Initiatives for SDGs Corporate Citizenship Activities

Since Panasonic's founding, contributing to societal development through business as a “public entity of society” has been at the heart of our business philosophy. This philosophy, passed down over generations of employees to today, shares a strong affinity with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is the mission of business to positively impact society and help solve social challenges through innovative products, services and solutions. In the process, businesses must also become adequately aware of their social responsibilities and engage stakeholders in constructive efforts to fulfill them.
Yet another way business can support achievement of the SDGs is to join hands with employees as good corporate citizens and carry out projects that make a difference. At Panasonic, we have defined "end poverty" — the first and foremost goal of the SDGs — as a key theme of our corporate citizenship activities. We aim to help create a sustainable society by combating various forms of poverty and inequality in developing, emerging, and developed countries alike.

One such initiative is Bringing Light to People. In the 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project, conducted from 2012 to 2018, we partnered with non-profit, non-governmental, and international organizations to bring Panasonic solar lanterns to communities without electricity around the world. We achieved our target of donating 100,000 solar lanterns, but Bringing Light to People continues and expands on that project by utilizing know-how gained, along with donations from the general public. Donating light generated with renewable energy supports education, healthcare, and women's empowerment in communities without electricity. The reports we have received are evidence that, indeed, the donations are helping to improve quality of life for people living in poverty. In 2001, we also launched a grant program to aid non-profit and non-governmental organizations in their capacity building. This program, renamed the Panasonic NPO/NGO Support Fund for SDGs in 2018, supports the continuity of organizations working to end poverty.

We also passionately support human development, based on the principle that people are what makes society sustainable. Two examples are Kid Witness News, where we loan Panasonic products to give children opportunities to learn video production, and My Future Discovery Program, a career education program for junior high school students. For our employees, we hold seminars and lectures to increase their interest and engagement in social issues. In our Sustainable Seafood program, for example, we’ve introduced certified-sustainable wild and farmed seafood to employee cafeterias to inspire changes in employees' daily consumption patterns.

In the Groupwide Brand Communications Division, our number-one goal is to create dialogue with stakeholders by accurately communicating Panasonic’s various initiatives tied to the SDGs, including our corporate citizenship activities. As a company, we must always be cognizant of our role in solving social challenges, and play an active part in transforming society by partnering with stakeholders on global issues we can't solve alone. By implementing the Panasonic brand slogan, "A Better Life, A Better World," we hope these efforts will go a long way in realizing the SDGs.