Shimadzu Group CSR Activities Contribute to the Future of Regional Communities
The Shimadzu Group deploys CSR activities around the world to promote sustainable development of local communities and society. This article introduces CSR activities in desert greening in China and a career talk in Japan.
SGLC: Greening Activities in the Tengger Desert
In China, employees of Shimadzu (Shanghai) Global Laboratory Consumables Co., Ltd. (SGLC) carried out tree-planting activities in the Tengger Desert. In March, five SGLC employees visited the Tengger Desert and donated 2,815 saplings to prevent desert expansion, while also participating in the Spring Tree-Planting Activity organized by the Tengger Desert Edge-Locking Ecological Public Welfare Base.
The five SGLC employees who participated in planting activities
Due to the dry climate, low rainfall, and powerful sandstorms, the Tengger Desert is the fourth largest desert in China and one of the main sources of dust in East Asia. As a countermeasure to desertification caused by years of drought and overgrazing, which has also affected surrounding farmland and grasslands, China has been promoting desert-edge afforestation to create green belts along the boundary between the desert and the oasis. Rather than trying to eliminate the deserts, the measures are aimed at coexistence based on scientific methods.
Tengger Desert before planting the saplings
The Tengger Desert Edge-Locking Ecological Public Welfare Base program that the SGLC assisted was established in 2003. The planting team, headed by Xiangrong Wu, the leader of the base, is promoting afforestation and ecosystem restoration in cooperation with local forestry departments and agricultural and pastoral organizations, based on the philosophy of “planting trees and nurturing the heart.” For over 20 years, the team has been at the forefront of desert management, and by 2025 has planted over 15 million trees on the eastern edge of the Tengger Desert, restoring about 40,000 hectares of desertified land.
Wu believes that “what is truly terrifying is the desertification of people’s hearts” (being indifferent to the environment and the future), and SGLC’s tree-planting activities provide an opportunity for people to reconsider their connection to the land.
To improve sapling survival even in dry conditions, the planting method used in the Tengger Desert involves using high-pressure water to bore deep holes in the sand and then planting saplings in the moist sand. That was the method actually used by participants to plant the saplings.
Boring holes in the sand with high-pressure water
Planting the saplings
The 2,815 saplings donated by SGLC for this activity will take root on the eastern edge of the Tengger Desert, sprout, and eventually become part of the shelterbelts that prevent desert expansion and support the future of the land. These activities also contribute to SDG Goal 13, “Climate Action,” and Goal 15, “Life on Land.”
The Tengger Desert where tree saplings were planted
As a company committed to sustainable development, SGLC believes that the value of a business lies not only in generating profit, but also in fulfilling social responsibilities and giving back to the land. SGLC will continue to work on such ecosystem restoration projects and uphold sustainable environmental management.
Comment from Zhenyong Zhang, Person in Charge of Technology in the R&D Department at SGLC
Through the greening activities in the Tengger Desert, I learned the importance of patiently waiting for results over time. Meeting Wu, who has been engaged in desert greening for over 20 years, provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on what it means to put down strong roots and grow steadily, and we were deeply impressed by his steadfast approach of continuing to move forward even in the face of difficult challenges.
In addition, through these activities, I came to feel that the Shimadzu Group’s cherished Management Principle, “Realizing Our Wishes for the Well-being of Mankind and the Earth,” is firmly reflected in its actions. Some things in life only develop value over time. I hope these greening activities will continue and that this spirit will be passed on to even more people.
SHIMADZU Breakers Rugby Team: Career Talks and Rugby Experience Classes
As part of its CSR activities to convey the appeal and value of rugby to children in the local community, the SHIMADZU Breakers rugby team has been conducting “Career Talks and Rugby Experience Classes—Everyone is Different, Everyone is Good” at elementary schools and special-needs high schools in Kyoto City.
Group photo of elementary school participants
These activities began in 2022, prompted by participation in the "Rugby Experience Classes" promoted by the Japan Rugby Football Union. As a community-based program, the players talk to children about the mindset, strength, and value they have gained through rugby, with the aim of helping them take steps toward realizing their dreams and developing teamwork and problem-solving skills through hands-on rugby experience.
Team members high-fiving elementary school students
Under this program, and with the cooperation of the Kyoto City Board of Education and the Kyoto Rugby Football Union, two-hour classes are held at schools that request them. In the first hour, a career talk is given on the theme of work and rugby, explaining the importance of the “discipline, respect, integrity, passion, and solidarity” set out in the Rugby Charter by relating them to work and daily life. They also draw parallels between the various rugby positions and the division of roles at work to convey to children the idea that everyone is different, everyone is good.
Career talk session
In the second hour, participants experience rugby activities such as relays and ball catching, then reflect on the experience in line with the Rugby Charter to learn the importance of teamwork and problem-solving.
Trying rugby
The rugby team hopes to connect these community-based activities with fostering healthy minds and bodies, respect for diversity, and the ability to collaborate. Comments from participating elementary school students included, “I wasn’t good at sports, but I felt relieved when I heard 'everyone is different, everyone is good',” and “Of the Rugby Charter principles, I want to especially value passion and discipline in my life.”
Comment from General Manager Kato of the SHIMADZU Breakers Rugby Team
Through these activities, we realized that many children think that seriously pursuing sports means becoming a professional athlete. I hope that the presence of athletes who balance work and competition will encourage people to think about work-life balance and well-being.
Rugby has many positions, and one of its attractions is how players use their strengths and compensate for one another’s weaknesses as they move forward together. We hope that learning about these appealing aspects of rugby will foster a spirit of respecting each other’s individuality. We will continue to convey the richness of being passionate about sports and the importance of diversity through rugby.
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