Since our inception more than 130 years ago, Inabata & Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, “the Company”) has grown in step with the development of society. Guided by our corporate mission of “people come first, based on the spirit of ‘love (ai)’ and ‘respect (kei),’ and together we strive towards contributing to the development of society.” This mission continues to serve as a guiding principle in our current efforts to realize a sustainable society.

Three years have passed since the Company established the Sustainability Committee in October 2021 and formally launched its sustainability management initiatives. Over these three years, we have responded to expectations from society to address not only climate change but also a wide range of sustainability-related laws and regulations. Through these efforts, we have reaffirmed the weight of corporate responsibility as a public entity of society. Accordingly, in May 2024, in conjunction with the formulation of our new medium-term management plan, we announced the Sustainability Medium-term Plan 2026, the first such plan by the Inabata Group. This plan sets forth specific goals and actions to address critical contemporary issues such as climate change, diversity, and human capital. It also clearly states our alignment with the SDGs, which are shared global goals, thereby reflecting our fundamental approach to sustainability.

With respect to climate change, we will further strengthen our initiatives toward a decarbonized society by building on the Carbon Neutrality Declaration 2050 that we announced in June 2022. Specifically, compared with FY2022 levels, we aim to reduce our GHG emissions by 25% by FY2026 and by 42% by FY2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality by FY2050. As part of our contribution to the global environment through our business activities, we have set a target of increasing net sales from our environment-related business to 100 billion yen by FY2026.

As a trading company, the Inabata Group considers its employees—its greatest assets—to be vital to its growth, and believes that their active and enthusiastic engagement is critically important to corporate growth. With this in mind, we are placing emphasis on improving employee well-being (the state of physical, mental, and social fulfillment) and promoting diversity and inclusion. Specifically, we have set quantitative targets, including achieving an affirmative response rate of 80% or higher to employee engagement survey items such as “I am satisfied with the work I am doing at Inabata” and “I can relate to Inabata’s philosophy, vision, and management policies and would like to participate in achieving them”, as well as raising the ratio of female managers to 10% by 2030. By creating an environment that allows diverse talent to thrive, we believe we can enhance the overall creativity and competitiveness of our organization.

While sustainability-related challenges represent long-term risks to management, they can also become present significant opportunities if addressed proactively and appropriately. By actively tackling societal issues such as environmental conservation, respect for human rights, consideration for employees’ working conditions, and fair trade, we aim to fulfill our corporate responsibility to help build a sustainable and healthy society, while creating new business opportunities and continuing to grow as a company.

The year 2025 marks the 135th anniversary of our founding. The Company began its business in the mid-Meiji Period with the import and sale of synthetic dyes. We believe that our ability to continue operating has been made possible not only by the support of our many business partners and shareholders, but alsoby the efforts of successive management teams and employees to adapt and transform themselves in response to the demands of each era. Looking ahead, the entire Inabata Group will work together, building on the foundations of our corporate philosophy and IK Values—those elements that must not be changed—while accurately capturing changes in the times and continuing to respond to the expectations of society, thereby achieving sustainable growth.