For Local Communities
Contributing to the Community
| Fiscal 2024 Objectives | Fiscal 2024 Achievements | Self-Evaluation | Priority Objectives for Fiscal 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
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★★ |
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- Self-evaluation：
- ★★★ Achieved more than targeted /
- ★★ chieved as targeted /
- ★ Achieved to some extent
Based on its business philosophy of “contributing to the culture, benefit, and welfare of people throughout the world,” including Japan, we are working to address local social issues as a member of the communities where we do business. In order to continue fostering relationships of mutual prosperity with communities, Sharp employees take the initiative in carrying out voluntary and ongoing community service activities.
Blood Drives
We take part in blood-donation campaigns in Japan and other countries. In Japan in fiscal 2024, around 600 people participated at seven locations*1. Overseas, a total of 310 people donated blood at Canadian sales base SECL, Indonesian production and sales base SEID, and Indonesian production base SSI.
Easy-to-Join Volunteer Activities
Sharp’s domestic bases invite local disability welfare organizations to sell their products on site. And as part of international volunteer activities that can be done at the workplace, Sharp’s labor union collects used and unused Japanese and foreign stamps*2, unmailed or miswritten postcards*3, unused calendars and planners*4, foreign currency, books, CDs, DVDs, and other items and donates them.
We also send employee volunteers to events organized by local communities, and also sponsor such events.
- Yao Plant (Osaka Prefecture), Fujiidera Logistics Center (Osaka Prefecture), Makuhari Office (Chiba Prefecture), Hiroshima Plant (Higashi-Hiroshima City), Fukuyama Plant (Hiroshima Prefecture), Sharp Marketing Japan Corporation Amagasaki Office (Hyogo Prefecture), Sharp Electronics Sales Okinawa Corporation.
- In collaboration with Japan Overseas Christian Medical Cooperative Service.
- In collaboration with non-profit organization Shapla Neer Citizens’ Committee in Japan for Overseas Support.
- Donated to a calendar charity sale organized by the Hiroshima Kenaf no Kai and Kenaf Network Japan.
Volunteering in a Local Festival
At the Tenri Plant (Nara Prefecture), employees participate as volunteers in the Haniwa Festival held every February at the local Ichinomoto Elementary School.
This festival began in 1999, after the discovery on the school grounds of an ancient pottery workshop site at which items such as giant cylindrical haniwa terracotta clay figures were created. As part of the festival, students create their own cylindrical haniwa, which are then fired in an open-air kiln. These haniwa are also used as lanterns in the Ichinomoto Lantern Festival held every July, where some 3,000 lanterns create a magical scene.
At the 24th Haniwa Festival held in February 2025, 21 employees volunteered in a walking tour around the school district, while the haniwa were fired. They were divided into groups, with some accompanying the students and others stationed at crossroads and other checkpoints to ensure the children’s safety.
Donating Supplies to Flood-Affected Areas
Indonesian production and sales base SEID donated 2,000 sets of essential supplies to areas affected by severe flooding caused by heavy rains in March 2025. The supplies were distributed not only at village offices but also directly to residents who had difficulty getting to the offices. The company also provided free-of-charge repairs of Sharp products damaged by the floods.
Participating in a Local Charity Run
Europe device sales base SDE, along with affiliated companies, takes part in the widely known B2Run charity in Germany. This event attracts more than 240,000 participants from 11,800 companies in Germany, and 19 SDE employees took part in the event in June 2025.
Some of the funds raised from this charity run go toward supporting potable water and tree-planting programs in rural areas of Ethiopia, as well as toward climate-supporting hydropower efforts in India.
By training together for the event, employees also foster teamwork.
Fundraising to Support Children with Juvenile Arthritis
New Zealand sales base SCNZ has been supporting the local arthritis association for over 20 years. The company sponsors a charity event every year to raise funds for outdoor camps for children suffering juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
The March 2025 event saw the participation of business partners, clients, and employees and raised over NZ$11,000 in total. Philip Kearney, CEO of Arthritis NZ, expressed gratitude, saying, “Sharp’s support is truly wonderful. The donations collected at Sharp Golf Day are used to fund Kids Camp, which lets children know that they are not alone in their illness. This initiative would not have been possible without Sharp’s support.”
Supporting Victims of Volcanic Eruptions
Indonesian production and sales base SEID provided support* worth Rp100 million (around ¥900,000) through the non-profit Human Initiative to those affected by the November 2024 eruption of Mount Lewotobi. Relief supplies were delivered to some 5,600 residents of the Titiehena district, who had been unable to receive assistance due to difficult access. SEID also donated air purifiers to those affected.
- Distribution of food packages, face masks, and hygiene kits, and setting up of emergency kitchens
Donating Rice Cookers to Typhoon-Affected Households
Vietnamese sales base SVN, together with client company Dien May Xanh, donated a total of 4,600 rice cookers to households in the northern
provinces of Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, and Yen Bai. The area was severely affected by flooding caused by Typhoon Yagi in September 2024.
While rice cookers are small household items, they play a crucial role in helping families recover from hardship by enabling them to prepare warm meals and take the first steps toward restoring their daily lives. Beyond simply providing products, SVN will continue to create value by making practical and meaningful contributions to local communities.
Agricultural Training for Young People
In November 2024, Indonesian production and sales base SEID partnered with BenihBaik, a company supporting CSR activities, to launch the Sharp Hydro Heroes program. The program seeks to address the decline in young people’s interest in agriculture. Twenty young people were trained in hydroponic farming on farming sites provided by the program.
In the first harvest in January 2025, around 5 kg of lettuce was harvested.
Fundraising for Breast Cancer Patients
Canadian production and sales base SECL has been participating in the Canadian Cancer Society’s CIBC Run for the Cure since 2022. This event attracts over 50,000 participants across Canada and raises over CA$14 million annually, which is donated to important cancer research and treatment.
SECL participated in the event held in October 2024 and donated around CA$6,600 collected from the company, employees, dealers, family members, and friends.
Repair Services for Flood-Affected Areas
Areas in northern and southern Thailand were severely affected by floods that occurred in September and December 2024, respectively. STCL, Sharp’s joint venture company in Thailand, provided disaster relief in the form of repairing water-damaged home appliances at discount prices in those areas.
STCL sent service technicians to the affected areas and collaborated with local repair shops to diagnose and repair over 70 home appliances, including Sharp products and those of other brands. Over 17 days, staff repaired LCD TVs, refrigerators, air purifiers, microwave ovens, and washing machines.
STCL will continue to engage in community service activities that benefit the local communities where it operates.
Educational Support for People with Disabilities
As part of a larger program of community service activities that draws on our founder’s commitment to helping disabled individuals, we work with Sharp Tokusen Industry Co., a Sharp special subsidiary*, to conduct career education activities for people with disabilities. The aim is to foster a career-minded perspective and motivate them to work and achieve greater self-sufficiency.
In fiscal 2024, we held a total of 365 sessions across the following five courses for a total of 2,489 people with disabilities and their supporters.
(Since the start of this program in fiscal 2012, a total of 4,545 sessions have been held and 28,427 people have participated.)
- Workplace tour: Visit the workplace of employees with disabilities and attend a lecture
- Workplace experience: Experience work where employees with disabilities are active
- School visits: Employees with disabilities visit schools to give talks on what it means to work
- Online class (video-based): Instruction using videos and worksheets
- Lecture (in-person): A wide-range of hands-on lectures given by employees with disabilities
Outside Japan, UAE sales base SMEF provided products to an event supporting students with disabilities. The products were sold at the event and the proceeds donated to the organizers.
- A subsidiary that a company establishes and that gives special efforts to employ the disabled, in order to provide them with more employment opportunities and greater job security.
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Workplace tour -
Workplace experience -
School visit -
Online class -
Lecture
Letter of Appreciation from Osaka Education Board for 3 Consecutive Years
Sharp Tokusen Industry Co. has been collaborating with the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education in its workplace experience program for junior high school students and their parents since its inception in 2023. In March 2025, we received a letter of appreciation from the board for the third consecutive year.
This program provides students attending special-needs schools in Osaka Prefecture with the opportunity to think about the skills necessary for social independence through early career and vocational education.
In January 2024, we welcomed students, their parents, and teachers from Osaka Prefectural Takatsuki School for Special-Needs Education and Osaka Prefectural Yao School for Special-Needs Education. The participants learned about the importance of work and teamwork through workplace tours and trying their hand at inspecting and packaging products. One parent commented, “It was inspiring to see so many people with disabilities doing what they can and working earnestly.”
We will continue to collaborate to help students develop a more concrete vision of their future and pursue their dreams and goals.
Taking Part in Osaka Education Board’s Employment Support Advisors Dispatch Program
Sharp Tokusen Industry is collaborating with the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education’s program to dispatch employment support advisors to special-needs schools. The program began in fiscal 2024 and involves people from companies in Osaka Prefecture who are responsible for hiring and training people with disabilities. These advisors give lectures, visit schools, and provide training to students, parents, and teachers involved in employment support at special-needs schools.
In fiscal 2024, Sharp Tokusen implemented the program at three schools: Osaka Prefectural Ikuno School for the Hearing Impaired, Osaka Prefectural Izumi School for Special-Needs Education, and Osaka Prefectural Semboku High School for Special-Needs Education. The program focuses on the type of skills companies need and the realities around the employment of disabled persons. Training focused on what kind of people companies want to work with and the skills students should develop. In the lectures, participants were introduced to concepts unfamiliar in school settings, such as special subsidiaries, legal employment quotas of people with disabilities, and reasonable accommodations.
Hiring managers led mock group interviews and provided individual feedback to each student, highlighting their specific areas for improvement.
One participant noted, “This was a valuable opportunity to hear directly from company representatives involved in disability employment, and the different perspectives offered by those outside the school helped raise awareness about employment.” Another said, “I realized that with appropriate accommodations, people with disabilities can work vibrantly and contribute meaningfully.”
Comment from a Special-Needs School Participating in Career Education
We are very grateful to Sharp Tokusen Industry Co. for their ongoing support in our career planning efforts. Our school was established in 1948 as the Hyogo Prefectural Himeji School for the Deaf and was renamed Hyogo Prefectural Himeji School for Students with Special Hearing Needs in 2007. This year marks our 77th anniversary as a school specializing in education for students with hearing impairments. From our school building, we can enjoy a breathtaking view of Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we are fortunate to provide education in an environment rich in history and culture. A total of 91 students, ranging from preschool to high school, are dedicated to their studies every day.
Every July, Sharp Tokusen conducts an online lecture for first-year high school students, connecting their company (in Osaka) and our school (in Himeji) online. An employee with the same hearing impairment uses sign language to deliver a lecture on the theme of the meaning of work and answers various questions from the students, such as “What do you find fulfilling in your work?” in real time and with sincerity.
The students see older people with the same disability overcoming various challenges and thriving in their careers as an inspiration for their own future. They also sympathize with the lecturer’s ways of thinking and gain the confidence to take steps toward their future career choices. We would like to once again express our deepest gratitude for providing such a valuable opportunity every year.
Our school aims to help students achieve social independence after graduation, and we place a strong emphasis on improving communication skills and language proficiency in our daily activities. We look forward to further strengthening our collaboration with Tokusen Industry and other related organizations, and to actively utilizing the knowledge gained through these partnerships to further enhance our educational programs. We sincerely request Tokusen Industry’s continued guidance and support and wish them continued success in the future.
Principal, Hyogo Prefectural Himeji School for Students with Special Hearing Needs
Message from a School Visit Employee Instructor
I first took part in the school visit program in December 2024 and have since given classes at two schools. As a lecturer, I am eager to share with students the knowledge and insights gained from my own work experience and interactions with others. At first, I was worried whether I could communicate effectively. But seeing the students ‘listen’ attentively while taking notes made a strong impression on me, and I was able to speak while making eye contact with the students. Standing in front of people to speak was once a challenge for me but it has become something I can do confidently after my experience as lecturer.
I would like students to understand the importance of setting goals. It is something I value highly in my own work, as setting goals helps me clarify the direction I should be heading in and builds my confidence when I achieve them.
I have learned a great deal from my senior colleagues and superiors and have been greatly influenced by them. I hope to become someone who can positively impact students through this school visit program.
Sharp Tokusen Industry Co.
Participating in a Fair to Support Students with Disabilities
In February 2024, the sales team at SMEF in the UAE supported a fair organized by the Al Noor Center for Rehabilitation of People of Determination. The funds generated as a result of this event provide ongoing support to this important center in the UAE community. This center is a national institution of the UAE that provides education and rehabilitation programs for people of various nationalities who have disabilities. SMEF donated household appliances for the raffle draw segment of the fair, including a selection of microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, rice cookers, and irons.
