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Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility

Pushing Forward with a Comprehensive CSR Strategy

Promoting CSR under the comprehensive CSR strategic themes for the five pathways to achieving the Ajinomoto Group CSR Vision.

Stakeholder Dialogues

The Ajinomoto Group considers stakeholder dialogues as an important activity within its CSR initiatives. Dialogues with members of society enable the group to verify that its efforts are meeting society's demands. The dialogues correspond to the C in the PDCA cycle, and are regarded by managers and employees of the Ajinomoto Group as meaningful opportunities that contribute to CSR management.

CSR Activity Critique Session with Stakeholders of Ajinomoto

The proposed themes and content of the group's comprehensive CSR strategy were presented and opinions exchanged with stakeholders at the session.

Date:
December 2, 2008
Venue:
Ajinomoto Group Takanawa Training Center
Participants:
21 stakeholders, including the media as well as representatives of NGOs and NPOs in fields such as consumer advocacy, human rights, environmental conservation, and corporate citizenship; 24 people from the Ajinomoto Group, including executives of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and representatives of the Corporate Division, Food Products Company, Amino Acids Company, and Pharmaceutical Company

The six topics of discussion and stakeholder expectations of Ajinomoto

Group 1: Meaning of the comprehensive CSR strategy, the mission of the Ajinomoto Group, and the means to fulfill CSR
Stakeholders (Titles omitted) Ajinomoto Group participants*
Fujiko Shimoyachi Japan Association of Consumer Affairs Specialists Osamu Tosaka Representative Director, Member of the Board & Corporate Executive Deputy President
Yukiko Ueno Fuluhashi Environmental Institute Co., Ltd. Tadanori Umezawa General Manager, Group Procurement Center
Masami Kojima Tokyo head office, The Mainichi Newspapers Minoru Iida General Manager, General Affairs & Risk Management Department
Makoto Teranaka Amnesty International Japan Satoshi Kitamura Manager, CSR Department

Stakeholder Expectations of Ajinomoto

  • The details of the CSR strategy in terms of risk assessment and prioritization, as well as its action plans and goals should be clarified.
  • Ajinomoto should thoroughly address food safety as the most important consumer issues.
  • The company must fulfill its mission as an industry leader.
  • A transparent system for responsibly moving the company's CSR strategy forward is needed.
Group 2: Contribution to health and nutrition in developing countries, lifecycle-focused raw material procurement, and protecting labor rights and human rights
Stakeholders (Titles omitted) Ajinomoto Group participants*
Minako Oishi Nippon Association of Consumer Specialists Namio Terashi Member of the Board & Corporate Vice President
Yoshiki Midorikawa Green Consumer Research Group Hajime Nagayama General Manager, Business Strategy & Planning Department
Satoko Ito Japan Center for International Exchange Nobuyuki Sugimoto General Manager, Environment & Safety Department
    Kei Kuriwaki General Manager, Strategy & Planning Department

Stakeholder Expectations of Ajinomoto

  • Ajinomoto is expected to further explain to the public how its research and technology are beneficial to society. Cooperation with international organizations and NGOs to promote nutritional improvement using lysine is also expected.
  • Company-managed farms benefit the group disproportionately compared to local communities. Therefore, the group should use these farms not only for procurement but also to build sustainable, community-based relationships.
  • More female managers have been appointed, but it is important for Ajinomoto to consider their working conditions, including job relocation, in order to improve work-life balance.
  • In addition to developing internal human resources, appointments from outside the company are important.
Group 3: Method of establishing the goals of the comprehensive strategy and individual strategic themes
Stakeholders (Titles omitted) Ajinomoto Group participants*
Kojiro Tanaka Workers Club for Eco-harmonic Renewable Society (Junkan Workers Club) Kiyoshi Miwa Member of the Board & Corporate Vice President
Mikako Awano World Wide Fund for Nature Japan Yozo Nakao General Manager, CSR & Public Communications Department
Mayuko Murasawa JEN (NGO) Joji Endo General Manager, Human Resources Department

Stakeholder Expectations of Ajinomoto

  • CSR efforts have progressed, but results should be measured quantitatively over a timeline.
  • As a Japanese food company, Ajinomoto is expected to work toward improving Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio while ensuring food safety and encouraging local production for local consumption.
  • In its promotion of feed-use amino acids, the company's focus should shift from the reduction of greenhouse gases to the improvement of the quality of life in developing countries through increasing meat consumption.
  • In its development of global human resources, it is important that Ajinomoto value not only management but also regular staff, and raise its awareness of issues concerning regular versus temporary employees.
  • Ajinomoto should explain to all employees the basic stance underlying its activities for promoting corporate citizenship as a continuous endeavor.

* Job title is as of when the meeting was held.

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