Sustainability Initiatives

The Nippon Paint Group will aim to create wealth by addressing social issues with the goal of achieving Maximization of Shareholder Value (MSV).

Materiality

Accompanying the expansion of our overseas operations, we reviewed our materiality in August 2020 based on our policy of integrating SDGs and ESG initiatives into our corporate management.

Materiality Identification Process

We identified items of materiality by creating a list of material issues which society requires us to address and by referencing international guidelines such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) as well as items required by ESG research organizations. We then performed quantitative evaluations of each issue and verified their significance in terms of the degree of importance to stakeholders and the degree of importance to our businesses. We engaged external experts to gain objective viewpoints and held discussions with our partner companies around the world to identify material issues associated with our business model and the business environment. These issues were then designated as our materiality. In 2022, we reorganized the sustainability structure into a team structure with members from our key partner companies around the world and to work directly under the Directors, Representative Executive Officers & Co-Presidents (the Co-Presidents). Each Global Team directly reports actions involving materiality to the Co-Presidents*. We will apply our Group’s technological strengths and actively collaborate with external partners to address social issues. We will also contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015.

*Further information about ESG Management system is available here.

Preliminary
list

We created a long list of 75 items that is our obligation to address based on international ESG standards and guidelines for disclosure and reporting derived from 11 ESG rating agencies and organizations. We then consolidated the list down to a preliminary list of 32 items.

Stakeholder opinions

Internal
questionnaire

The newly-established ESG Committee met in April 2020 and deliberated on the materiality identification process. Also, we distributed a questionnaire to the 25 committee members and the staff of the ESG Promotion Department for their input on the 32 items in the preliminary list.

Incorporating
global risks

To incorporate global risks, the discussions also included chemical sector risk scenarios based on information in the Vigeo EIRIS Controversy Risk Assessment and other reports.
Peer companies in the global chemical sector and forward-thinking Japanese companies were also referred to.

Internal
discussion

Based on stakeholder requests and the internally assessed weighting of importance, we identified six groups of items of materiality for business sustainability. During the process, we placed particular importance on discussion and agreement with overseas partner companies.

Internal discussion

Stakeholder
opinion

We interviewed various stakeholders and Independent Directors to gather their opinions on the potential items of materiality and created the final proposal through internal discussion.

Stakeholder opinions

Approval

We deliberated on the final proposal at the ESG Committee meeting in July 2020 and obtained final approval at the Board of Directors meeting in August.

Internal discussion

Materiality map

Relevant SDGs

Materiality	Relevant SDGs	Explanation of Materiality
Climate Change		The impact of climate change on our daily lives is increasing each year. The Group is doing its part to mitigate the impact of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions while minimizing the business risk posed by the changing climate conditions.
Resources and Environment		The sustainability of our business depends on the effective use of water, energy, and other resources and the prevention of environmental pollution. The Group applies measures in these areas throughout its product lifecycles.
Diversity & Inclusion		Respecting the people around us and embracing diverse values are essential for sustainable business growth. The Group respects human rights and emphasizes the importance of diversity in its employees and all individuals involved in our business operations.
Safe People and Operations		As a chemicals manufacturer, we are constantly assessing the potentially major risks to health and occupational hazards associated with handling chemical substances. We conduct capital investment and education to ensure the utmost safety and to minimize the risks to our employees and all people involved in our businesses.
Growth with Communities		We generate sustaining growth for our business investing in communities through our value chain, expanding our markets, strengthening our brand, and maintaining positive relations with local communities.
Innovation for a Sustainable Future		Today’s society is facing a growing number of problems that cannot be fully solved with methods used in the past. We are actively engaging in partnerships to enhance our ability to generate innovative solutions.

Materiality, Risk, Opportunity, and ESG Agenda

Materiality	Risks	Opportunities	ESG Agenda
Climate Change	Enforcement/change of policies and legal regulations such as introduction of a carbon tax Impact on production and shipment from extreme weather, such as typhoons and heavy rainfalls, that are becoming increasingly common in recent years Changes in customer behavior toward transition to a decarbonized society	Expand the market for environmental products, such as products contributing to decarbonization Develop new businesses through research and development	Reduce greenhouse gas emissions Identify risks and opportunities
Resources and Environment	Impact on business activities from depletion of energy and water resources Tightening regulations on wastes and increase of waste disposal cost Changes in customer needs related to raw materials	Expand the market for environmental products Enhance competitiveness by advancing recycling technologies, improving resource efficiency, and utilizing diverse raw materials	Efficiently reuse waste and use energy, manage water usage volume and environmental pollutants, engage in product stewardship
Diversity & Inclusion	Difficulty securing human resources that satisfy diversity requirements with a decrease in the university graduated population Slowing of business activities that reflect diversity in customer needs	Secure diverse and competent human resource talent as a global company Create wealth for companies, workers, and local communities by creating diverse and inclusive organizations	Increase the percentage of female managers Raise employee engagement
Safe People and Operations	Significant impact on operations if a major accident occurs at a production site Impact on safety assurance due to changes in manufacturing processes accompanying substantial increases in production	Improve worksite safety and hygiene by sharing best practices and education plans from around the world Improve employee motivation and company competitiveness for acquiring human resource talent	Enhance security and disaster prevention (eliminate fire accidents) Prevent occupational accidents and fatal accidents
Growth with Communities	Significant damage to the corporate brand if the company is not perceived as a corporate citizen by local communities Damage to the public image of the paint industry caused by inadequate activities oriented toward the local community	Raise public awareness of the corporate brand through value chain investment in communities Promote healthy community growth through social contribution activities to increase the positive public view of our Group	Establish strategies for social contribution Strategically develop activities for social contribution
Innovation for a Sustainable Future	Significant hindering to future corporate earnings owing to inability to generate innovation due to slow response to new markets	Expand market for products that contribute to controlling and adapting to climate change Offer products and services that address social issues, contribute significantly to society, and help boost corporate earnings in the long term	Promote collaboration among industries Develop products that provide solutions for social issues

Progress & Further Plan of Materiality

Released March 16, 2022

Materiality (Relevant SDGs)

Progress

Further plan

Climate change

Progress

Endorsed the TCFD final report recommendations and commenced disclosure in accordance with the framework
Calculated the potential financial impact of a carbon tax
Agreed global target for GHG emissions reduction^*1 via each partner company developing targets that meet or exceed local government targets
Calculated Scope 3 GHG emissions^*2

Further plan

Identify each partner company's top climate change risks and opportunities (high level scan) and potential actions
Identify each partner company's carbon reduction action plans and develop consolidated group view (H1 2022)
Agree objectives for common priority focus areas (e.g. energy efficiency, renewable electricity sourcing, vehicle fleet replacement) and implement

Resources and environment

Progress

Developed and disclose global policy statement for resources and environment (e.g. waste and effective use of resources, water)

Further plan

Identify each partner company's top resources and environment impacts, improvement priorities, and performance measures
Agree common priority focus areas (e.g. waste reduction) and objectives for 2022/2023 and implement

Safe people and operations

Progress

Developed global policy statement for safe people and operations (e.g. occupational safety and health)

Further plan

Identify each partner company's top safety risks, improvement priorities, and performance measures
Agree common priority focus areas (e.g. fire and fatality prevention) and objectives for 2022/2023 and implement

Diversity & Inclusion

Progress

Confirmed the difference of the situation by each country and region
Disclosed the educational programs on a global basis

Further plan

Formulation of human rights policy
Implementation of human rights risk assessment
Global data aggregation for the human capital management disclosure

Growth with communities

Progress

Established "NIPPON PAINT Group Global Outreach Program" as common framework followed NIPSEA CSR
NIPSEA established the concept "Colouring Lives" to have a bigger impact for the whole CSR activities as a group

Further plan

Promote quantification of activities
Promote CSR activities and data aggregation under the NIPSEA's concept "Colouring Lives" globally

Innovation for a sustainable future

Progress

Aggregated the sustainable products globally in 2021
Developed the Anti-Viral Paint Products across the group
Promoted open innovation with several 3rd parties
Initiatives regarding Chemicals of concern/LCA^*3 in some companies

Further plan

Define the sustainable product
Develop and implement Green Design Review^*4
Formulate strategy and roadmap
Strengthen the control of Chemicals of concern
Develop and leverage LCA^*3 capability

*1: Scope1 & 2; intensity basis
*2: Disclosed Scope 3 GHG emissions from our operations in Japan in the Integrated Report
*3: Life Cycle Assessment: A method of quantifying the environmental impacts across the entire life cycle of a product
*4: Our unique framework that integrates the sustainability perspective in product development