Donating to support activities against the COVID-19 pandemic around the world

With World Health Organization (WHO) announcing the spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, the novel coronavirus spread globally. In addition to making donations to research and development for vaccines and drugs, the Panasonic Group and its employees have engaged in a range of initiatives for several years to assist people around the globe—donating funds to support measures against COVID-19, supplying items such as air purifiers and masks, providing food and other essentials to people affected by the pandemic, offering learning support to children who experienced prolonged school closures and social isolation, and more.

General name for efforts to support non-electrified areas changed to “Creating a Brighter Future for off-grid areas: LIGHT UP THE FUTURE”

Since 2013, the Panasonic Group has started the 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project as part of its efforts to support areas without electricity and accomplished its initial goal of donating 100 thousand solar lanterns in 2018. Since 2018, the Group has been conducting the “AKARI” Action Project, in which the general public and employees can participate by making donations, as well as Solutions for Areas without Electricity, in which the Group works with NPOs and NGOs to provide electricity supply systems to non-electrified areas, and offer educational learning programs to help build a self-sustaining community. Furthermore, in 2021, the Group changed the name of the activities for supporting non-electrified areas to “Creating a Brighter Future for off-grid areas: LIGHT UP THE FUTURE”. The Panasonic Group has made a new start on the activities to help create a sustainable society without poverty and creating opportunities to improve education, health, and income through local support programs, by delivering lights powered by renewable energy to non-electrified areas in cooperation with various partners such as NGOs and international organizations.

Opening of AkeruE Museum that gives shape to “inspiration” (inside Panasonic Center Tokyo)

In April 2021, RisuPia, the next-generation science and mathematics museum located at the Panasonic Center Tokyo in Ariake, which served as a comprehensive communication hub, underwent a transformation to become the Panasonic Creative Museum AkeruE. The new museum combines the wonders of science and mathematics with the fields of engineering, technology, and art (STEAM*) to foster the ability to open the door to the future with creativity through experiences of seeing, creating, and communicating. The name AkeruE is derived from the Japanese term “akeru,” meaning “open,” and “Eureka,” the Greek expression for “inspiration.” This name encapsulates our vision of unlocking children’s innate intellectual curiosity and nurturing them to manifest their inspirations.
*Acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Art

Panasonic NPO/NGO Support Fund for SDGs 20th Anniversary Symposium Week held

The Panasonic Group established the Panasonic NPO Support Fund (now the Panasonic NPO/NGO Support Fund for SDGs) in 2001 to support the sustainable development of people’s activities that address social needs, such as addressing increasingly diverse social issues and creating new social value. This initiative has been supporting NPOs and NGOs to strengthen their organizational foundations. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the continued initiative for supporting the strengthening of the organizational foundations, the 20th Anniversary Symposium Week was held for four days between July 12 - 15, 2021, sharing the details of the initiatives and their results through six sessions. The four-day symposium was attended by approximately 850 participants, including those from various NPOs/NGOs, corporate social contribution managers, and subsidizing foundations.

Fukushima “Reconstruction” Support Action started

In January 2022, the Panasonic Group started the Fukushima “Reconstruction” Support Action to aid in the recovery of Fukushima. More than ten years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the recovery has been slower than anticipated, partly due to reputation damage. This campaign seeks to bolster the area’s recovery by encouraging people to eat products from Fukushima. In partnership with Fukushima Prefecture, the Panasonic Group regularly and continuously offers a Fukushima Reconstruction Support Menu in company cafeterias, which features agricultural, livestock, and marine products from Fukushima, mainly fish. The Group also organizes the Fukushima Marche, a marketplace for selling products from Fukushima, and actively conducts educational activities to inform employees about the various initiatives carried out by Fukushima to ensure food safety and security. By doing so, the Group encourages a change in the consumption trends, starting with its own employees. The Panasonic Group is working to solve social issues of post-disaster reconstruction and achieve Goal 11 under the Sustainable Development Goals, “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable,” through the Fukushima “Reconstruction” Support Action.

Panasonic GREEN IMPACT PARK opens at Panasonic Center Tokyo

In March 2023, the Panasonic GREEN IMPACT PARK was opened at the Panasonic Center Tokyo in Ariake, a general communication hub. This new facility is dedicated to educating children, who will lead the next generation, about the escalating challenges of global warming. It aims to provide insights into possible solutions and encourages them to engage in actions to address this critical issue. The exhibits, which incorporate digital technology, are tailored to elementary and junior high school students learning about the environment and energy, allowing them to experience the Panasonic Group’s initiatives to address social and environmental issues while inspiring them to take action. In addition to tours for the general public, the facility also offers tours for schools and educational groups on field trips and school excursions, as well as worksheets for use in pre- and post-workshop learning.

Started “Act for EVERY LIFE” biodiversity conservation for all as a corporate citizenship activity

The Panasonic Group’s corporate citizenship activities include conveying and introducing, both within the Group and to the general public, various initiatives to help people recognize the importance of biodiversity conservation and connect it to concrete environmental conservation activities in their daily lives.