Stories

Adaptation to and mitigation of climate change and conservation of water resources and biodiversity—Environmental problems pose one of the most urgent challenges facing the world today. In response to the growing call for businesses to play a greater role in this regard, we set forth to "Formulate a vision and roll out measures to reinforce and implement sustainability management " as one of the key actions in the Group's Mid-Term Management Plan ending in March 2024, thus promoting Group-wide initiatives to reduce environmental burdens.

Let's hear what Takashi Ono, our Environmental Management Officer, has to say about what Sysmex is doing to promote environmental conservation.

"We often hear people talk about 'environmental problems', but I personally believe that this is not so much a 'problem' as an 'opportunity' for us to enhance our existential value and technological advantages. Having said that, we are keenly aware that no matter how hard a single company tries, there's not much we can do for the global environment alone. As such, countries and businesses around the world must align themselves with each other in tackling this imperative cause."



Sysmex delivers instruments and reagents for in vitro diagnostics. Ono says that the healthcare business and the global environment are closely intertwined.

"For us to lead a healthy life, we must resolve environmental issues. The way things stand in the world, however, our planet is warming due to population expansion and economic development, affecting our physical environment. One such example is the expansion of areas where malaria, one of the world’s three major infectious diseases, is endemic. Spreading via mosquitoes, malaria becomes rampant as habitats for mosquitoes expand due to rising temperatures."

"Environmental issues are also deeply connected to the stable supply of our products, one of the overriding missions of healthcare companies. In Europe, frequent droughts triggered by climate change have disrupted the services of cargo ships in recent years, bringing confusion to logistics. I believe that each company should consider such disruptions as mid- and long-term risks and be proactive in dealing with them"

Meanwhile, Ono believes that there's one thing that everyone in the healthcare business should be aware of.

"Some may think that we serve the common good just by being a healthcare business, but this can breed arrogance, making us rest on our laurels. We should never forget how we can and should improve living conditions if we are to contribute to extending people's healthy lifespans." 

There's one thing that Sysmex especially cherishes in its environmental initiatives: a commitment to stakeholders that has remained intact since its founding days.

The founder of Sysmex set our corporate philosophy built upon the “Three Aspects of Confidence” and managed the company, focusing on delivering total confidence to customers, our associates, and employees of the Group. This foundation endures in the Sysmex Way, our current corporate philosophy. This philosophy inspires everyone in Sysmex and guides their delivery of total confidence to stakeholders."

Under the oversight and management of the Environmental Management Officer, a position currently held by Ono, Sysmex is taking Group-wide initiatives toward environmental management, with the Environmental Management Committee acting as the backbone.

"Sysmex is a company that develops and manufactures both instruments and reagents. Producing instruments and reagents ourselves is a strength, and it enables us to approach environmental issues from both sides. The entire Group is actively working to reduce its environmental burden through its business activities. In fiscal year 2021, we have formed a working group to address environmentally friendly product design and the elimination of carbon emissions at the transportation stage. Such initiatives were mainly led by individual departments, but we have shifted to a more cross-functional approach to utilize the global resources of Sysmex. Connecting people is key. By expanding activities to encompass the entire Group, I hope our efforts can be more dynamic and maximize outcomes. For example, reducing packaging sizes for reagent boxes does nothing to lower the environmental burden if we continue to use transportation that causes significant carbon emissions. Total optimization is critical in reducing environmental burdens throughout the value chain, and we have reached a juncture where partial optimization of say, production or logistics alone, is insufficient."

Ono went on to share his aspirations as the Environmental Management Officer.

"Individuals and companies alike are part of nature, and as such, are inseparable from the environment. It is my hope that all people, companies, and countries will participate in creating sustainable societies by reducing their environmental burdens. We are grateful for the right to work for the environment, and we hope to develop our activities in this regard. In doing so, our goal will be to achieve a level of contribution that makes people say, 'Sysmex is a great company.' I believe that our corporate structure will be strengthened if we can change risks into opportunities by capturing relevant business needs. We will continue to balance our business activities with environmental initiatives to make ours a company that stakeholders eagerly choose."

You might wonder what future awaits us after countries and businesses take their responsibilities to the environment seriously. Ono concluded by passionately talking about the future society that he envisions.

"I'm of the opinion that environmental initiatives are sources of innovation for businesses. If each business starts to think more flexibly, firmly determined to change the approaches they have been taking, I expect new technologies to develop one after another, which will drastically alter the ways we do business or manage companies, eventually changing the shape of countries and the world as a whole. After all, we all live under the same sky. I will be delighted if we can help to shape a future where businesses network with each other beyond organizational boundaries and join hands in creating a sustainable society."

Sysmex will remain committed to its environmental initiatives through business activities, with a view toward realizing a sustainable society.