ACTION

The future is not beyond a paved road,
it is at the end of a rough path


With the thought of delivering to our customers “when, what, how much they want it” as the starting point, MATSUOKA has created large-scale supply chains overseas. At our overseas factories that function as production bases, we are taking actions with the aim of improving the quality of life of local staff. All of such actions are necessary for our company to sustain continuously.

Anti-Poverty Measure

Anti-Poverty Measure

Many of the places where we build our factories are in mainly agricultural regions that have not yet developed industrially. In fact, in some places, there is not even the practice of going to work at a set hour every morning, and of course, there is no practice of using sewing machines. In such places, we correct disparities and provide steady income by paying wages and bonuses stipulated by law without unfairly exploiting the labor force. We also make efforts to provide equal opportunities and spread education to prevent disparities between men and women as well as distortions in employer-employee/superior-subordinate relationships.


Employment measures

  • Creation of stable employment opportunities
  • Employment system to prevent people from being engaged in forced labor or unfair labor

Salary system

  • Payment of salaries and bonuses according to laws
  • Creation of a system for employees to earn stable salaries
  • Payment of child allowances
  • Regular wage increase system
  • Payment of compensation to retired employees

Environmental improvements

  • Contributions to lifestyle stability through fulfilled welfare program
  • Revitalization of local economies
  • Structure to support employees who give birth and raise children

Bangladesh

Provision of commuting means (shuttle bus)

Vietnam

Contribution to society through donations to community groups

China

Enrichment of local economies by creating employment opportunities

Anti-Starvation Measure

Anti-Starvation Measure

When many of the local residents are engaged in agriculture, they will usually have enough to get by, but there is no stability and no insurance for unforeseen situations. Since the age of working population is relatively young, falling on the child-rearing generation, they cannot work with peace of mind under circumstances where children are not guaranteed to be sufficiently fed. We are addressing community-wide food issues through various activities, such as not only providing meals at factories but also making donations of a portion of our profits to administrative bodies so that our staff can work free from anxiety.


Local community contributions

  • Donations of a portion of our profits to administrative bodies that give aid to the poor

Provision of opportunities for meals

  • Provision of breakfast, lunch, and overtime supper by the company
  • Preparation of diverse menus in consideration of nutritional balance, religion, etc.

Nutritional support

  • Supply of iron pills to female employees as a measure against anemia
  • Donations of dietary supplements to students who attend nearby schools

Environmental improvements

  • Guarantees for stable income

Bangladesh

Donations of dietary supplements to students who attend nearby schools

Myanmar

Provision of nutritious meals

Vietnam

Donations of a portion of the profits to administrative bodies that give aid to the poor

Health Care Measure

Health Care Measure

Good heath is the most important thing in living a fulfilling life. All of MATSUOKA’s factories continue efforts to keep employees in good health by implementing statutory medical check-ups and improving the social insurance system. In addition, we have established elaborate system designs according to posts and positions, such as implementation of medical check-ups of the staff handling chemicals, etc., every six months. Accordingly, these efforts lead not only to the realization of maintenance and improvement of work quality and productivity, but also to the stabilization of recruitment costs, etc.


Laws and regulations, and insurance

  • Implementation of regular medical check-ups stipulated by labor laws
  • Compliance with the social insurance system
  • Enrollment of all employees in voluntary workers’ accident compensation insurance

Health knowledge

  • Implementation of medical check-ups of staff handling chemicals every six months
  • Implementation of programs to raise health awareness
  • Improvement of knowledge and behavior regarding female workers’ health

Medical care

  • Nurses on duty at all times
  • Transport to hospital by company car
  • Holding of a first aid seminar by our tie-up hospital every year
  • Blood donation, blood type test, hepatitis B vaccination

Pregnancy and childbirth

  • Supply of contraceptives free of charge
  • Lecture by a doctor before maternity leave
  • Medical support to lower maternal mortality rate
  • Establishment of a structure in which childcare leave can be obtained irrespective of gender
  • Establishment of a structure in which female workers can use medical services without hesitation

Working environments

  • Implementation of work safety education, including knowledge about solvents
  • Supply of personal protective equipment to workers in dangerous environments
  • Separate smoking areas in workplaces

Welfare benefits

  • Care for illness and injury by company insurance
  • Implementation of recreational activities, such as regular company trips

Bangladesh

Initiatives to spread the digital salary payment system to assist employees in planning an enriched life

Bangladesh

Resident medical staff to support employees’ health maintenance

Bangladesh

Contribution to improvement of relationship between employees by implementation of recreational activities

High Quality Education

High quality education

In our manufacturing, there are many elements that can only be learned through daily work, such as careful consideration to detail and empathy for others. We focus our energies on language education, including Japanese and English, which forms the basis for communication to realize smooth operation at work. In addition, we provide various other opportunities for education, such as provision of training to managerial workers by inviting visiting lecturers. We promote the importance of education through not only on-the-job training but also local community contributions, including donations of stationery, etc., to neighborhood children.


Training systems

  • System for training trainees in Japan
  • Implementation of education and activities of 5S (Seiri: Classification, Seiton: Organization, Seiso: Cleaning, Seiketsu: Cleanliness, and Shitsuke: Discipline) and 7S (5S + Senjo: Washing and Sakkin: Disinfection)
  • Implementation of study sessions regarding textile and processing technologies
  • Japanese and English language education for local staff
  • Training for handling chemicals and electricity
  • OJT by manufacturing managers
  • Implementation of workshops regarding production technology, safety awareness, and health awareness every month

Outside seminars

  • Implementation of seminars regarding 5S and quality control by inviting visiting lecturers
  • Implementation of study sessions regarding technologies related to business operations
  • Firefighting training
  • Compliance with audit programs, such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, WRAP, and Buyer COC & HIGG
  • Setup of childcare facilities for female employees, and implementation of training programs for childcare staff

Social contributions

  • Donations of educational materials and stationery, such as textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and school bags, to students who attend nearby schools

Systems

  • Appropriate updates of management standards of the company

Bangladesh

Backup of employees’ upskilling by various training programs

Myanmar

Provision of “opportunities for learning” for employees, such as acquisition of sewing-related techniques

China

Utilization of knowledge of textile and quality control acquired through study sessions and seminars in business operations

Anti-Gender Discrimination Activity

Anti-Gender Discrimination Activity

We actively promote people to higher positions regardless of gender. Since there are many talented female workers in the sewing business, we have a lot of women in higher positions. We flexibly respond to maternity leave and childcare leave, etc., and also focus our energies on career formation after they return to work, to create an environment in which women can play active roles. Furthermore, we realize open workplaces, by installing opinion boxes to identify issues that tend to be latent in consideration of privacy protection and detection of harassment-related problems. We will continue to make environmental improvements to prevent the occurrence of unjustifiable gender discrimination, etc., through system designs by female managers, etc.


Employment and allowances

  • Payment of allowances during maternity leave and childcare leave
  • Provision of equal employment opportunities irrespective of gender, age, work history, etc.
  • Active promotion of women to supervisors and other responsible positions

Environmental improvements

  • Granting menstrual leave
  • Separate installation of men’s and women’s restrooms

Systems

  • Raising awareness of gender equality for mid-level managers
  • Creation and education of anti-discrimination policy
  • Eradication of harassment of every kind
  • Fair salary system by fair evaluation
  • Installation of opinion boxes to receive complaints about harassment, etc.

Bangladesh

Active promotion of women to responsible positions

Bangladesh

Installation of opinion boxes as a measure against harassment to promote creation of an environment where everyone can talk about their problems

Vietnam

Creation of equal employment opportunities irrespective of gender, age, wok history, etc.

Hygiene

Hygiene

On many of the planned construction sites for factories, infrastructure, including electricity and water, has not been developed, and it is a matter of life and death to ensure safe drinking water. Our business is strongly associated with maintenance and development of infrastructure. In consideration of the impact on the environment of the surrounding area, the installation of purification equipment, etc., is thoroughgoing, including facilities to purify factory effluents and daily life water. We aim to construct safe water quality environments based on legal standards, such as water quality inspections, infectious disease screenings, and other hygienic structures.


Environmental improvements

  • Installation of sanitary restrooms higher than the legal standard number
  • Placement of drinking water in factories
  • Installation of industrial wastewater purification equipment
  • Elimination of direct emissions of sewage

Laws and regulations

  • Arrangements for drinking water from suppliers who can submit component analysis results
  • Installation of flush toilets, and treatment of wastewater by appropriate systems in accordance with environmental standards
  • Implementation of water quality inspection twice a year

Bangladesh

Maintenance of safe water and hygienic environments by regular checks and maintenance

Myanmar

Implementation of regular water quality inspection of drinking water and effluents

Bangladesh

Expansion and maintenance of effluent treatment and water purification facilities in consideration of the surrounding environment and improvement of water quality

Affordable and clean energy

Affordable and clean energy

We set a goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 35% per piece of clothing by 2030 (as compared to 2019). To this end, we also focus our energies on equipment investments, such as installation of solar panels for renewable energy on the roofs of factories, etc. Further, we strive to stably ensure natural energy through the utilization of battery technology and utilize it as regional infrastructure in the event of natural disasters, etc., in the future. Aiming to create a comfortable environment with use of as little electricity as possible, we will actively promote the utilization of clean energy throughout the whole group.


Environmental improvements

  • Use of air-conditioner using water
  • Installation of solar panels
  • Changeover to LED lights
  • Use of exhaust gas boilers and other with low environmental impact
  • Suppression of temperature rise in factories by thermal barrier coating

Laws and regulations

  • Compliance with environmental laws and regulations established in each country
  • Lawful treatment of emissions from factories in accordance with environmental standards

Vietnam

Suppression of temperature rise within the premises by thermal barrier treatment on the roofs of the factory

Bangladesh

Adoption of an air-conditioning system using water for cooling the inside of the factory

Bangladesh

Rigid enforcement of energy reduction by installing LED lights in place of fluorescent lights