Sustainability
Philanthropy
Basic Approach
In 1981, the H.U. Group initiated an open symposium so that the general public can learn about medical issues, a project to encourage the training and research of future medical technologists, and the predecessor to the local community project. As we pursue our established activities, we will continue with our unique H.U. Group approach facing the social issues of our times.
Philanthropy Policy
Established on October 1st 2018
Revised on July 1st 2020
The H.U. Group promotes philanthropy that creates a healthy and prosperous society and goes beyond our business domain. We will effectively utilize available resources and serve as a member of the global community while continuously disclosing our outcomes quantitatively and qualitatively.
- We aim to resolve social issues on health, human resources, the environment, local communities and disasters, in collaboration with NPOs, patients associations and other organizations advancing innovative activities. We address care-related issues over the long term in particular.
- We offer various support programs and seek to run them effectively so that the voluntary involvement of employees in philanthropic activities leads to their personal growth and sense of fulfillment and pride as a group employee.
- We strive to create novel ideas that merge the knowledge and issue awareness gained through philanthropic activities and the technological expertise cultivated through our business, and to develop philanthropic programs that leverage the various skills and problem awareness of each employee, to continually redefine our corporate identity.
Management
The Philanthropy Subcommittee at H.U. Group Holdings as its main driver, formulates and executes plans related to new social contribution activities. Further, for philanthropy activities conducted at each base, it cooperates as appropriate as a system led by various departments. This subcommittee regularly monitors the progress of these activity plans and their results, and strives to act and take corrective action going forward.
Initiatives
In this age of rapid change, many issues have surfaced around the world, including issues related to human society and the global environment. In these circumstances, the H.U. Group is working proactively to solve issues beyond the boundaries between business domains. It positions these efforts as philanthropy activities. In addition, each Group company has introduced paid leave and travel cost subsidy programs for volunteer activities and encourages employees to volunteer.
Initiatives to Improve Access to Pharmaceuticals and Medical Care
The H.U. Group understands the issue of access to pharmaceuticals and medical care around the world to be one of the outstanding human rights issues related to our business. Through our three main businesses of lab testing and its related services, in-vitro diagnostics, and healthcare-related services, as well as the research and development supporting these businesses, we are working to improve access to high-quality pharmaceuticals and medical care globally in compliance with 3-(5) fair and free competition and 3-(6) appropriate promotional activities in the H.U. Group Code of Conduct.
| Main businesses | Major relevant initiatives |
|---|---|
| Lab testing and related services | Supporting research and development of pharmaceuticals globally |
| In-vitro diagnostics | Serving diagnostic pharmaceutical companies around the world as a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and providing rapid diagnostic kits for infections such as influenza and COVID-19 |
| Healthcare-related services | Helping hospitals and welfare/nursing care facilities to improve operational efficiency |
- Participation in the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund
The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership fund (PPP) that was formed between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund facilitates collaboration between research organizations in Japan and overseas to accelerate the development of new drugs, in-vitro diagnostics testing solutions, and vaccines for neglected diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases in developing and emerging countries.
The H.U. Group partners with the GHIT Fund through Fujirebio Holdings, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary. In support of the Fund’s purpose of fighting infectious diseases through partnership for Japanese innovations, the Group aims to utilize the results of research and development in infection control measures around the world.
- Safety of and Responsibilities for Pharmaceutical and Medical Services
Section 3-(2) of the H.U. Group Code of Conduct states, "The safety and quality of our products and services is of utmost concern to the H.U. Group." We leverage information including the Drug Safety Update (DSU) from the Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association of Japan, which is an organization superior to the Japan Association of Clinical Reagents Industries which the H.U. Group is a member of, to ensure compliance with our code of conduct and always provide highly safe pharmaceutical and medical services.
- Responsible Activities for Promoting Pharmaceutical and Medical Services
Referrencing guidelines from industry organizations and voluntary rules related to each business, the H.U. Group has formulated promotion codes as unique specific codes for the implementation of each business. Following these codes, we promote appropriate and responsible advertising and marketing activities. In addition, we explain key points of these promotion codes to our business partners and other parties, request that they understand the codes, and encourage them to comply with the codes together with us.
＜Referencing guidelines＞
• The Japan Fair Trade Council of the Medical Devices Industry, Iryo-kiki-gyo Kosei Kyoso Kiyaku (rules for fair competition in the medical device industry)
• Japan Association of Clinical Reagents Industries, Rinsho Kensa-yaku Promotion Guidelines (guidelines on the promotion of clinical reagents) and Taigai Shinryo-yo Iyakuhin-no Hanbai Joho Teikyo Katsudo-ni Kansuru Guidelines (guidelines on activities for providing sales information for in-vitro diagnostics)
• Japan Registered Clinical Laboratories Association, Kentai Kensa Promotion Code (code for the promotion of laboratory tests), and others
- Training and Corporate Audits for Ensuring Compliance
Based on the H.U. Group's unique codes of practice, we appoint appropriate people to conduct promotional activities, in positions such as Diagnostics Medical information Representatives (DMR). We provide all employees involved in the duties of these people with training using materials including the DMR training manual established by the Japan Association of Clinical Reagents Industries. We also assign a responsible person and a person in charge for each operation, who supervise the status of compliance and improvements.
[Philanthropy Initiatives]
On the other hand, we understand that there are issues in the support of people who do not have access to necessary pharmaceutical and medical services due to poverty, conflict, disaster, an inadequate medical system and other reasons.
We also understand that there are issues related to supporting people suffering from rare and intractable diseases who are forced to live with inconvenience due to the difficulty of effective treatment.
The H.U. Group is addressing these issues not only through its businesses but also its philanthropy activities.
〇 Donation to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
We support the activities of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to support the purpose of the Access Campaign (former name: Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines) that MSF launched in 1999 using Nobel Peace Prize money. The purpose of the campaign is to "Request the promotion of the development and use of drugs, treatment methods, diagnostics procedures, vaccines and others to bring down barriers to medical tools and permit all patients to receive medical care needed to live with good health."
As part of this initiative, we donated a matching gift (corporate donation) that matched the funds raised by employees to support the medical and humanitarian aid activities of MSF in the areas affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake in February 2023.
〇 Support for the Operation of an Awareness Raising Event on Rare Disease Day
We support activities on Rare Disease Day (RDD)* as a sponsor company. In addition, on RDD Tokyo, our employees engage in the operation of the event as volunteers, thus helping increase the visibility of rare and intractable diseases. We also put up RDD in Japan posters in our internal cafeterias to raise employee awareness.
＜What is RDD?＞
RDD is a global event for raising awareness of rare and intractable diseases, which is held on or around the last day of February.
Participatory Social Initiatives by Employees
■ Support for Disaster Volunteers' Activities
We have introduced paid leave, travel cost subsidies, and other programs to support employees who engage in activities as disaster volunteers in areas affected by natural disasters or similar events.
(The image on the right shows our group employees working to clean up mud from houses that were flooded above the floor level in a disaster-stricken area that suffered severe damage from a heavy rain disaster.)
■ Interactions with Local Communities and Support for Their Development
At our business sites and facilities in each area, we host a range of events including environmental beautification activities and festivals, to interact with the local community and support its development.
We continue to hold community exchange events in which our office facilities have been open to the public since 1981. We held Sakura Matsuri (cherry blossom festival) at H.U. Bioness Complex (Akiruno City) and approximately 1,200 people, including local residents, visited in March 2024. We will continue to engage in activities to deepen our relationships with local communities.
■ Support for Operation of Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House Charities Japan is a public interest incorporated foundation that operates Ronald McDonald Houses across Japan. Ronald McDonald Houses are accommodation facilities adjacent to hospitals, which are aimed at reducing financial and psychological burdens borne by hospitalized children and the families supporting them.
In support of this aim, we are recruiting volunteer participants from group company employees across the country. In FY2024, a total of 23 people visited 4 facilities and performed indoor cleaning and outdoor work, helping to create a comfortable stay environment for users. In addition, the scope of our support has expanded, with participants making a donation of sanitary gloves to be used as facility supplies.
■ Volunteer Activities for Local Communities
Understanding that harmonious co-existence with local communities is essential for the businesses of the H.U. Group, we engage in cleaning activities in each area to contribute to community development by beautifying the environment. In addition, in heavy snowfall areas, we shovel snow around public facilities for the safety and security of local residents.
＜Main activities: FY2024＞
| Area | Number of times | Number of participants (total) |
|---|---|---|
| Tokachi Obihiro Facility, Fujirebio, Inc. | 12 | 57 |
| Ube Facility, Fujirebio, Inc. | 4 | 144 |
| Group Headquarters (Minato-ku, Tokyo) | 10 | 10 |
Donations of Funds and Supplies
©Y.F/BKS
■ Produced an educational booklet for children called "Unko Drill: The Mysteries of the Body"
To provide educational activities for children who will lead the next generation and convey the importance of testing in an easy-to-understand manner, our group collaborated with Unko Drill, which is extremely well-known among elementary school students, to create Unko Drill: The Mysteries of the Body. By donating the drills to local elementary schools through the local governments surrounding the core facility, H.U. Bioness Complex, we support children in learning about health and growing up healthy.
* We do not plan to sell or distribute it to the public.
■ Donation of COVID-19 Test Kits to Governments
Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the H.U. Group donated rapid antigen test kits, which it developed independently, to the governments of Nepal and Pakistan, helping them prevent the spread of the infection in each country. We also donated the kits to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan to prevent the spread of the infection at universities and other educational institutions. In recognition of increase of production of the test kits, we received a certificate of appreciation by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in May 2022.
■ Matching Gifts (Corporate Donations) to Match Employee Donations
We have established a matching gift system, under which the company adds to the funds voluntarily raised by employees internally to support areas affected by a disaster or for similar purposes. In FY2022, we made relief donations for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake through Médecins Sans Frontières. In 2023, we called for employee donations in response to the "Heavy Rain Disasters in the Kyushu, Chugoku, and Tohoku regions," and donated the same amount to CIVIC FORCE, a public interest incorporated association, along with a matching gift. Furthermore, in 2024, in response to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, approximately 190 employees of our group (total number of people) will donate more than 1.5 million yen to support relief and reconstruction of the affected areas. We also donated the same amount to the Japanese Red Cross Society as a matching gift.
■ Charitable trust fund for healthcare
For more than 30 years, we have been operating the Charitable Trust Laboratory Medicine Research Foundation of Japan, which provides fellowship support for young researchers and contributes to the advancement of medicine and technologies. Using the initial trust assets of 300 million yen, we help raise the level of the industry as a whole by including hospitals and researchers among recipients regardless of whether we have transactions with them or not.
■ Philabundance Annual Holiday Food Drive
Initial situation
Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc. employees participated in an annual food drive during the holiday season to benefit Philabundance.
The Philabundance food drive is the largest event of its kind in the United States and has the mission of feeding those in need.
The Malvern, Pennsylvania based employees set a goal of collecting one ton (2,000 pounds) of food and ultimately ended up delivering 2,061 pounds to the food drive.
Other Initiatives
■ Supporting employment and social inclusion of people with disabilities
H.U. Cast, Inc., a special subsidiary company, provides a place where people with disabilities can play an active role, such as performing cleaning tasks and pre-examination preparations at the H.U. Bioness Complex, the group's core facility. The facility hosts a "Business Disability Awareness Promotion Tour" attended by local companies, welfare businesses, Hello Work personnel, and others. H.U. Cast workers demonstrate their work and explain the rewards of their work, thereby supporting understanding and promoting the employment of people with disabilities.
The facility also opens its roads to special needs schools for field trips. Physically disabled students can safely practice operating a wheelchair, and intellectually disabled students can take group walks. In the future, the facility also plans to use the roads to practice traffic rules, such as how to cross the street, helping to promote independence and participation in society.
■ International trainee program
Through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), we accept diagnostic technicians and their supervisors from developing countries as trainees. Under this program, they learn about diagnostic technologies in Japan. Fujirebio exports its products to developing countries through WHO, UNICEF and other international organizations as part of its efforts for global healthcare.
■ Educational assistance to junior high and high schools
At our major laboratory, which analyzes specimens sent by major hospitals nationwide and handles esoteric testing, we accept company visits and study support for junior high and high school students. Our experienced employees with expertise guide the laboratory tour and explain about our business. We strive to support community development by offering social studies education.
We welcomed students from a special needs school for people with disabilities to our facility and provided them with a tour of the testing facilities and business operations to help with their career education every year since FY2023. We are respecting and supporting the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children's Rights and Business Principles, and will continue to support the children who will lead the next generation through these activities.
■ Educational symposium to help develop healthcare
For more than 40 years, H.U.Fujirebio has held the Medicopia Educational Symposium in January each year since 1981. In keeping with the symposium theme, Development and Exchanges in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, we hold lectures and discussions to consider medical problems from a broader perspective.
Investing in community activities
The Group has set "Relationships with all stakeholders" as one of its material issues, which is an important management issue that aims for sustainable social development and business growth, and is working to solve social and environmental problems. We are investing in the community with the aim of realizing a “sustainable and healthy future” from all angles, including human beings, the natural environment, and our own management.
Unit:yen
| Achievements | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Health | 53,315,771 | 60,466,788 | 68,931,813 | 77,465,200 | 83,535,727 |
| Human Resources | 6,800,000 | 40,481,818 | 26,000,000 | 22,353,862 | 20,788,252 |
| Environment | 100,000 | 0 | 0 | 1,086,176 | 935,857 |
| Local Communities | 11,034,160 | 310,000 | 1,465,500 | 14,833,587 | 15,880,279 |
| Disasters | 304,673 | 73,100 | 0 | 500,000 | 11,614,729 |
| Culture & Art | 300,000 | 0 | 3,401,320 | 200,000 | 200,000 |
| Total | 71,854,604 | 101,331,706 | 99,798,633 | 116,438,825 | 132,954,844 |
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Sustainability Subcommittee