Based on our Group Philosophy “Creating Happiness and Harmony in Our Communities,” we promote customeroriented business activities aiming to become “Hub of refreshment in every community” Believing that striving to realize the “Three Promises” eventually promotes the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” we aggressively address our challenges.
●SDGs Committee Organization
In March 2019, Lawson established the SDGs Committee with the aim of realizing a sustainable society through its business activities, and has conducted initiatives leading to solutions for social issues one by one through a step by step approach. Furthermore, on March 1, 2021, we appointed a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), a position that will be filled by the President and Representative Director. In addition, on the same day, we also established the SDGs Promotion Department as a dedicated department to further strengthen our efforts under the new structure.
Each department works independently to realize the “Three Promises” through their business activities. At the same time, we promote initiatives linked to SDGs, and periodically come up with solutions for challenges and report on the progress through the SDGs Committee. While the committee takes the initiative in fulfilling our social responsibility by taking steps to solve social issues, we continue striving to enhance our corporate value and achieve sustainable growth.
We have also established working groups under the SDGs Committee to strengthen our efforts in the areas of CO2 reduction, food loss reduction, plastic reduction, supply chain expansion, and information disclosure, which we consider to be issues requiring a particularly speedy response among Lawson's materials issues.
In our business policy, the “Three Promises,” we promise to provide “Superior taste,” “Human kindness,” and “Environmental (Machi) friendliness” with our customers as the starting point. By doing so, our goal is to become the Hub of refreshment in every community by offering the three “Whew!” Surprises.
●Identifying Material Issues
STEP1 | In order to find issues with heavy impacts on the environment, society and economy, and then identify Lawson’s own “material issues,” we categorized our business activities into value chain phases such as raw materials procurement, manufacturing, distribution, etc., and confirmed what initiative was helpful toward achieving each target or goal of the SDGs by clarifying social issues in every phase. |
---|---|
STEP2 | From the social issues spotted in the feedback or questionnaire results from stakeholders such as customers, franchise stores, shareholders, and institutional investors, we selected the issues with heavy impacts on the society. |
STEP3 | Cross-checking the social issues identified through stakeholder feedback with those impacting heavily on Lawson, we prioritized those necessary for us to become “Hub of refreshment in every community” |
STEP4 | We linked Lawson’s initiatives for the specified social issues to the “Three Promises,” and decided our material issues. |
●Matrix -Impacts of Identified Social Issues Plotted on Graph-
At the Lawson Group, we conduct social and environmental education and training for headquarters employees, franchise owners, store managers, and store crews.
Beginning with training at headquarters for new recruits, training encompasses all Lawson employees and includes annual general environmental training via e-learning.
For franchise owners, store managers, and store crews, training is provided when new stores open as part of our Basic Management Course (BMC). Moreover, we take steps to regularly share information through in-house magazines and reports.
●Social and Environmental Education
Target | Method | Frequency | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Franchise owners, managers, store crews | Pre-store opening and other training, in-house magazines, reports. | Once a month or more | Sharing information relevant to stores about social and environmental initiatives |
Headquarters employees | Training for new hires and newly promoted managers, general environmental training (e-learning and self-directed), in-house magazines, reports. | Once a year or more | Sharing information relevant to the Lawson Group’s activities about social and environmental initiatives and promoting environmental legal compliance |
Affiliated companies | General environmental training (lectures, e-learning, and self-directed) | Once a year or more | Sharing information relevant to the Lawson Group’s activities about social and environmental initiatives and promoting environmental legal compliance |