Clean-up of beaches 1	Clean-up of beaches 2

Polyplastics makes active efforts toward CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) as a good corporate citizen on a company-wide basis. It is essential to contribute and give due consideration to the local community and the environment in order to promote the activities of CSR.
We can't successfully operate a plant without maintaining good relations with the community.
We think that this is the very important way of thinking in continuing to operate production activities in a particular community for a plant.
Under this way of thinking we've taken an active part in community programs ever since the plant first came into operation.
Broadly speaking, companies can contribute to the community in two ways: by providing financial support, and by providing support in the form of human resources.
Financial support means bearing a fair share of costs as a corporate citizen so that community programs run smoothly, much as individual residents pay dues to their local neighborhood association. Human resources support means sending out company employees to participate in various community events and activities, and thus placing their skills at the disposal of the community.
These days environmental protection efforts have come to attract particular attention. Companies are now rated for how much they contribute to their community in this regard. Though they're expected to give financial support as well, even more important is the help they can provide in the form of people.
The Fuji Plant contributes to its community in all kinds of ways. What has it done to help protect the environment in particular? Here are some good examples.

(1) Cleaning up the areas around the plant
• Regular cleanup of municipal roads etc. around the plant (after work on the third Monday of every month)
This started out as one of our TPM activities and still continues today.
• Clean-up of beaches (every November on the morning of the second Sunday of the month)
A beach cleanup program implemented in partnership with the local district. It takes place after a cleanup of Fuji City as a whole, which started out as the Fuji River Clean-up Campaign.
• Cleanup of prefectural and municipal roads near the plant (every June on the third Monday of the month from 4 p.m.)
Carried out as part of Environment Month, this covers a broader area than the regular monthly cleanup. All divisions at Fuji turn out to clean up the prefectural and municipal roads near the plant.
(2) Restoring the natural forests of Mount Fuji
This is carried out with several goals, including restoring the natural environment and recharging water resources.
• Fuji City beech forest development project
A natural forest restoration project organized by Fuji City, now in its fourteenth year. It's designed to restore vegetation to Mount Fuji by planting trees native to the area like buna (a type of beech), mizunara, and himeshara. Our role in the project began with a single person, and now there are around ten company people involved.
• The Mount Fuji 3776 Natural Forest Restoration Campaign
In 1996, Typhoon No. 17 flattened a broad swathe of planted forest in the vicinity of Stage 2 of the ascent up Mount Fuji. In 1997, the Shizuoka prefectural government launched a project to restore the lost greenery by planting trees native to Mount Fuji, and called on people from all over the prefecture to take part. This is known as the Mount Fuji 3776 Natural Forest Restoration Campaign.
The project involves collecting seeds and planting them in the nursery in fall, planting saplings in spring and fall, and cutting grass in midsummer.
Again, Polyplastics' role began with a single person, and now there are several of our people involved.
Tree planting isn't all that's being done on Mount Fuji. Efforts are also made to clean up the mountain by clearing it of garbage. This spring's Mount Fuji Cut-the-Garbage Campaign mobilized one hundred people in all, including nine from Polyplastics. They cleaned up the area along the road at the southern foot of Mount Fuji.

At Polyplastics, there's been a tendency to think of community activities as the exclusive business of General Affairs Dept., but that mindset is slowly changing. When a notice asking for volunteers is posted on the company-wide bulletin board, more hands now go up than ever. Let's hope many more employees get involved in Polyplastics' community support activities.
The next time such an activity is scheduled to take place, why not get involved?

Koji Akiyama
General Affairs Dept., Fuji Plant

Restoring the natural forests of Mount Fuji