Sustainability
Sustainability
Executive commitment
Fumiaki Sato, President
We create innovation through IT in a market that harbors great potential but with many issues to be addressed.
The Group believes it is of utmost importance to contribute to the resolution of social issues through the Group’s business itself in order to build a more prosperous and sustainable society. Since we were founded in 1981, we have set forth our company motto of “Contribute to society through the development and sale of software that realizes advanced automation of core business” and provided various services with the goal of continuing to be a company that contributes to society as a management support company that supports the smooth management and operation of client companies.
There are many back-office issues to be addressed, including tackling the declining working population through the use of AI and reducing the use of resources through digitalization. This is a market with significant room for improving operational efficiency and productivity by further expediting the utilization of IT. The Group creates innovation through IT in a market that harbors great potential by drawing on the experience it has cultivated in core business software since it was founded.
We believe that maximizing human capital contributes to the growth of the Group and the realization of a sustainable society.
Human capital shapes the services we create, and we believe that maximizing human capital contributes to the growth of the Group and the realization of a sustainable society. We are committed to maximizing human capital through our day-to-day efforts aimed at the continued development of the potential of each and every individual in line with key pillars of the Group’s organizational management such as our management strategy, business strategy, and career strategy, while adopting the stance of improving the relationship between individuals and the organization by respecting the way individual employees work and live.
The kinds of value that the Group can provide to society are ever-evolving, but our desire to continue to be there for client companies as a management support company has remained unchanged since we were founded. The Group will always remain connected to the future of core business, to society, and to people.
Going forward, we will continue to work to address social issues while further expediting initiatives aimed at the Group’s business growth and the realization of a sustainable society.
PCA’s sustainability vision
Basic sustainability policy
In order to support the smooth management and operation of client companies, PCA Group pursues two virtuous cycles of sustainability: “contribution to a sustainable society” and “sustainable enhancement of corporate value.” Valuable “contribution to a sustainable society” will lead to the “sustainable enhancement of corporate value” accompanied by high profitability, which will allow the Group to take on the challenge of making further contributions. In addition to pursuing optimal governance to achieve this goal, the Group will also implement the following practices.
01
Value creation by contributing to a sustainable society
- We seek to address issues facing people and the planet through our high-value-added business domains.
- We leverage the pioneering spirit and hospitality that are hallmarks of the Group for value creation.
02
Responsible business activities
- We comply with laws and regulations and respect all norms related to our business activities.
- We give due consideration to environmental protection, quality assurance, occupational health and safety, well-being, and human rights in the course of all our business activities.
- We engage in appropriate information disclosure and dialogue with stakeholders.
03
Promotion of an active workplace culture
- We place special emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
- We encourage and support each and every individual so that they can grow, contribute actively, and take on new challenges.
- We are also focused on health and productivity management.
Materiality (Material issues)
We are committed to sustainability in our business operations in the following ways by taking into account sustainability-related possibilities in the environment, society, and economy.
Energy-saving solutions
The expansion of cloud services can save energy by reducing the number of internal computer servers at companies.
Improve productivity of back-office operations
Business productivity can be improved through automation and reducing manpower requirements for input work with services centered around PCA Cloud. Going forward, the expansion of automation services can supplement business operations even in the absence of specialized personnel in an era when securing specialized personnel in the areas of accounting, HR, etc., is becoming increasingly difficult.
Reduction of paper usage
Paper usage, reprinting of materials, and envelope usage can be reduced by digitizing business forms with core business software and utilizing the PCA Hub eDOC service.
Business continuity of client companies
In addition to BCP measures in the event of a disaster, etc., we will provide a series of services centered around PCA Cloud that are equipped with features such as cash flow and balance forecasting using AI, reminders for missing entries and payments, etc., to support streamlined management and safe business operation based on the data of client companies.
Diverse work styles
Services centered around PCA Cloud can be leveraged to perform business operations outside of the workplace and reduce the need to commute to work and traveling in general. This contributes to better work-life balance by expanding not only the possible locations and time periods for work but also work-style options such as work sharing, part-time work, side jobs, etc.
Sustainability promotion structure
The Group’s sustainability activities will be promoted through the following structure.
We have established a Sustainability Committee chaired by the President in order to create sustainable social and economic value through our business activities. The Sustainability Committee promotes activities in various sustainability-related areas based on the belief that it is imperative to incorporate sustainability into our business strategies and implement the PDCA cycle.
Sustainability activities (ESG)
Environment
The Group conducts business using electricity and other energy sources, and we recognize that climate change is a key environmental issue that will have a major impact on business activities.
The occurrence of large-scale natural disasters due to climate change and the tightening of environmental regulations could have a major impact on the business environment of our clients and the condition of their assets, while also potentially increasing the operating costs associated with the provision of our services as a result of more expensive electricity, etc.
On the other hand, the growing recognition among our clients of the need for environmentally friendly services may lead to greater opportunities for our services that will enable them to further embrace going paperless, cut down on unnecessary travel, and utilize power-saving systems.
With this in mind, the Group is committed to working closely with stakeholders to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
To guide our climate change initiatives, we have endorsed the TCFD and will join the TCFD Consortium to gain insight into the necessary information disclosure methods. This effort will be spearheaded by the leader of the Sustainability Committee, who will report regularly to the Board of Directors on the status of our initiatives.
Initiatives within PCA include:
- Reducing the frequency of using paper resources through the digitalization of internal documents;
- Phasing out printing and the use of paper resources by eliminating the regular use of facsimile and limiting communication to the Internet;
- Using dedicated recycling boxes for the disposal of documents in the office (mail addressed to PCA, etc.) to maintain confidentiality while promoting recycling; and
- Reducing the frequency of business trips by establishing sales activities and support systems that leverage digital technology.
Through the promotion of these initiatives, we will continue to operate our business with the goal of achieving both operational efficiency and environmental friendliness.
Social
Nurturing IT talents
We recognize that playing a part in nurturing IT talents is critical for the Group’s development as an IT company, and we are actively involved in sponsorship activities such as those in support of engineer communities, various conferences, and programming competitions aimed at improving the technical skills of participants.
Promoting health and productivity management
We position the health of all employees as the foundation for creating corporate value and have established a “Health Management Declaration.” PCA has also been recognized as a Certified KENKO Investment for Health Outstanding Organization by the Ministry of Health , Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for its efforts to link the maintenance of good health to corporate value.
Specific measures such as company-sponsored influenza vaccinations, free basic medical checkups based on age, and disseminating videos on stretching exercises have been implemented as health promotion activities.
In addition, in order to allow employees to be fully involved in the health management of their families, paid sick/injured childcare leave (five days per year per child) is granted in addition to regular paid leave to ensure that the health of not only employees but also their family members is taken care of as part of our company management.
Support for childcare
As a member of society, we believe that understanding and providing support for childcare is an urgent task, and we therefore offer various forms of support for employees who are raising children. We have implemented a system that allows employees to work shorter hours until their child finishes the third grade of elementary school. This system goes further than the age of two as stipulated by law and has become an established part of our corporate culture.
In addition, with the legal amendment in October 2022 (related to parental leave), the use of leave by our male employees has started to become common practice.
Governance
Our basic approach to corporate governance is that the effective functioning of corporate governance as a framework for governing corporate activities, particularly with regard to enforcing discipline in the relationship between shareholders who provide capital and management, is an extremely fundamental requirement for enhancing corporate value on an ongoing basis, and we recognize that establishing a conducive environment for this is one of the most important tasks of management.