“Supporters☆Matching Fund for Children and the Environment” established in 2001 (renamed “Panasonic NPO Support Fund” in 2006)

The “Panasonic Supporters☆Matching Fund” was established in 2001 to strengthen the operational foundations of NPOs and NGOs, improve the quality of their projects, and create a culture of donation in Japan. The fund was renamed the “Panasonic NPO Support Fund” in 2006. It provides financial support to organizations working to solve social issues relating to children and the environment, to help them strengthen their foundations so that they can maintain their activities in a stable manner. It also provides comprehensive support such as business consultations and opportunities for sharing know-how.

Held OBP Arts Project (until 2005)

We contributed to the planning and operation of a project launched in the Osaka Business Park (OBP) area, with the aim of encouraging “cross-generational communication in the business district through art”, as part of our Mecenat activities. The project ran from October 2001 to December 2005 and provided mainly university art students with planning and management of artistic events, a place for them to express themselves, and financial support.

Held “Panasonic Exciting Experience Discovery” children’s workshops (until 2008)

From 2004 to 2008, we held workshops on traditional crafts and drama for children and parents to experience arts and culture in ways that would create unforgettable memories. Children listened to lecturers on the front lines of art and culture, were exposed to authentic art and culture, and were deeply moved by the experience of creating their own original works of art.

Opening of “RiSuPia” Math & Science Hands-on Museum (until 2020)

We opened RiSuPia in the Panasonic Center Tokyo in August 2006 to provide a venue for conveying to children the fun and excitement of science and mathematics, even if only a little, in response to growing concerns that children are losing interest in those subjects. It develops children’s sense of curiosity through hands-on exhibits that appeal to all five senses, as well as highly specialized and novel workshops conducted by outside instructors from educational institutions, NPOs, and NGOs, to convey the fun and excitement of science and the beauty and wonder of mathematics. In 2010, “Panasonic RiSuPia Vietnam” opened in Hanoi, making it the second facility of its kind in the world (closed in 2022).

Started the WWF Yellow Sea Ecoregion Support Project (until 2015)

In September 2007, we entered into an agreement with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), the world’s largest conservation NGO, to promote the Yellow Sea Ecoregion Support Project, which aims to preserve the marine ecosystem of the Yellow Sea. We decided to offer support as a corporate partner through the WWF’s international corporate partner scheme with the aim of providing proper conservation and management of the area. In December of that year, the first year’s grant recipients (5 Chinese and 3 Korean organizations) were selected and activities began in earnest.

“Nagaki Forest” tree-planting activities (until 2016)

Since our manufacturing and other business activities use a large amount of forestry resources, we spent 10 years starting in April 2007 planting approximately 4,000 mainly broadleaf trees, covering 2 hectares every year in a 20-hectare area in Ryujin Village in Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, under the name of “Panasonic Tanabe-Ryujin Nagaki Forest”, as an initiative to show our gratitude for the nature’s greenery, with the hope that the forest and all living things in it will live and flourish for many years to come.

“On-site classes” that utilize the work experience-based know-how
Launched the Eco Monogatari Social & Environmental Learning Program (until 2018)

We launched “Eco Monogatari”, a program in which our employees visited schools and gave lessons that use the know-how and experience they have gained through their daily work experience, as one of our educational support initiatives. “Eco Monogatari” was a social studies and environmental learning program that encouraged children to think about the roles that people play in supporting industrial production. Using familiar home appliances as the subject matter, it was designed to help students realize that industrial products play a role in supporting people’s everyday lives, and that people involved in manufacturing are making efforts and devising solutions to a wide range of issues in the world while also taking the environment into consideration.

TABLE FOR TWO (TFT)

TFT is a social contribution initiative by the NPO TABLE FOR TWO (TFT), which aims to eliminate the “food imbalance” between developing countries suffering from hunger and undernourishment and developed countries suffering from lifestyle-related diseases and obesity. The Panasonic Group has been participating in this program since August 2009. Specifically, roughly 20 yen, which is equivalent to one school lunch for a child in an African country, is donated through healthy menu items served in cafeterias and donations collected.