Comments from Thought Leaders

Sachiko Kishimoto

Representative Director and Managing Director
Public Resources Foundation

Profile of Sachiko Kishimoto
Graduated from, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo. After working for a trading company and think tank, she pursued studies outside Japan and then in 2000 established the Public Resource Center, which became the Public Resources Foundation in 2013. She has served as the foundation’s Representative Director and Managing Director since it was established. With the aim of promoting a culture of philanthropy in Japan, she is involved in programs to efficiently match endowments from individuals and companies with recipients in the social sector. She also helps companies to pursue CSR and assess the impacts of their efforts. She has edited such works as The Scientific Approach to Donations, and Financial Methods and Practices for Solving Social Issues: From Donations and Grants to Innovative Philanthropy.

1. Contributing Solutions to Social Issues through Business Activities
Toray Group has consistently sought to provide solutions to social issues through its business activities. Notably, the Sustainability Innovation (SI) Business accounted for 53% of Toray Group’s consolidated revenue in fiscal 2024. In fiscal 2025, the Group established the Corporate Sustainability Strategic Management Division as a new organization under the direct supervision of the president, tasked with advancing initiatives in three key areas: expansion of the SI business, climate change mitigation efforts, and sustainability-related information disclosure. This demonstrates the Group’s commitment to sustainability. Each year, global environmental issues are becoming increasingly serious. With its technological development capabilities, I have strong expectations that Toray Group will continue efforts to realize a carbon neutral world while mitigating climate change impacts. By also looking at its entire value chain and enhancing collaboration with stakeholders, the Group should strive to maximize the concrete impact it has been having in helping to resolve social issues.

2. Social Contribution Activities as a Good Corporate Citizen
Toray Group has maintained the scale of its expenditures on social contribution activities, including donations and personnel costs associated with such activities.
I commend the Group for leveraging its resources as a materials manufacturer to carry out a diverse range of initiatives. These include providing long-term funding for basic scientific research through the Toray Science Foundation; developing science experiment and environmental education programs that use some of its products, while dispatching employee instructors to local schools to deliver these programs; and finally, conducting local clean-up and biodiversity conservation activities in the communities where it operates. It is also a positive sign for the Group’s internal awareness-raising efforts that employees who have served as instructors in the community outreach programs have reported that the experience increased their motivation and gave them a stronger sense of society’s expectations. Furthermore, when major flooding struck Thailand in 2024, Toray Group companies in that country responded swiftly with relief funds as members of the local community—another commendable effort. I expect the Group will keep providing solutions to global social challenges through relevant activities that reflect Toray’s unique strengths.

3. Human Rights Promotion and Human Resources Development
In recent years, there have been cases in Japan where companies or other organizations have faced serious challenges to their survival due to inadequate handling of human rights issues, including workplace harassment. At the same time, building a society in which diverse groups—such as young people, women, seniors, and foreign nationals—can fully participate and contribute is recognized as a vital challenge for Japan’s future. Toray Group has been a pioneer in this regard, establishing its Policy for Human Rights at an early stage and setting out clear policies for securing and developing human resources. In addition to building on its people-centric management to devise a human resources strategy that both enhances corporate value and improves employee well-being, the Group also conducts employee surveys to monitor progress, another pioneering measure. I look forward to future expansion of the HCM (Human-Centric Management) Promotion Activities, launched in August 2024, as Toray’s own DE&I initiative.

4. Establishing Sustainable Supply Chain
Toray Group uses its CSR Procurement Survey to assess and evaluate the sustainability efforts of suppliers, and checks their compliance with the Group’s CSR Procurement Guidelines. The survey results show that, with the exception of requests directed at secondary suppliers, implementation rates for initiatives related to human rights, labor practices, and environmental preservation are high. Supporting efforts to further engage secondary suppliers will be an important priority going forward. I also applaud the Group’s rapid achievement of targets related to the procurement of oil products that are made with palm oil sourced in a manner that is environmentally responsible and respectful of human rights. Furthermore, in order to address the so-called “2024 problem” in Japan’s logistics sector, I appreciate that Toray Group, together with other companies, established the Chemical Products Working Group under the Physical Internet Realization Conference, organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. This initiative should be seen as highly significant.

Shunsuke Managi

Director, Urban Institute
Distinguished Professor,
Kyushu University

Profile of Shunsuke Managi
Prior to his current position, Managi held various prominent roles and positions, which include Director for the UN Environment Programme’s Inclusive Wealth Report (2014, 2018 and 2023); ISC working group member for the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2023; member of the United Nations New Capital Roundtable for Sustainability; temporary member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Industrial Structure Council; temporary member of the Ministry of the Environment’s Central Environmental Council; member of the 25th and 26th terms of the Science Council of Japan; and representative for the Science Council of Japan's “Impact of Sustainable Investment on Industry” project. Managi was recognized in the Highly Cited Researchers 2023 and 2024 lists compiled by Clarivate.

Achieving the international 1.5°C climate target means nothing less than reducing global CO₂ emissions to virtually zero within the next 25 years, which is an enormous challenge. I recognize that this goal is extremely difficult to realize, and even if the international community were to rigorously implement emission reductions as planned, the global average temperature is still projected to continue rising for the next 50 years. Humanity is entering an unprecedented era in which the impacts of climate change will become ever more severe.

In this context, I believe Toray Group’s one-of-a-kind Sustainability Innovation (SI) business is indispensable for mitigating the risks of climate change through technologies that reduce material weight and improve energy efficiency, support the transition to alternative energy, and lower CO₂ emissions. The importance of this business will only grow further in the years to come. As the need to promote climate change adaptation becomes increasingly apparent, I expect that Toray will also accelerate the development of new water treatment membranes as well as technologies and products for the healthcare field.

I note that revenues from the SI business have consistently exceeded 1 trillion yen, and that with the adoption of a SI product certification system, distinctive product examples are emerging in each of the Group’s categories of Carbon Neutral (CN), Circular Economy (CE), Nature Positive (NP), and Life Innovation (LI).

Furthermore, with growing emphasis on economic and energy security, risk management is becoming increasingly important, and human rights and environmental due diligence across the supply chain will demand greater attention.
I also see that two KPIs set under the CSR Roadmap 2025, namely, the percentage of oil procurement needs met by palm oil sourced in a manner that is environmentally responsible and respectful of human rights, as well as the percentage of suppliers agreeing to the Toray Group CSR Procurement Guidelines, have been continuously improving.
Looking ahead, as major international frameworks emerge for regulating supply chains, including stricter regulations on chemical substances, I expect Toray’s SI business to expand even further.
Finally, looking at the CSR Procurement Risk Map, which highlights high-risk issues in the Group’s supply chain, I note that risks related to greenhouse gases and water resources appear relatively low, while chemical and human rights risks are shown as high. I have high expectations that the Group will, while ensuring safety, continue to strengthen its initiatives on CO₂ emissions and water resources even at the procurement stage, thereby delivering results with a substantial impact.