagementThe 1990s was a decade of growing public criticism of corporate prac-tices, 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 produc-tion/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 judgement.

2000s

Shifting to CSR ManagementIn addition to environmental efforts, CSR themes including human rights, labor relations, society, and product liability began to be discussed

CSR


1991 ● Casio Environmental Conservation Committee launched1993 ● Casio Environmental Charter and Environmental Fundamental Policies established1997 ● Environmental activities reported on the Casio website ● ISO 14001 certification acquired by Aichi Casio and Yamagata Casio1998 ● Casio Group Code of Conduct established ● ISO 14001 certification acquired by Kofu Casio, Kochi Casio, Casio Korea, and Casio Electromex (Mexico)1999 ● Green Procurement Guidelines established ● Environmental Report first published ● First exhibit at Eco-Products ● ISO 14001 certification acquired by Casio Electronics2000 ● ISO 14001 certification acquired for production sites in Japan and four Casio Computer business sites ● Environmental accounting introduced ● Green Procurement Standards issued and business partner briefing sessions begin2001 ● Casio Taiwan and Casio Software acquire ISO 14001 certification2002 ● Casio Electronics (Shenzhen), Casio Electronics (Zhongshan), and Casio Techno headquarters acquire ISO 14001 certification2003 ● The Charter of Creativity for Casio established2004 ● CSR Promotion Office and CSR Committee launched ● Environmental Report becomes Environmental Management Report2005 ● Environmental Management Report becomes the CSR Report ● RoHS compliance achieved for all products sold in Europe2006 ● CSR Report and Corporate Profile combined to create Corporate Report2009 ● Casio Environmental Charter becomes the Casio Environmental Vision, and the Basic Environmental Policy becomes the Casio Environmental Declaration2010 ● Corporate Report becomes Sustainability Report ● Joined the United Nations Global Compact2011 ● Casio Group Biodiversity Guidelines established2012 ● Analyzed current status for ISO 26000 ● CSR Communication Book issued ● Replaced the Casio Environmental Vision with the Casio Environmental Vision 2050, and the Casio Environmental Declaration with the Casio Environmental Declaration 20202014 ● Casio Group Basic Policy on Respect for Human Rights established ● Joined the Consortium for Sustainable Paper Use2015 ● Casio Group Paper Procurement Policy established ● CSR materiality studied ● CSR Leader system established at Casio Computer2016 ● Material issues identified2017 ● CSR Leader system expanded to group companies in Japan2018 ● Established the Sustainability Promotion Department to integrate CSR and governance functions

Casio Initiatives

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 ele-ment 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.

2010s

Integrating CSR into Management StrategyIn the 2010s, the attitude of external stakeholders toward compa-nies 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 cri-teria, 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 identi-fying materiality in dialogue with various stakeholders and incorpo-rating public expectations into its CSR management. In 2018, Casio is looking at how it can help achieve the SDGs and has started to consider targets that can make a global contribu-tion. Casio also created the Sustainability Promotion Department to strengthen its organizational structure. Casio is now taking a group-wide approach not only to CSR activities but also to its contribution to sustainability.

● CSR management reinforcement ● Environmental initiative ● Information disclosure

SDGs


Case Study of Creativity and Contribution

Casio became a world leader by eliminating mercury from all the projectors it makes and sells. This contribution to

sustainability has been welcomed worldwide and become part of the history of this business. We asked employees about

their aspiration to make even further contributions with mercury-free projectors.

Aiming to delight children using mercury-free projectors: The history

of creativity in Casio’s projector business, and its future contributions

2003Entered mobile dataprojector business

XJ-350

XJ-450


Casio.” The company then released the industry’s smallest

projector at the time, with a brightness of 2,000 lumens,

which enabled projected images to be seen without hav-

ing to turn off the room lights. This was something that

only Casio could accomplish, and Casio felt good about

the initial market reaction.

Although the Super Slim series released in 2006

attracted attention as the world’s slimmest-profile pro-

jector, it was not able to cut into the strong B2B market

shares of established manufacturers. In order to overcome

the barriers preventing further expansion of its business,

Casio asked itself: “How can we make the most of unique

capabilities to create projectors with more than just a

slim profile?” The answer was found in environmentally

friendly projectors.

Focusing on unique Casio capabilities to

take on the mercury-free challenge

Since 2007, Casio has been developing solid-state

light sources. Sadatoshi Nakamura, General Manager,

Promotion Planning Department, Consumer Product

Development Division, Product Development Headquarters,

recalled the time when Casio was creating mercu-

ry-free technology: “Casio was a latecomer to projector

Let’s create environmentally friendly

projectors!

Since mercury is harmful to health and the environment,

it has been identified as a hazardous substance under

the EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)

Directive. Regulation of mercury has been progressing

globally, including its use in solder. However, when Casio

started developing mercury-free projectors in 2007, there

were various technical challenges. At that time, most

projector manufacturers were still using mercury lamps as

light sources.

Casio entered the projector business in 2003. At this

time, when the use of data projectors was spreading

globally, manufacturers including Casio used mercury

lamps in their projectors. Masayuki Shigeoka, Business

Unit Manager, DPJ/VI Business Unit, Business Strategy

Headquarters, had this to say about the intention when

Casio first entered the market: “We determined that, if

we leveraged Casio’s core competencies in electronic,

optical, compact LSI, and power-saving technologies, we

could offer projectors to the market that were uniquely


Masayuki ShigeokaBusiness Unit Manager, DPJ/VI Business Unit, Business Strategy Headquarters

20142006 20152010 2016Super Slim series

Made the world’s most streamlined data projector

even more portable

XJ-S35/S30

Green Slim seriesCreated the world’s first projector with high-brightness laser and LED

light source

XJ-A255, etc.

XJ-A155, etc.

Ultra short-throw (UST) modelFirst ultra short-throw model

Various features for connectivity with tablets and smartphones

XJ-UT310WN

First-generation core modelOffered a mercury-free model at a

popular price point

XJ-V1

Advanced seriesAdvanced hybrid light source and

various functions

XJ-F210WN and 8 other models


manufacturing. In order to win a larger share of the mar-

ket, Casio needed to develop products differentiated by

more of its own unique technologies. So we decided to

take on the challenge of developing a mercury-free pro-

jector that uses a solid-state light source—a product the

world had not seen before.” Shigeoka continued, “The

development of our mercury-free projector began with the

concept of making environmentally friendly projectors at a

time when mercury lamps were the norm.”

In 2010, the Green Slim series of projectors was

finally launched, featuring the world’s first laser & LED

hybrid light source containing no mercury at all. Three

years had passed since Casio began developing solid-state

light sources, and it had been seven years since the com-

pany first entered the projector market.

Slim series, Casio became the only manufacturer to make

all of its projectors mercury-free.

Competitors waved the white flag

An unforgettable episode was recounted by Tetsuro Ono,

General Manager, Projector Department, Overseas Sales

Division, Global Marketing Headquarters, who was posted

to Germany at the time. He exhibited the newly released

Green Slim series at a product exhibition in the UK. “The

advantages of the solid-state light source were not limited

to being mercury-free; the lifespan of the light source was

8 to 10 times that of mercury lamps back then, and the

Three development challenges: Light

source, miniaturization, and cooling

To create a mercury-free projector, Casio first started

developing a solid-state light source to replace the mer-

cury lamp. “The blue laser is the solid-state light source

that can emit light most efficiently,” explained Nakamura.

“We applied the blue laser to a phosphor and created

a green light with a brightness of 2,000 lumens. With a

blue laser however, it is impossible to efficiently realize red

light of equivalent brightness. After some trial and error,

the answer we found was a hybrid structure created by

adding the highest output red LED. We made a laser &

LED hybrid light source.”

Thus, the first prototype was completed in 2007.

Although it was able to produce the desired brightness

of 2,000 lumens, the prototype roughly took up the

space of a whole tatami mat (about 1.6 m2). So next

they set out to develop a second prototype that was the

size of a Super Slim series projector. They managed to

shrink it down to an A4-sized footprint, but still faced

the problem of a thermal cooling fan that seemed as

noisy as a jet engine. “If you don’t properly dissipate

the heat, malfunctions can occur,” said Nakamura, as

he explained the third challenge they faced, “So we had

to find a way to cool the unit while reducing the fan

size to make it quieter. We needed to employ the latest

cooling technology.”

“Once we had solved one problem, a new one would

arise, so we tackled them in the order of light source, size

reduction, and cooling,” added Nakamura. The enthusi-

asm and hard work of this development team eventually

paid off. Their new product enabled Casio to secure the

top share*1 of the global mercury-free projector market

for eight consecutive years. With the release of the Green

Sadatoshi NakamuraGeneral Manager, Promotion Planning Department, Consumer Product Development

Division, Product Development Headquarters

Tetsuro OnoGeneral Manager, Projector Department, Overseas Sales Division, Global Marketing

Headquarters


Hirofumi HamashimaSales Promotion Section 3, Sales Promotion Department, Global Marketing

Headquarters

Ryoichi FurukawaManager, Product Planning Section 1, DPJ/VI Business Unit, Business Strategy

Headquarters, Hamura R&D Center

power consumption was also minimal. From the user’s

point of view, it was safe, the maintenance costs were

low, and there was an outstanding advantage in that

maintenance labor costs, such as lamp replacement, were

greatly reduced. When we highlighted the low total cost

of ownership at the exhibition, our booth drew a lot of

interest. In the neighboring booth, the industry’s largest

manufacturer was featuring its latest ultra short-throw

model, but the staff from that booth had nothing to do

but stand around looking at our products. So you can see

that the impact was quite noticeable.”

At about the same time, Hirofumi Hamashima of

Sales Promotion Section 3, Sales Promotion Department,

Global Marketing Headquarters was on assignment

in the United States. He also has vivid memories of

To meet these needs, in 2015 Casio launched the XJ-V1,

a projector at a popular price point, while still maintaining

the advantages of the Green Slim series. Ryoichi Furukawa,

Manager, Product Planning Section 1, DPJ/VI Business Unit,

Business Strategy Headquarters, Hamura R&D Center,

revealed how they achieved both popular pricing and high

quality for the XJ-V1 projector: “With the automation

technology of Yamagata Casio, we were able to drastically

reduce labor-hours compared to the factory in China where

we had previously been producing the projectors. With the

dramatic improvement in Casio’s technologies for highly

efficient design of solid-state light sources and for product

assembly at Yamagata Casio, it became possible to further

increase the efficiency of the solid-state light sources and

exhibiting the Green Slim series at the International

Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the

world’s largest trade fair of its kind. “Since CES is a con-

sumer trade show, that year Casio decided to focus on

its new digital camera models as the top-profile items.

Meanwhile projectors, which are a B2B product, were a

secondary part of the exhibit. The vice president of Casio

America made the announcement about the new Green

Slim series, and the reaction was unexpectedly huge. As

a result, the new projectors were covered by hundreds of

media outlets.”

XJ-V1: High-quality model at popular

price point

The debut of the Green Slim series amazed the world as

an unprecedented projector lineup with a trio of import-

ant elements: environmental performance, economical

operation, and functionality. For example, thanks to the

solid-state light source, the projector can be turned on

or off in as little as five seconds. Since the light source

has an extra-long lifespan of 20,000 hours, compared

with a conventional projector lamp, Green Slim reduces

the trouble involved with lamp replacement and dis-

posal. Thanks to a dust-proof design that also eliminates

filter replacement, the new projectors were remarkably

easier to maintain. The total cost for users was reduced

thanks to new technology requiring half the power and

also needing less maintenance. These benefits were

very well received by educational facilities, which are

the main users of Casio projectors. As a result, use of

mercury-free projectors has expanded in developed

countries. Nevertheless, the price has been a barrier for

public schools with limited budgets, and for schools in

emerging countries.



across our integrated operations, from product develop-

ment to production to sales.”

Casio has become the world’s leading company

in the field of mercury-free projectors. Going forward,

Shigeoka wants to offer customers the value of learning

experience enhancement, in addition to the projector’s

environmental, economic, and functionality benefits.

“We would like customers to experience new added

value by using a Casio projector. What kind of synergies

can be created, especially in the education market, by

combining the value of mercury-free projectors with

new educational value? Along with ease of use for

teachers, our projectors could also connect with student

devices. We intend to provide solutions that will change

the classroom.”

Aiming to put smiles on the faces of

children with mercury-free projectors

Casio plans to continue developing educational markets

in Latin America, ASEAN countries, and India, while also

advancing its “No More Mercury!” campaign to promote

mercury-free projectors outside Japan. “In emerging

countries,” Ono explained enthusiastically, “there are

growing movements to establish green procurement stan-

dards. Since 2017, an increasing number of customers

are purchasing mercury-free. It is a great opportunity for

us. We want to put the environment front and center in

emerging countries.”

The Casio Green School Program has been launched

as part of efforts to market mercury-free projectors in

educational markets outside Japan. Casio provides Green

School certification to schools in which 80% of projectors

being used are mercury-free, and supports them by publi-

cizing their environmental efforts to the world.

decrease the number of light source components needed.

Greater brightness made it possible to reduce light source

components, and facilitated miniaturization. As a result, we

were able to lower costs while maintaining performance.”

With the launch of XJ-V1, Casio projectors are now

expected to further penetrate emerging markets in

regions such as ASEAN and Latin America. In the process,

it is clear that Casio projectors can also help solve social

issues unique to emerging countries.

Supporting learning for children in

emerging countries

In Costa Rica, a government-led fund is promoting a

project to provide projectors and computers to schools

in areas lacking adequate transportation networks and

a stable power supply. Casio projectors were chosen for

the project. Keita Konishi, Leader, Projector Department,

Overseas Sales Division, Global Marketing Headquarters,

said, “The mercury-free and power-saving features of our

projectors were the deciding factors.”

“In areas where the power grid is unstable, a mer-

cury projector lamp poses the risk of exploding, but a

solid-state light source is safe. Thanks to the Casio projec-

tors, teachers can now conduct classes using information

and communication technology. We have heard that this

made the classes more interesting, thereby encouraging

more students to attend school than before. Educational

opportunities have been improved as a result.”

Changing classrooms by enhancing the

learning experience

“From early on, I think our projector business has actually

embodied the current movement toward sustainability,

with a desire to promote environmental, economic, and

social benefits.” This is Shigeoka’s proud assessment of

Casio’s projector business. Although it came late to pro-

jectors, by 2017 Casio held approximately 54% of the

world’s mercury-free B2B projector market.

Furukawa also believes that the projector busi-

ness has fully demonstrated Casio’s corporate creed

of “Creativity and Contribution”: “As a latecomer to

this market, we have always been searching for areas

of unmet demand. The starting point has always been

the customer. Based on customer needs, we have taken

on great technical challenges to solve problems. I think

the projector business symbolizes the realization of

“Creativity and Contribution,” and you can see this

Keita KonishiLeader, Projector Department, Overseas Sales Division, Global Marketing

Headquarters


The mere development of mercury-free products is a highly commendable

corporate initiative. Moreover, by also publicizing this effort, I think Casio

has contributed enormously to creating a greater awareness of the need for

mercury-free products.

I believe these efforts are based on your corporate creed of “Creativity

and Contribution.” This creed leads to product development sparked by

new ideas that can help protect the global environment. I hope Casio will

keep living up to the creed by developing not only mercury-free products,

but also other products with low environmental impact.

It is vital to raise public awareness if we want to solve environmental

problems. I am doing research that is linked to environmental conservation, so

I look forward to having an opportunity to conduct joint research with Casio.

Professor Yasuhiro Ishibashi Faculty of Environmental & Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto

Yukiko YamadaProjector Department, Overseas Sales Division, Global Marketing Headquarters


Meanwhile, as health problems due to mercury and

environmental pollution become a global problem, the

Minamata Convention on Mercury*2 came into effect

in Japan in August 2017. Casio donated mercury-free

projectors to Kumamoto Prefecture, which has issued a

Mercury Free Declaration. While strengthening publicity

and relevant promotion efforts in Kumamoto Prefecture,

Casio is also aiming to expand the use of mercury-free

projectors across Japan. As a pioneer of mercury-free

projectors, Casio’s presence in markets around the world

continues to grow.

Hamashima explained how important it is to raise

global awareness concerning the advantages of mer-

cury-free projectors: “According to a survey conducted

in eight major countries, only about 30% of educators

know that conventional projectors contain mercury. The

existence of mercury-free projectors is not well known,

either. First, we intend to help raise awareness of this

harmful substance used in projectors, and then take the

initiative in promoting mercury-free projectors.”

Yukiko Yamada of the Projector Department,

Overseas Sales Division, Global Marketing Headquarters

told us about the aims of the projector business: “We

want to achieve a situation where all projectors world-

wide are free of mercury. At that point, I think Casio will

be the leading manufacturer in the mercury-free market.

Since our main customers are schools, I am delighted

also to be doing a job that helps put smiles on the faces

of children.”

Casio’s strategy is to keep promoting the use of mer-

cury-free projectors by collaborating with international

environmental organizations. It will continue to undertake

new challenges in this business area going forward.

*1 Worldwide sales volume share (2010 to 2017) by manufacturer for solid-state light source projectors with 2,500 lumens or more [Futuresource survey]

*2 Minamata Convention on Mercury: Aiming to protect human health and the environment from the discharge and release of mercury and mercury compounds, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty, comprehensively regulates the entire material life cycle from mercury mining and trade, to its use, discharge, release, and disposal. It was adopted in 2013 and took effect on August 16, 2017 when the number of signatory countries reached 50. As of July 31, 2018, the treaty has been signed by 94 countries.


Moreover, in February 2017, we revised our goal for

the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Our new and

higher goals are an 80% emissions reduction by fiscal

2051, compared with fiscal 2014, and a 26% emissions

reduction by fiscal 2031, compared with fiscal 2014,

which is our medium-term goal. I am confident that

Casio—which has a long track-record of “creating some-

thing from nothing”—will leverage creativity to contrib-

ute to the environment with its initiatives, and that this

will, in turn, also drive up Casio’s corporate value.

Pursuing Three Material Environmental

Goals Company-Wide

Casio has reformed its environmental management

system (EMS) and has been operating under the new

Based Targets (SBTs) for setting corporate goals in line

with the Paris Agreement and Renewable Energy 100%

(RE100) for running business operations on 100% renew-

able energy are attracting attention. Even in Japan, the

number of companies committing to these initiatives is

increasing rapidly.

The public today expects companies to incorporate

environmental initiatives into their business operations

while keeping a close watch on global trends. Our

three material environmental goals are closely related

to SDGs 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, and 15: namely, clean water

and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, responsi-

ble consumption and production, climate action, life

below water, and life on land, respectively. These are

important keys for us to take into account in our future

business planning.

Addressing Global Environmental Issues

with a Medium- to Long-term Perspective

Under the Casio Environmental Vision 2050, a long-term

environmental management policy with a target year

of 2050, Casio has identified three material environ-

mental goals—realizing a low carbon society, building

a recycling society, and living in harmony with nature—

through which it is aiming to contribute to a sustainable

global society.

Environmental measures have been accelerating

around the world in recent years. The year 2015 wit-

nessed several groundbreaking events, including adoption

of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the

United Nations and a consensus on the Paris Agreement.

In response, international initiatives such as Science

Environmental Executive Message

Increasing Corporate Value by Integrating

Environmental and Business Activities

Makoto KobayashiGeneral Manager, Sustainability Promotion Department


goal, however, we use it to deepen awareness of forest

resource protection and biodiversity conservation and are

disseminating that message in and outside the company.

Future Issues Brought to Light by Our

New EMS System

After the initial year of efforts under our new EMS sys-

tem, my sense is that we have laid out a course for real-

izing the Casio Environmental Vision 2050. Then again,

issues have emerged in some areas. For example, the

three committees are still very much lacking the organiza-

tional power to strongly lead each department in compa-

ny-wide environmental activities.

With changes in the external environment, we need

to revise goals and KPIs. For example, although we set the

goal of realizing a low carbon society, the world is already

moving beyond “low carbon” to “decarbonization.”

We recognize that we must scrutinize the validity of our

material goals and update our EMS to a higher level.

Due to its business characteristics, Casio has never

had sites or business processes with extremely large envi-

ronmental impacts. Eighty percent of greenhouse gas

emissions from Casio businesses comes from the supply

chain, for instance suppliers’ manufacturing sites. Given

that fact, if we are to keep improving environmental

performance, cooperating with the diverse suppliers that

provide products to Casio is critical. We want to obtain

their understanding and cooperation by impressing upon

them that the significance of the initiatives is not “a

request from Casio,” but rather that they are “unsurpris-

ing demands within the broad framework of society.”

Toward that end, we must first of all demonstrate

Casio’s commitment to environmental friendliness.

We will commit and fully participate in international

system since fiscal 2018. During that time, we integrated

the individual ISO 14001 certifications for three main

sites—Headquarters, Hamura R&D Center, and Hachioji

R&D Center. We also established three committees tied

to each of our three material environmental goals and

are strengthening our initiatives company-wide and

across departments.

For our goal of realizing a low carbon society, we

conducted energy-saving assessments of business sites,

aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Japan,

buildings and equipment are aging at the Hamura

R&D Center, which opened in 1979, and there are

issues with energy efficiency. We are now looking into

rebuilding the Center. It is also vital that we reduce

energy used by products. We will turn our attention to

greenhouse gas emissions that can be reduced by using

Casio products, and redefine our contribution through

products and technologies.

For our goal of building a recycling society, Casio

Green Star Products and Casio Super Green Star Products,

which have high environmental performance, accounted

for 69% of our total sales in fiscal 2018. In goal setting,

on the other hand, the two classifications of “recycling

through products” and “recycling at plants/sites” are ill

defined, and this has shed light on the issue of ambiguity

in progress management. We must therefore reconsider

our KPIs.

As for our goal of living in harmony with nature, in

fiscal 2018, we completed biodiversity surveys at each of

our business sites. At present, we are exploring the pos-

sibility of linking our projects in this area with marketing

and sales based on the analysis of the surveys. In addition,

we now use FSC®-certified paper for 65% of the paper in

our product catalogues for the Japanese market. Rather

than just having “using FSC®-certified paper” as the

initiatives like RE100 and SBTs as an expression of our

determination to make an environmental contribution

under global standards.

Pursuing Further Evolution in Our

Environmental Management

In recent years, I have sensed rising interest in our envi-

ronmental initiatives, even in dialogues with institutional

investors. I realize that what we are being asked to do is

to create positive value that is distinctive of Casio, not just

mere risk management.

I also recognize that we need to articulate for mem-

bers of the company how environmental contributions

are tied to Casio’s corporate value, and to promote

understanding of their significance. The SDGs set out as

common goals by the international community express

Casio’s aims, laid on top of global currents, and they will

hopefully be of great use in aligning awareness through-

out the company. The protagonists of our initiatives are

none other than each and every employee, and we will

examine systems to encourage behavioral transformation

tied to the SDGs and our material goals.

In the company-wide organizational reforms we

made in June 2018, we established the Sustainability

Promotion Department, merging CSR and governance

functions into it. The department will make use of envi-

ronmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in its

role of strategically enhancing Casio’s corporate value.

Under the new organization, we will further advance our

environmental management in steady pursuit of the Casio

Environmental Vision 2050.


The mindset that putting the OMRON Principles

into practice = promotion of sustainability

Kimura: Casio is preparing to publish an integrated

report, in place of its traditional annual report, beginning

in fiscal 2020. We still have a lot of issues to iron out as

we proceed, and we have a great deal to learn. OMRON

published an integrated report in 2012 and was one of

the earliest to do so in Japan, right?

Kaizaki: Yes. Before that, we had an annual report and

a sustainability report. At first, we too fumbled around

trying to integrate the two reports and ended up pub-

lishing a thick booklet. Later, we gradually improved the

precision of integration.

Kimura: The Japanese name of your old sustainability

report more literally means “Corporate Report as a Public

Institution,” which is a unique name. Did that have some-

thing to do with the OMRON Principles?

Kaizaki: Yes. OMRON has a mission statement estab-

lished by its founder, Kazuma Tateishi: “To improve lives

and contribute to a better society.” Behind that is the idea

that a business should create value for society—that is,

that a corporation is an institution that serves the public.

In 2015, we revised our corporate philosophy, but the

mission has not changed and is still clearly stated the

same way in the new OMRON Principles.

Kimura: What prompted your company to revise its cor-

porate philosophy?

Kaizaki: As we accelerated our global expansion, there

were fears in the company that the OMRON Principles

were being overlooked out in the field. For the nearly 60

years, our mission statement had been the guiding prin-

ciple upon which OMRON relied. But it takes on meaning

Learning from Model CSR CompaniesOMRON’s Integration of Business Goals and Sustainability Goals

Casio regards it as important to learn from the best practices of model CSR companies,

in order to strengthen its own CSR management. In June 2018, Masaru Kaizaki, General

Manager of the Planning Department in the Sustainability Office at OMRON Corporation,

visited the Casio head office and talked with Noriaki Kimura, Manager of Casio’s Environment

and Social Planning Office in the Sustainability Promotion Department. Mr. Kimura asked

Mr. Kaizaki about OMRON’s highly regarded initiatives to strategically promote sustainability

based on the OMRON Principles. They also had a broad discussion covering such topics as the

CSR mindset and its dissemination within the company, and approaches to the SDGs.

CSRConversation

Masaru Kaizaki General Manager, Planning Department, Sustainability Office, OMRON Corporation (right)

Noriaki Kimura Manager, Environment and Social Planning Office, Sustainability Promotion Department, Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (left)


Learning from Model CSR Companies—OMRON’s Integration of Business Goals and Sustainability Goals

Kimura: In other words, you align your business goals

with your sustainability goals. That must make it easy for

people in the field to accept.

Kaizaki: Exactly. By treating business goals and sustain-

ability goals as two sides of the same coin, we can adjust

our language accordingly, talking about sales and share

in terms of business performance and number of units in

connection with social value. We make a thoroughgoing

effort to get people in the company to understand that

the two are inextricably linked and that each is one aspect

of the OMRON Principles put into action.

The importance of receiving objective

evaluation of one’s own company’s initiatives

Kimura: Another thing that caught my attention while

reading your integrated report is that OMRON’s compensa-

tion system for officers and directors is linked to medium-

and long-term performance and that your company has

now added sustainability evaluation to that. I admire your

company for working under such a scrupulous strategy.

What was your intention in basing the sustainability evalu-

ation on the Dow Jones indicators, the DJSI*?

Kaizaki: We wanted to use the perspective of third

parties as the yardstick. Given that society’s evaluation

is fundamental in sustainability, it is important to check

objectively whether one’s own company’s initiatives have

reached a certain level from the viewpoint of a wide

range of stakeholders including investors.

Kimura: It is true that your Integrated Report 2017,

which compiles a series of initiatives into a story and

communicates that to the world, has received high

ratings socially.

only if each and every employee applies it in his or her

daily work. By revising the previous complicated system

of principles, we aimed to convey the spirit of our mission

statement globally, in a simpler, easier to understand

form, with the hope that it would be put into practice.

Kimura: Later, OMRON established a Sustainability

Policy in 2017. Why did you formulate that policy?

Kaizaki: Our Sustainability Policy is a revision of the

CSR Policy that we already had. The content of the CSR

Policy was similar to that of our Management Philosophy,

which we had revised at the same time as the OMRON

Principles, which made it difficult for employees to

understand. So, we made the Sustainability Policy

reflect the same meaning and content as declared by

our Management Philosophy, based on the OMRON

Principles. Namely, “We are committed to sustainably

enhancing our long-term corporate value by putting the

OMRON Principles into practice.” In other words, we

arrived at the view that, for OMRON, putting the OMRON

Principles into practice equals promotion of sustainability.

Our Sustainability Policy is what sets that out clearly.

Linking contribution to the SDGs with

the medium-term management plan

Kimura: In your Medium-term Management Plan

VG2.0, which began in fiscal 2018, you established

sustainability goals for each of four focus business

domains—Factory Automation, Healthcare, Mobility, and

Energy Management—and also tied them to the SDGs.

At Casio too, we think that it is essential to address the

SDGs, and we would like to integrate the goals with our

business strategy, as OMRON has. When your company

was discussing the new medium-term management

plan, how did you foster understanding of the SDGs

within the company?

Kaizaki: It took numerous discussions to tie the concept

of sustainability into VG2.0. We especially obsessed over

establishment of social issues for 2020 by backcasting

from our corporate vision for 2030 and the SDGs. There

was continuity, as the SDGs and the social issues to

address overlap in many respects with our focus domains.

Since we claim in Our Mission a commitment to “contrib-

ute to a better society,” there was no arguing with the

fact that the resolution of social issues would be a pillar of

VG2.0 as well. And by taking the SDGs as a tool through

which to give shape to the OMRON Principles, it was easy

to obtain the understanding of management.

Kimura: What was your focus when establishing the

sustainability goals?

Kaizaki: Since it was clear that they would lead to

expansion of social value, express positive content and

be easy for employees to understand, we focused on

maintaining consistency with the business plan. Setting

sustainability goals that differ from business goals would

cause confusion in the field. Our sustainability goal for

2020 in the healthcare domain, for example, is blood

pressure monitor sales of 25 million units per year. The

reason we set the goal as a number of units rather than

an amount of money or market share comes down to the

idea that by selling of 25 million units we could provide

the value of being able to measure blood pressure at

home to 25 million patients. In its turn, that would help

to resolve social issues, such as reducing medical costs

and prolonging healthy lifespan by lowering the risk of

conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.


Kaizaki: In addition to winning a WICI Japan Award for

Excellence in Integrated Reporting and the Nikkei Annual

Report Award 2017, our report was also selected by the

Government Pension Investment Fund of Japan as an

“excellent integrated report” and the “most-improved

integrated report.” It seems that the key points for this

recognition were the facts that we set non-financial goals

for each business, demonstrated contribution to the

SDGs through our business, and disclosed the fact that

we incorporated sustainability evaluation by third parties

into officers’ compensation, among other things. A year

has passed since we started our new system and already

some goals themselves are starting to feel at odds with

the current situation. I think that it is important to con-

tinually review our goals in light of social trends, without

adhering too rigidly to them just because they were

decided once.

Kimura: I suppose that kind of flexibility is important.

There is a general propensity to dislike quantification,

because when goals are expressed in numbers they tend

to become goals one is committed to meet. But I get the

feeling that your company has done well overcoming

that difficulty.

* DJSI: Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. An ESG index that evaluates and selects companies by looking at economic, environmental, and social performance in an integrated manner with a view to long-term enhancement of shareholder value.

Instilling awareness of CSR among

employees

Kimura: Employee awareness is extremely important

in promoting CSR, but I often feel how difficult it is to

instill awareness within the company. As something

comparable to OMRON’s mission statement, Casio has a

corporate creed of “Creativity and Contribution.” This is

broken down in the Charter of Creativity, which we are

reviewing right now, looking for a way to tie our corpo-

rate creed to actual practice.

Kaizaki: Developing a system for actually putting

a creed into practice is something I think any com-

pany would find challenging. At OMRON, every single

employee can rattle off our mission statement, but as

for whether they truly understand it and can put it into

action, that is a high hurdle for sure. I think that the only

answer is to keep working at it tenaciously.

Kimura: I guess the most essential point is whether or

not each employee fully understands and accepts an idea

as valid. Since 2015, we have been holding CSR Leader

Meetings with the aim of instilling awareness within the

company. Each department chooses CSR leaders who

gather periodically for CSR training at these meetings. At

present, there are about 100 CSR leaders; the number of

people is still small and hasn’t formed fully into a group

that could lead the whole company strongly. Nevertheless,

we hope to increase the number of people with experi-

ence as CSR leaders through rotation in the future and to

gradually create a foundation for talking about CSR and

SDGs as common terms.

Kaizaki: I think that is a great initiative. That’s like

putting CSR evangelists into the company. In our case,

we have an internal award system called TOGA, The

Omron Global Awards, as a scheme for instilling aware-

ness within the company. Employees around the world

give presentations on how their own initiatives put the

OMRON Principles into practice and contribute to the cre-

ation of social value. Qualifying trials are held in each area

and 13 excellent themes are chosen. The final presenta-

tions are given in Kyoto, where our head office is, every

year on May 10. The presentations are distributed online

globally so that employees in every country can see them.

In fiscal 2017, we had around 6,200 entries from over


51,000 people worldwide. OMRON has about 36,000

employees, so there are many cases of people participat-

ing in TOGA in groups of two or more.

Kimura: Those are incredible numbers. So, employees

chosen from around the world all get together for the

final presentation?

Kaizaki: Yes, and we create opportunities for employees

from sites outside Japan to experience OMRON’s origins

while they are here, including visiting the Kazuma Tateishi

Memorial Museum in Kyoto. We started TOGA in 2012,

but at first we couldn’t manage to get away from the

idea of being concerned about business performance.

After we revised the OMRON Principles in fiscal 2015,

I feel that people finally started to get used to the new

concept and the perspectives of “how can we practice

innovation driven by social needs?” and “how can we

solve social issues?” started to take root among the

employees who participate.

Kimura: That is quite a meaningful initiative, dis-

tinctive of OMRON. We too have a president’s award

system, but we haven’t yet added ESG as a factor. You

have given us a big hint, and I hope to make use of it in

the future.

Enhancing communication with the world

outside the company to deepen CSR

Kimura: As a form of engagement with the world out-

side the company, OMRON held an ESG Meeting in fiscal

2017. What led your company to start this initiative?

Kaizaki: We have always taken an active approach to

IR activities, but IR inevitably focuses on business per-

formance, tending to neglect non-financial affairs. To

remedy that, we established the ESG Meeting as a place

for the company officers concerned to introduce initia-

tives on non-financial issues. During the first meeting,

which was held in December 2017, over 160 investors,

analysts, and others came to the meeting, which received

higher marks than we expected. Although we are still

figuring out how best to proceed, we plan to continue

such meetings in the future.

Kimura: I would definitely like Casio to think about

holding such meetings, as well. Our publication of an

integrated report might also become a step forward in

the sense of establishing a foundation for management

to communicate non-financial information to the world

outside the company. Lastly, please share with us any

opinions you may have of Casio’s pursuit of CSR.

Kaizaki: I think that Casio is conveying a forward-look-

ing commitment to the environment by setting the

goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gases in fiscal

2051 compared to fiscal 2014. Also, I think that actively

incorporating voices from outside the company into your

report—including by examining other companies’ prac-

tices, like you are doing now, and by holding dialogues

with outside experts—is a unique initiative. I also get

the impression, from the fact that you visit suppliers and

take the time to talk with them, that Casio values the

supply chain.

Kimura: I think that including dialogues in our report is

also important in the sense of sharing voices from outside

the company with members of the company. We intend

to continue learning from diverse opinions in the future,

in order to raise the level of our CSR efforts. Thank very

much for this conversation today.

Learning from Model CSR Companies—OMRON’s Integration of Business Goals and Sustainability Goals


Meet a Stakeholder

Through its products, Casio contributes to education around the world under a program called “GAKUHAN.”

In Bangladesh, since 2016 Casio has partnered with the non-profit organization e-Education to use scientific

calculators to improve mathematics skills among middle and high school students. We spoke with Masao

Naka, Managing Director, Casio India Co., Pvt. Ltd., who oversees the GAKUHAN program in Bangladesh,

and Kaito Miwa, Executive Director, e-Education, regarding their massive effort to partner with Bangladesh’s

Ministry of Education and school teachers to change the face of mathematics education in Bangladesh.

Challenges facing the Bangladesh education market

Q. What have been the respective initiatives of Casio and e-Education prior to this partnership?

Miwa: e-Education is a non-profit that supports edu-

cation in developing nations. We have been active

in Bangladesh since 2010. In the impoverished agri-

cultural regions of Bangladesh, it is common to see

students who have completed secondary education

but who are unable to attend a university. There are

no educational opportunities to prepare them for

university entrance exams and what opportunities do

exist are prohibitively expensive. We support university

entrance exam preparation by providing video-based

educational materials.

Naka: Casio has long contributed to education

in Asia, but since we do not have an office in

Bangladesh, our activities in the area weren’t as

far-reaching as we would have liked. With limited

information from local sources regarding the state of

education in the region, Bangladesh has been difficult

to engage. Also, the local schools were flooded with

counterfeit versions of Casio scientific calculators.

These factors combined to create an incredibly chal-

lenging situation.

Q. How did this partnership get started?Naka: Things got started with a Casio employee

reached out to e-Education via its website. Ascertaining

the state of education in Bangladesh prior to proceeding

with our initiatives meant it was vital that we partnered

with an organization with contacts and experience.

Miwa: In the past, we had seen many local middle and

high school students using scientific calculators with a

“CASIO” logo. However, when we inquired more closely,

we were surprised to learn that the majority of these cal-

culators were counterfeit.

Naka: Unfortunately, that is true. Those counterfeit prod-

ucts quickly break and are sometimes made with lead and

other materials that pose health risks. Users were being

victimized. As a manufacturer, this was not a situation that

we could ignore. Devising countermeasures to address

counterfeit products had become a serious issue.

Miwa: We conducted information exchanges with mem-

bers of the GAKUHAN team, from whom we could sense

a sincere desire to understand the educational system in

Bangladesh fully and involve various people in elevating

the educational level of the region. In truth, Casio was

Partnership to Change Education in Developing Countries

Stakeholder Conversation

Kaito MiwaExecutive Director, e-Education


scientific calculators. The second was creating scientific

calculator workshops gathering all the secondary edu-

cation schools in the capital city of Dhaka. The third was

strengthening relationships by visiting each school that

participated in workshops.

Naka: For these projects, we chose to use the

CLASSWIZ, Casio’s latest scientific calculator. Compared

to the counterfeit calculators being used in Bangladesh

at the time, products based on an older Casio design,

the CLASSWIZ was dramatically more accurate, enabled

users to display formulas as they were shown in their

textbooks, and were compatible with table calculations.

The CLASSWIZ provided much greater functionality. We

also knew that numerous design nuances meant the

CLASSWIZ was difficult to copy, making the product itself

an effective countermeasure against counterfeit products.

Miwa: A scientific calculator is an invaluable tool for

middle and high school students in the region who are

considering going to college. Under the education system

in Bangladesh, college admissions are influenced by the

total scores for middle and high school graduation exams.

Students are allowed to bring scientific calculators into

exams; thus the ability to use a scientific calculator more

effectively is vital to earning sufficient scores. However,

the reality is that many schools struggle to provide proper

instruction in the use of scientific calculators. That’s

where this project comes in. We used the CLASSWIZ as

the model for this project, which provides schools with

instructional support for scientific calculators.

Naka: During the creation of education materials, we

took full advantage of the collective knowledge and

experience cultivated by e-Education. Local partner teach-

ers took a leading role in thoroughly analyzing existing

textbooks. From that analysis, we were able to create a

high-quality textbook in the local Bengali language. With

already contributing to elevating the educational levels of

children around the world, and their methods resonated

with us. The issue Casio struggled with of not understand-

ing local educational systems and not being sure of how

to approach the Ministry of Education was similar to the

struggles we faced when we first launched our activities in

Bangladesh. That’s why I believed we would be able to help.

Three challenges to contributing to mathematics education

Q. Please provide some details of the projects being undertaken through this partnership.

Miwa: Since 2016, we have been involved in three proj-

ects. The first is the creation of support educational mate-

rials that summarize usage and instruction methods for

this single textbook, teachers are able to conduct classes

effectively using a scientific calculator.

Miwa: The second project, creating a mathematics

workshop that incorporates the scientific calculator,

was a major undertaking that involved gathering some

1,200 teachers from all 450 schools in Dhaka. To provide

detailed support, we limited the maximum number of

participants to 30 people per workshop and held work-

shops over a period of six months. In total, we conducted

40 workshops. This workshop project became the first

program to be certified by the Bangladesh Mathematics

Society (BMS), a group of reputed mathematicians and

members of the Bangladesh Ministry of Education.

Naka: At the workshops, teachers were intensely

engaged in the lectures, and their passion towards

education was evident. In the third project, our current

initiative involves the GAKUHAN team and members

of e-Education conducting joint school visits to provide

continued support to each school. Students at schools are

proactively engaged in their studies and one can sense

the energy unique to a developing nation.

Stakeholder Conversation: Kaito Miwa and Masao Naka

Masao NakaManaging Director, Casio India Co., Pvt. Ltd.*Title at time of interview in April 2018


to convey the meaning of Casio’s GAKUHAN program.

Then, together with BMS, we visited the Ministry of

Education. This was a critical and invaluable step. In the end,

I believe the Ministry of Education and the BMS chose to

place their trust in us as a non-profit that had spent many

years supporting local high school students in Bangladesh.

Naka: Since we were requesting participation by all

schools in Dhaka as a certified Ministry of Education pro-

gram, the condition that no private company name be

used was established in the interest of fairness. The work-

shops were only possible thanks to our collaboration with

e-Education, a non-profit organization that is rooted in

the local region. We would not have been able to accom-

plish this on our own.

Miwa: On the other hand, we would never have been

able to secure the financial resources required for such a

large-scale project. It is because Casio sponsored the costs

of holding the workshops that we were able to approach

the Ministry of Education without giving them

the impression that such an undertaking was not

financially feasible. I believe this is a shining exam-

ple of the success that is possible when a private

company and a non-profit collaborate and mutu-

ally complement each other.

Q. What progress has been made one year into the project, and what are your thoughts looking back on the past year?

Naka: Since holding the workshops, there are

schools with new mathematics classes that incor-

porate the CLASSWIZ. It is rare for GAKUHAN

program activities to see this level of change in a

previously untapped market in just one year. For

Change made possible by collaboration between a business and a non-profit

Q. What struggles did you face when promoting this project?

Miwa: It took time and effort to get the Ministry of

Education to understand how our project is different from

private companies trying to promote their products. We

began by engaging with the BMS, a group with which we

had prior involvement through other e-Education projects,

me, this emphasizes just how important partnerships with

e-Education, the Ministry of Education, and the BMS have

been, and the great value of the local activities conducted

based on these partnerships.

Miwa: On the other hand, it is a reminder of the diffi-

culty of addressing counterfeit products. Despite the fact

that a CLASSWIZ counterfeit product did not exist one

year ago, such counterfeit products have already reached

the streets of Bangladesh.

Naka: As a manufacturer, it is disappointing that we

must deal with counterfeits. However, in a certain sense

it is rather impressive that the counterfeit products have

upgraded from the old model to a new model copying

the CLASSWIZ. We are seeing the birth of a new standard

in mathematics education that has even driven a change

in counterfeit products.

Miwa: Many of the teachers who participated in the

workshops are grateful to Casio and have become fans

Meet a Stakeholder


Bangladesh

to have Casio visit their school, I believe teachers want

to work with companies towards improving education.

The GAKUHAN program was the first ever attempt in

Bangladesh by a private company to change the face of

education, and Casio was at the center of this effort. I

believe this is a massive social contribution about which

we can all be excited.

Q. Moving forward, how will you further advance your initiatives?

Naka: For now, it is important that we continue to

focus on grassroots activities in the capital of Dhaka to

strengthen partnerships with schools and establish a pro-

gram model. From there, we will look to expand activities

to cities other than Dhaka as we gradually expand into

other regions.

Miwa: In terms of addressing counterfeit products as

well, it is simply not good enough to provide hardware.

Our fight against counterfeiters, whose only interests lie in

their own profits, must center on total education support

solutions involving a combination of products and services

to address the educational issues facing each school.

Naka: I feel exactly the same way. Casio is a pioneering

company that has contributed to the global society with its

commitment to “creating something from nothing.” Today,

what the world needs are solutions that transcend the tra-

ditional framework of manufacturing. We must contribute

to society by creating methods of resolving problems.

Miwa: Your GAKUHAN program is the embodiment of

your corporate creed of “Creativity and Contribution.”

The GAKUHAN program is also highly commendable for

its link to contributing to the fulfillment of the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs), which have become a

of Casio. This is sure to lead to an increase in people who

choose authentic Casio products over any counterfeit

product. I think it is important for GAKUHAN to develop

this type of fan base even though it may not lead to

immediate results.

Creating a method for resolving education issues

Q. What is the value provided by the GAKUHAN program?Naka: Today, scientific calculators support higher math-

ematics skills for children, not only in Bangladesh, but

all around the world. Mathematics is the foundation of

numerous industries, including science and IT, and it is

vital to increasing the core competence of entire nations.

There is nothing better than encouraging children in

developing nations to use scientific calculators, thereby

promoting increased mathematics skills and fostering the

development of the human resources who will one day

support the future of that nation.

Miwa: In developing nations, private companies tend

to avoid getting involved in the education landscape.

In developed nations, however, it is commonplace for

companies and schools to partner to promote innova-

tion in education. As we saw in the schools we visited in

Bangladesh, where many of the teachers were excited

priority focus for the international community. Among

the SDGs are Goal 4, “Quality Education,” and Goal 17,

“Partnerships for the Goals.” Since long before the adop-

tion of the SDGs, Casio has been partnering with Ministry

of Education officials and teachers from various countries,

seeking to contribute to the creation of quality education.

In that sense, the world is just beginning to catch up to

Casio. We value this partnership with Casio and hope to

continue working together on various initiatives.

Stakeholder Conversation: Kaito Miwa and Masao Naka


Corporate Overview

Company data Group companies by region

Sales by segment and region

Name: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.

Headquarters: 1-6-2, Hon-machi, Shibuya-ku,

Tokyo, Japan, 151-8543

Established: June 1, 1957

President and COO: Kazuhiro Kashio

Employees: 2,903 (consolidated: 12,298)

Paid-in capital: ¥48,592 million

Net sales: ¥314,790 million (consolidated)

Operating profit: ¥29,568 million (consolidated)

Ordinary profit: ¥28,726 million (consolidated)

Profit attributable to owners of parent:¥19,563 million (consolidated)

* As of March 31, 2018

lOthers• Molds, etc.

Sales: ¥7,583 million(2.4%)

lSystem Equipment• Handheld terminals

• Electronic cash registers

• Office computers

• Page printers

• Data projectors, etc.


lConsumer• Watches

• Clocks

• Electronic dictionaries

• Calculators

• Label printers and photo printers

• Electronic musical instruments

• Digital cameras, etc.


Asia and others

Japan

NorthAmerica

Europe

Sales by segment

Sales

¥314,790million

Sales by region

Americas6

companiesMiddle East1

company

Europe8

companies

Asia(including Japan)

32companies

31.9%

12.5%17.1%

38.5%

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