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Message from the Executive Officer
in Charge of ESG Promotion

I am convinced that the work of all employees at SoftBank contributes to the realization of a sustainable society. I am convinced that the work of all employees at SoftBank contributes to the realization of a sustainable society.

Our ESG promotion structure

As a good corporate member of society, SoftBank Corp. regards contributing to the creation of a sustainable society as a vital management issue. We have built a framework for responding to the concerns and expectations of a wide range of stakeholders, from communities to customers and business partners. In addition to establishing the ESG Promotion Committee as an advisory body to the Board of Directors, we have established the ESG Promotion Office as a specialized body to promote the penetration of our approach to ESG in the business activities of SoftBank Corp. and its group companies. Junichi Miyakawa, President & Representative Director, serves as the SoftBank Corp. group's Chief ESG Officer, assuming the lead role in SDGs promotion, while I am responsible for promoting the SDGs group-wide as the Executive Officer in Charge of ESG Promotion.

Aiming for Net Zero
group-wide by 2050

Addressing climate change

SoftBank Corp. positions its response to global environmental issues as one of its key material issues.
In April 2020, SoftBank Corp. announced its support for the recommendations of Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Based on the TCFD Recommendations, we are proactively working to implement and enhance disclosure. In addition to the target of our Carbon-Neutral 2030 Declaration of reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions to net zero by 2030, in June 2023 we announced our “Net Zero” target of reducing emissions throughout the supply chain, including Scope 3, to net zero by 2050. The entire group is working together toward this goal.
We believe that it will be crucial to promote digital transformation (DX) across a wide range of industries while also increasing the energy efficiency of communications infrastructure in order to reduce environmental impact and advance DX. In addition to procuring renewable energy and using cutting-edge technologies to save energy, we will work with group companies, suppliers and other business partners to contribute to decarbonization.

Addressing biodiversity

The importance of taking steps to protect biodiversity is increasing, as evidenced by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022 at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15). SoftBank Corp. supports the international community's target of being nature-positive and is working to reduce its impact on biodiversity. We are also participating in the 30by30 Alliance, which aims to protect 30% of the nation's lands and waters by 2030, and, having endorsed the principles of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), joined the TNFD Forum in May 2022. Going forward, we will proactively provide ongoing disclosure based on the TNFD disclosure framework.

Aiming to build vibrant organizations

SoftBank Corp. regards diversity, equity and inclusion as an important management issue and strives to foster opportunities and environments that enable a diverse workforce to exercise their individuality and talents, regardless of age, gender, nationality or disability. The Advancement of Women Promotion Committee, established in July 2021 and chaired by Junichi Miyakawa, President & Representative Director, comprises officers of group bodies as well as outside experts, and has been holding deep discussions. Recently, we have reinforced efforts to deeply examine the individual issues within each organization and advance concrete measures, further enhancing employee awareness. By fostering environments in which a diverse workforce of capable people can thrive and creating a dynamic and supportive organization, the SoftBank Corp. group aims for further business growth.
Each and every one of the people working in the SoftBank Corp. group is a crucial driving force of corporate growth. We therefore regard employees as an important form of capital and support their growth in a variety of ways. To develop diverse human resources, rather than imposing a company-led uniform system of career development and training, we provide a self-driven career development framework that allows employees themselves to make selections based on their own career goals. Under our “Smart & Fun!” slogan, we are working to create environments that enable employees to achieve a good work-life balance and invest in new initiatives and personal growth by effectively leveraging IT and other technologies. Seeking to maximize employee performance, we are utilizing the latest technologies to further promote innovative and creative workstyles unbound by constraints of time or place.

Strengthening governance

Robust corporate governance is essential to the realization of a sustainable world.
SoftBank Corp. has built a sophisticated system of corporate governance, centered on the Board of Directors and the Audit & Supervisory Board, and is reinforcing these bodies' mutual monitoring functions. To ensure that all employees engage in highly transparent governance and sound business practices, we require strict compliance with the SoftBank Code of Conduct and work hard to instill these values in employees through training and a wide variety of other efforts. In this way we endeavor to guarantee transparency in all our corporate activities and improve and strengthen corporate governance to earn the trust of all stakeholders.
Furthermore, in accordance with such international standards as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, SoftBank Corp. is focusing closely on respect for human rights and related responses. Under SoftBank's Human Rights Policies, the company calls on all stakeholders, from employees to customers, business partners and the supply chain, to prohibit discrimination and harassment, and creates processes for human rights due diligence to respect the human rights of all stakeholders affected by its business activities.

All employees contribute to
the creation of
sustainable world

More than 50,000 people work as part of the SoftBank Corp. group. As they execute their daily duties in their respective divisions, employees somehow wonder how or if their work benefits society. At such times, I hope that our six material issues, designated as themes for the realization of a sustainable world and sustainable corporate growth, will serve as a compass, helping each employee to think about how their work relates to the material issues and serves society. I believe it is vital that all employees share an awareness that, through the value provided by our businesses, they are contributing to the creation of a sustainable world. Indeed, I am confident that the work of every last person at SoftBank contributes to the realization of a sustainable world.

August 2023
Fumihiro Aono
Executive Vice President, CHRO & Executive Officer in Charge of ESG Promotion
SoftBank Corp.