Social Activities
International Exchanges and Cooperation
Cultural Exchange Program for Employees’ Children
To promote cultural exchange in the Mitsui Chemicals Group, we launched the Youth go Global initiative in 2016—an intra-group exchange program designed for our employees’ children to experience a homestay with another group employee’s family living in a different country.
We expect that this program will provide an opportunity for our employees’ children to open a door to the world and deepen their understanding of different cultures, while also strengthening employees’ bonds with our Group and engagement in their work. A total of three pairs of children experienced exchange homestays in fiscal 2018 (Japan & Germany, Germany & the US, and Germany & Malaysia). The children who attended the program expressed their excitement, commenting, “This experience of a different culture will be beneficial for my future career,” and “I could think and act by myself without relying on my parents.”
Do Green™ Activities
As part of the Mitsui Chemicals Group’s efforts to realize a cohesive society in harmony with the environment, the Group offers a wide selection of plant-derived products under the name Do Green™.
Do Green™ MR-60™ and MR-174™ are the world’s first high-refractive-index lens materials for vision correction to be plant-derived, allowing for CO2 emissions to be cut by roughly 14 percent when compared to conventional lenses. These materials have received biomass product certification from JORA*1 and USDA*2, and provide the same level of material quality as conventional petroleum-derived lens materials. Other products include the plant-derived poly-isocyanate STABiO™, and ECONYKOL™, a polyol derived from plants used in automobile seat cushions.
Based on fostering awareness toward the global environment through Do Green™ products, we pursue Do Green™ activities with the aim of promoting ethical, humanitarian initiatives to improve the lives of producers of raw plant materials and help solve challenges facing agricultural regions.
Working with South Korean-based lens manufacturer CHEMILENS*3, which supported and endorsed the efforts taken here, Mitsui Chemicals undertook a third round of activities under its Do Green™ initiative. Over an eight-day period from November 10, 2017, we implemented “Activities for Eye Health,” which included eye examinations for 1,011 local residents and children along with education on eye treatment and care for vision loss prevention in Jhabua, part of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The eye examinations carried out here revealed 247 people needing glasses, prompting a second period of activity from June 27, 2018, that spanned three days. Individually prescribed glasses were distributed to these local residents, helping to improve conditions for work and education.
*1JORA (Japan Organics Recycling Association) certification:
Provided to environmentally friendly products using plant-derived resources (biomass) certified by the Japan Organics Recycling Association and which meet certain quality, related laws, standards and regulations, etc.
*2USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) certification:
USDA BioPreferred® provided to plant-derived products certified by the United States Department of Agriculture.
*3CHEMILENS:
A plastic lens manufacturer established in South Korea in 1988 and the world’s top producer of lenses using Mitsui Chemicals’ high-refractive-index Do Green™ MR materials.
Residents receive a talk on the importance of eye treatment and care
Happy students wear their new glasses
Outline of Do Green™ Activities in India
| Period | November 10 to November 17, 2017 (eight days) June 27 to June 29, 2018 (three days) |
|---|---|
| Subjects | A total of 1,011 residents of Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Content | First period of activity (November 2017): Eye examinations delivered by doctors, with prescriptions issued to those needing glasses and cataract patients referred to hospital |
| Second period of activity (June 2018): Distribution of individually prescribed glasses to a total of 241 residents (81 school students, 160 villagers) |
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| Supporting organizations | Coordination: ・ The Institute of Cultural Affairs (Director: Shizuyo Sato) ・ Holistic Child Development India (Director: N. Thomas Rajkumar) |
| Eye examinations: ・ Navjeevan Kendra Jhabua (Director: Sr. Jolly SJSM) ・ Jeevan Jyothi Hospital Jhabua (Eye technicians) |
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