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Social Contribution Activities

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Since its founding, Lion has sought to help consumers enjoy healthy living through the provision of products while carrying out educational activities and communication aimed at creating better living habits.

In Japan and other Asian countries, Lion is engaged in initiatives that contribute to the sustainable development of society and the global environment through the areas of health, comfort and cleanliness. We believe that our continued business viability depends on co-existing harmoniously with the communities in which we are involved, such as those where Lion facilities are located. We therefore strive to help solve issues in and invigorate local communities by strengthening partnerships with local residents, government agencies and citizens’ groups. In addition, by increasing opportunities for every employee to get involved in business-related educational activities, we foster human resources that create new value informed by a high level of social and environmental awareness.

Overview

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Initiatives with Local Governments

Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

Lion’s founder, Tomijiro Kobayashi, had close ties to Ishinomaki City. Honoring this connection, Lion has pursued recovery support initiatives in the city on a continuous basis since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

In January 2019, Lion formed a comprehensive collaboration agreement with the city to promote the health of city residents and revitalize the area using its accumulated health improvement expertise. One initiative under the agreement is tree planting at Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Memorial Park, and Lion staff, partners and Ishinomaki locals have teamed up to plant trees every year. We will continue to implement a variety of initiatives based on employee participation.

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A group photo of a tree planting event at Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Memorial Park

Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture

Since October 2006, in accordance with an agreement with Yamanashi City, Lion has been involved in the maintenance of a city-owned forest, the first of the Company Forest Promotion Projects being promoted by Yamanashi Prefecture. Our goal is to increase employee awareness of the environment through the experience of caring for the forest, which serves as a water source. In the future, we would like to focus on environmental education and offer a venue for interaction and exchange with a diverse group of people, including local residents.

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Forest maintenance activities

Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture

The KireiKirei City-Sakaide Project is an initiative implemented through a partnership agreement signed in 2014 by Sakaide City, the Lion Chemical Co., Ltd. Oleochemical Production Site and Lion that aims to improve the health of the citizens of Sakaide City by educating them about healthy habits such as hand washing and tooth brushing.

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Hand washing awareness activities at the Furusato no Oyako Festival

Sumida-ku, Tokyo

In 2020, Lion formed an agreement with the municipality of Sumida-ku, where our headquarters were formerly located, to collect and recycle used toothbrushes with the aim of recovering plastic resources.

Between April 2020 and March 2021, used toothbrushes were collected from elementary schools and other organizations (many of which are educational institutions), recycled into rulers, and returned to the collecting organizations.

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A visit to a participating elementary school
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An elementary school student showing off his new ruler
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15 cm rulers incorporating recycled toothbrush plastic

Taito-ku, Tokyo

In March 2023, we concluded an agreement with the municipality of Taito-ku to collaborate and cooperate in the promotion of local residents’ health and to contribute to community development for the realization of a sustainable society and our harmonious coexistence with the community.

Based on this agreement, in the following month we began toothbrush recycling initiatives to recycle plastic resources. Collected toothbrushes will be processed by a recycling company chosen by Lion and then returned to Taito-ku locals in the form of useful plastic goods.

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Signing Ceremony for the Comprehensive Collaborative Agreement
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A collection box at the entrance of the main building of the Taito-ku City Office

Initiatives Supporting Education

Employee Participation

Since 2014, as part of Lion’s training program, junior employees go to kindergartens and preschools across Japan to teach children about the importance of hand washing habits through a set of fun song and dance activities. In 2021, the program was extended to include elementary schools, with lessons delivered using simple-to-follow instructional videos and other visual aids. In addition to providing products, our employees play a helpful role in promoting self-directed cleanliness and hygiene habits.

Lion is proactively implementing these activities, which not only serve communities, but contribute to human resource development. By participating in these initiatives, employees learn about social issues through direct contact with communities and improve their problem-solving skills, teamwork skills and empathy in addition to increasing their awareness of the importance of contributing to society.

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A video is shown during an event at an elementary school
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Events held in kindergartens and preschools

Supporting Science Education

“Rico-Challe” Training Event Participation

Since 2019, Lion has been holding events to support “Rico-Challe,” a campaign to support female junior high, high school and university students choosing STEM fields being implemented by the Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Education Policy Bureau and the Japan Business Federation.

Education Support Activities for Science Students

One example of how Lion supports science education is by conducting experience-based lessons for high school students from Super Science High School designated schools,* helping these students to deepen their knowledge, and by offering tours of the Research and Development Headquarters that cover the history of Lion’s technological development, the motivations of the developers and the technologies used in Lion products in order to foster their interest in science. Because students are able to hear from researchers directly, these events help students develop a sense of what it is like to work in research.

* The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has implemented the Super Science High School program since 2002 to carry out research and development focused on math and science education with the goal of developing future international scientists and engineers. Under the program, upper secondary schools providing advanced math and science education are designated as Super Science High Schools and receive special support.

Volunteer Researchers Conduct Science Classes

Edogawa-ku, where Lion’s Hirai Research Center is located, has been conducting an ongoing science education center project for more than 50 years in which the ward, schools, and local residents collaborate to teach children about the fascinating scientific phenomena happening around them. For more than 15 years, we have been holding science classes for elementary school students to familiarize them with interface science, which is the foundation of Lion’s products, and to help them become familiar with science in their daily lives.

Click here for more research institute activities [Japanese]

Sports Promotion Activities

Activities of Lion’s Rugby Club

Lion’s rugby club is celebrating its 51st anniversary in 2023. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have continued to support us and help us achieve this milestone. We would like to express our sincere gratitude. Every spring, the club holds the Lion Rugby Festival at the Chiba Plant sports field to build relationships with local residents, children of a local rugby school, coaching staff and many parents. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, club activities were suspended in 2020, but resumed in spring 2022. At the rugby classes held here, our current players, who go by the team name “Lion Fangs” teach rugby skills in an easy-to-understand manner to ruggers ranging from kindergarteners to upper elementary students.

In addition, since 2012, as part of Lion’s project to promote recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, the rugby club has been holding rugby classes in the city of Ishinomaki, as well. From 2020, these activities were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but will resume for the first time in four years in 2023.

Through rugby, we will continue to participate in a variety of community and social contribution activities.

Rugby Lesson Participants
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Participants Chiba Approx. 500 Approx. 700 Suspended Suspended Approx. 600 Approx. 700
Ishinomaki Approx. 80 Approx. 90 Suspended Suspended - Scheduled for August
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Activities at the Chiba Plant (April 2023)
Activities in Ishinomaki (2019)

Other Sports Events Supported by Lion

Recognized as a Sports Yell Company 2023 by the Japan Sports Agency

Lion was recognized by the Sports Agency as a Sports Yell Company in 2023 for its efforts to promote sports activities among its employees and its active support in the field of sports.

News Release [Japanese]
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Working towards Gender Equality

Kaji × Kaji Happy Share Project

Lion is promoting the Kaji × Kaji Happy Share Project in partnership with municipalities and companies across Japan with the aim of eliminating the “chore gap” in households. By helping foster smoother relations within households in the communities where we promote this project, we are supporting the resolution of a variety of social issues, such as women’s participation in the labor force and the low birth rate. Through this project, we are working with municipalities to provide useful information not only to married couples, but broadly throughout communities.

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Household chore seminar in Akashi City

Collaboration with Local Communities

Plant Tours

Lion considers plant tours to be an important contact point between customers and the Company. So that customers can get to know Lion products and witness the extremely high priority the Company places on safety and environmental conservation in its operations, we welcome many visitors to the plants every year. Plant tours were suspended from February 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but have gone back to a regular schedule in 2023.

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Odawara Plant (2019)
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Odawara Plant (2019)
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Chiba Plant (2019)
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Akashi Plant (2019)
2020 Plant Tours
(January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020)
Plant Chiba Odawara Osaka Akashi Total
Plant tours 3 11 5 7 26
Participants 50 231 126 150 557

Environmental Beautification Activities

Cleanup Activities Near Plants and Offices

Valuing communication with local communities, Lion Group plants and offices proactively engage in cleanup activities not just within their own grounds, but in the surrounding areas, as well.

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Cleanup activities near the Akashi Plant
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Cleanup activities near the Odawara Plant
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Cleanup activities near the Chiba Plant
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Cleanup activities at a seaside park near the Fukuoka Office

In addition to those shown above, Lion is implementing cleanup activities around the Sapporo Office, Tokyo Office, Nagoya Office, Osaka Plant, Lion Chemical Co., Ltd. Fine Chemical Production Site and Oleochemical Production Site, and Lion Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd. Ono Plant and Yokkaichi Plant.

Sekiguchi River Cleanup Participation (Odawara Office Site)

The Odawara City Kouzu Ward Neighborhood Association holds an annual cleanup of the Kouzu Coast. Lion employees in Odawara have been participating in the cleanup activities since 2003. In 2008, the location of the cleanup was changed to the nearby Sekiguchi River. We have continued participating in the cleanup every year. However, the activity has been suspended since 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Though the activity was resumed in 2022, it was cancelled in 2023 due to heavy rain.

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Employees engaged in cleanup activities
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Participants 43 36 Suspended Suspended 32 Suspended

Kamisu City Coastal Cleanup Activities (Lion Chemical Corporation Fine Chemical Production Site)

The Lion Chemical Corporation Fine Chemical Production Site has been conducting cleanup activities with employees and local residents on the Kamisu City coastline (Hikawa and Hasaki beaches) every June since 2009 as part of our community contribution activities.

Wearing matching green T-shirts during cleanup activities
Employees engaged in cleanup activities
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Participants 51 46 46 Suspended Suspended

Biodiversity Conservation Activities at Lion’s Operating Sites

Lion provides a wide variety of products that support daily living based in significant part on value derived from nature.

In addition to striving to use resources in a sustainable manner, Lion is engaged in biodiversity conservation, aiming for each employee of Lion’s operating sites to proactively contribute to the realization of a society in harmony with nature.

Other Events Supported by Lion

Donation Activities (Philanthropy)

Every year, Lion surveys the domestic Group on the implementation status of social contribution activities to collect and manage data on monetary and product donations for and spending on each activity.

The total amount spent on social contribution activities in fiscal 2022 was approximately ¥605.8 million.

Fiscal 2022 expenditure on social contribution activities (Millions of yen)

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*Monetary donations include donations to the Lion Foundation for Dental Health (LDH)[Japanese]

Social Contribution Activity Expenditure
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
655million yen 519million yen 1,041million yen 778.2million yen 605.8million yen
Hours Volunteered by Employees During Working Hours
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
7,426hours 5,956hours 1,923hours* 1,053hours* 2,826hours

*In 2020 and 2021, volunteer hours were decreased to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Overseas Social Contribution Activities

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