Messages from Outside Directors

Guided by its medium- to long-term environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, Kyo-sei Life Vision 2030—For a Diverse, Inclusive, and Sustainable World—, which was unveiled in October 2020, I believe that Unicharm is working steadily to fulfill its stated purpose of contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to examining whether a product contributes to the achievement of the SDGs as a key assessment criterion in its product development efforts, it is clear to me that Unicharm is evolving and steadily implementing initiatives that strongly emphasize this criterion in every aspect of the value chain of its corporate activities. Management’s strong commitment to and ongoing promotion of the project for recycling used disposable diapers is a notable example.

Such initiatives will not make progress under a solely top-down approach; it is key to link them to the Company’s mission to realize a cohesive society, its vision of “NOLA & DOLA,” and its value of management with resonance, and to raise awareness among and encourage employees to take ownership of initiatives through clear communication. People in management positions at headquarters and in each of the countries where we operate are working to raise employee awareness in various countries, as well as in Japan. I credit these efforts with generating a powerful driving force for the realization of Kyo-sei Life Vision 2030. I believe that Unicharm has made significant progress in terms of diversity and inclusion over the last few years, with employees at overseas subsidiaries coming together to play a vital role as part of a truly global team.

To realize its overarching vision, I look forward to the Company further refining its management agenda and implementation capabilities to further accelerate its progress and remain an indispensable part of global society.

Fiscal 2023 marks my first year as an outside director of Unicharm. My discussions with members of the management team have given me insights into unique strengths of the Company I had previously been unaware of when looking from the outside, and I feel a sense of anticipation and excitement about how the Company will achieve growth going forward.

Today, companies need to quickly identify and act in response to dramatic changes in global society if they are to further grow their businesses and create new value. Unicharm must strengthen its use of digital technology and data, which will be indispensable to businesses going forward, to capitalize on the organizational capabilities, frontier spirit, and implementation capabilities that are its unique strengths.

Using digital technology and data accelerates the pace of business activities and facilitates proper decision-making, regardless of business division. The ability to use digital technology and data is therefore a skill that every employee should take the initiative to master. For example, those with digital skills will have insights into the most appropriate media and tools to use to facilitate smoother communication with customers, the types of data to use to anticipate demand and understand customer needs more accurately, and the kinds of apps that would be easy to use on a daily basis. The list goes on.

Further use of digital technology and data in risk management divisions would also enable more accurate decision-making on risks and strengthen corporate governance. Steadily addressing such everyday business issues will further realize and accelerate the implementation of “NOLA & DOLA.”

I look forward to seeing further promotion of fast-paced transformation based on the twin pillars of human resource development, which will serve as a source of value creation into the future, and the unique strengths that have allowed Unicharm to grow from a Japanese company into a first-rate global one.