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Our approach to sustainability
IIJ's approach to sustainability
IIJ was founded as the first full-scale Internet service provider in Japan. The group has since consistently been the leader of Japan's Internet development, under the management philosophy of developing and supporting Japan's Internet infrastructure to contribute toward realizing the network society of the future, and has provided stable networks and reliable and high value-added services.
We develop our businesses and continue taking the initiative in Internet technologies, with a strong belief that new industries, economies, and lifestyles can be created through continuous innovation. Meanwhile, we recognize our responsibility as a supporter of social infrastructure and continue supporting social and corporate system platforms, providing stable network services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In recent years, a wide range of environmental and social problems have become ever more prominent, including but not limited to climate change, natural resources and energy issues, diversity and equal opportunity, declining and aging populations, remote areas being left out of reach of sufficient medical care and data privacy. SDGs, or sustainable development goals, adopted by the United Nations demand that business enterprises actively take part in tackling these social issues.
Based on Internet technologies, ICT are technologies that can fundamentally change the way the world works. We believe that we can make significant contribution to solving social issues including SDGs through the use of new technologies such as IoT and AI.
With our management philosophy at our core, we contribute to realizing a sustainable society through developing and offering reliable and high value-added network services.
Identifying material issues
In response to the mounting requests and expectations for the ICT industry to work on SDGs and other social issues, and as our business may significantly impact social issues, both positively and negatively, we have identified three material issues and eight related themes we target.
Going forward, we shall prioritize these material issues and disclose our progress and results.
- Bringing innovation
- We shall continue to bring technological innovations to realize an even better network society and propose new values and usages.
- Solving social issues through our business
- We offer Internet services that are solutions to social issues such as the decrease of the working population, the enhancement of productivity and the promotion of health and welfare.
- Our response to climate change
- We shall implement initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality through energy saving and the use of renewable energy at data centers and other facilities and promote contributions to the environment with Internet-related services, for example, by reducing CO2 emissions from the transport of people and cargo and conserving resources.
- Enhancing network resilience
- As a platform for industries, education, and day-to-day living, we develop and operate robust backbone networks that will withstand natural disasters, accidents, and cyber-attacks.
- Maintaining security and privacy
- We aim for a world where privacy and security are protected for all users as the norm.
- Promoting Diversity
- We provide a workplace where all employees' values are respected and they can exercise their skills, regardless of gender, nationality, or disability.
- Developing human resources
- We maintain and develop a corporate culture that fully respects and supports employees' self-actualization and motivation to learn and contribute to society.
- Safe working environment and work-life balance
- We provide a work environment that protects mental and physical well-being and helps employees to achieve work and family balance.
How we identified material issues
IIJ identified material issues as follows.
How we identified material issues
Step 1: Extracting issues
We did a survey asking our all 27 divisions and affiliates about sustainability, and extracted our issues based on representative global social issues targeted by 17 goals and 169 targets of the SDGs.
Step 2: Evaluating the issues
While referring to "ICT & SDGs Final Report" by Columbia University and "Report on the ICT Global Strategy for the Digital Transformation Age Meeting" by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, etc., we evaluated social requests and expectations toward the issues we identified in Step 1 and weighted them respectively, based on their affinity to our management philosophy and medium-term plan, as well as their positive and negative impacts.
Step 3: Verifying the appropriateness
Through discussion with specialists and our directors, we verified the appropriateness of the issues we weighted in Step 2 to identify material issues.
"A discussion took place between LRQA Sustainability K.K. Representative Director, Hidemi Tomita (right), IIJ Member of the Board, Senior Managing Executive Officer and CFO, Akihisa Watai (center), and IIJ Senior Managing Executive Officer and CIO, Division Director of Corporate Planning Division, Naoshi Yoneyama (left)."
Key inputs
Mr.Hidemi Tomita
Representative Director,
LRQA Sustainability K.K.
- It is important to clarify how companies define material issues.
- Paying more attention to affinity with management philosophy helps identify material issues consistently.
- Main issues in the ICT industry include saving energy, mainly in data centers, human rights issues such as data privacy, long working hours, and mental health.
- In the future, it will be important to set targets for material issues, pay attention to PDCA to monitor progress, and see how they could be incorporated into management along with the medium-term plan.
- As the company that created Japan’s new communication infrastructure market, I would like IIJ to show how the Internet should be in a sustainable society and take on pioneering roles.
Profile of Mr. Tomita
Chief Consultant at Lloyd's Register Japan K.K.(*) He has multi-dimensional and extensive experience in long-term CSR management in the Sony Group, and has taken part in setting various international standards.
- (*)Lloyd's Register Japan K.K. changed its name to LRQA Sustainability K.K. in January 2022.
- https://lloyds-register.co.jp/csr/principal-consultant/
(Japanese text only)
Contributing to SDGs
IIJ was founded by engineers with the ambition to spread Internet throughout Japan. They anticipated Internet would be the infrastructure that would change the workings of society. Ever since, IIJ has engaged in business with the mission to change the world with Internet technologies.
As SDGs present targets to change the world, they are highly affinity with the products and services offered by IIJ, who have a common idea. That is why we believe we can contribute to many targets of SDGs through our business activities. For the following goals and targets that are highly relevant to our material issues, we will put special effort into bringing an even greater impact toward achieving results.
IIJ's material issues and SDGs we contribute to
Material issues
Related targets of SDGs
Material issue 1
Lead network infrastructure advancement with technological innovations and contribute to solving various social issues
Related targets of SDGs
-
3.8
Contribute to universal health coverage -
7.2, 7.3
Spread renewable energy and improve energy efficiency -
8.2, 8.4, 8.10
Suppress resource consumption and expand financial access to drive economic growth
-
9.5
Expand open innovation -
13.1
Enhance adaptability to natural disasters from climate change
Material issue 2
Provide safe and robust Internet services that support social infrastructure
Related targets of SDGs
-
9.1
Develop sustainable and robust regional and cross-border infrastructures -
11.a, 11.b
Enhance cooperation between urban and rural areas and support disaster risk management structures
-
16 All
Promote a peaceful and inclusive society
Material issue 3
Provide an arena for people with diverse talents and values, where they can exercise their skills and actively and boldly take on challenges
Related targets of SDGs
-
4.4
Improve technical skills -
5.b
Apply ICT technologies to promote empowerment of women
-
8.5
Promote equal employment and a better work environment
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