Canon 2011 Annual Report Download - page 38

36 MANAGEMENT SYSTEM>CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Tsuzuri Project
Canon and the non-profit organization Kyoto Culture Association jointly pro-
mote a project called the DzTsuzuri Projectdz(Official title: Cultural Heritage
Inheritance Project). The aim of the project is to blend Canon’s latest digital
technology and traditional Japanese crafts, such as gold leaf craftwork, to
create high resolution facsimiles of folding screens and other ancient
Japanese cultural assets, while keeping the original cultural assets in more
favorable environments. In 2011, reproductions of six assets were donated to
temples and museums. In the four years since the launch of the project in
2007, a total of 21 cultural assets have been reproduced and donated.
Canon Vietnam’s Dz For a bright future dz Scholarship Program
In 2011, Canon Vietnam Co., Ltd. continued implementing a scholarship
project, DzFor a bright futuredzprogram, for secondary school students in
underprivileged regions. This program is aimed at helping and encouraging
underprivileged students to continue studying. Thanks to this program, in
2011, 600 underprivileged students received Canon scholarships, covering
educational and living expenses.
ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF CONFLICT MINERALS
The term Dzconflict mineralsdzrefers to certain minerals originating in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries in Africa, the
profit from the trade of which, provided through the global supply chain, is
alleged to be funding armed groups in that region. There is growing concern
worldwide about the issue of conflict minerals. In the United States, for
example, legislation has been enacted requiring publicly listed companies to
disclose their usage of such minerals.
Canon began investigations into conflict minerals in 2010 and established
a project team at its headquarters in 2011. In these ways, the Company is
working to create a framework for responding to legal regulations and guide-
lines from international organizations. Seeking to ensure that customers use
Canon’s products with peace of mind, the Company is working together with
business partners and industry entities to identify the history of minerals
used in its products with the aim of avoiding the use of conflict minerals.
CULTIVATING DIVERSE HUMAN RESOURCES
In order to achieve sustainable globalization, Canon must work constantly
to cultivate a talented workforce. Canon has established a management
training program to train executives, and help them to upgrade their skills
and strengthen their sense of mission. Given our priority to keep produc-
tion in-house, it is important for us to cultivate personnel with world-class
skills and expertise on a global scale.
Canon invites engineers and technicians
from production sites in Southeast Asia and
China to the Manufacturing Training Center
in Japan to take part in training programs.
In 2011, under the “Tsuzuri Project,” Canon
donated to Kennin-ji temple in Kyoto high-
resolution facsimiles it had made of 20
sliding panels belonging to the temple’s col-
lection. The panels, which have been
designated as “Important Cultural Property,”
comprise 16 panels of the “Seven Sages in a
Bamboo Grove” series and four panels of the
“Landscapes” series.