Suminoe Textile Co., Ltd.

Happy New Year!
We very much appreciate all your support last year.　　　

The new coronavirus, which became a pandemic in 2020, has had a negative impact on society, people, and the economy on a global scale. The business environment surrounding our company is expected to remain harsh this year as well. To overcome this difficult situation and grow as a company, I believe that it is important to promote global management based on the perspective of ESG, in which we have been involved for many years. We will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society where people can live with peace of mind through the creation of better products while thoroughly preventing infection and accelerating globalization.

○　Environment: Initiatives to reduce environmental impact
The Group has been working, and will continue to work, to reduce the environmental impact of its products as the social responsibility of a manufacturer. Typical examples of our initiatives for “E” (the environment) include: focusing on the manufacture and sales of ECOS® recycled carpet tiles produced using horizontal recycling technology, which repeats the cycle of production, use, and recycling between the same products, and changing the dyeing method for yarn used for our products, from piece-dyeing, which requires a large amount of water and electricity and dyeing effluent treatment, to solution-dyeing, where yarn is colored with pigments during the spinning process.

○　Social: Initiatives to resolve social issues
Our original deodorant treatment technology, developed in the wake of sick house syndrome in the 1990s, has evolved into TRIPLE FRESH® deodorant treatment technology with multiple functions: antibacterial, anti-virus, and anti-allergen functions, as well as a deodorant function. Using the treatment technology that we have cultivated so far, we will promote the manufacture and sales of anti-virus products in various fields. We will continue to operate our business while grasping and responding to the needs of society.

○　Governance: Initiatives for governance
The Group aims to be a company trusted by society through business activities that comply with laws, regulations, and corporate ethics. To this end, we have appointed outside directors and strengthened the function of the corporate auditor system. We have also formulated the Suminoe Textile Group Code of Conduct and the Suminoe Textile Group Code of Corporate Behavior as the basic policy for corporate governance. Officers and employees of the Group strive to ensure that their own ways of thinking and behavior are always in compliance with laws, regulations, and corporate ethics.
In addition, as the basis of governance, we are working to ensure that individual officers and employees can enhance and raise their ability to understand the current situation, awareness of growth, and awareness of crisis. To provide accurate information for making decisions at an early stage and share information, we are promoting the restructuring of our core operation system toward information visualization.

○　Response to globalization
The Group has established a system that enables quick supply between overseas operation sites by strengthening cooperation between them. We are also involved in enhancing our already optimal production system by flexibly transferring materials from procurement sites to manufacturing sites.
With the business environment surrounding the automotive industry and mobility changing rapidly around the world, we will make group-wide efforts to expand our business globally, including developing next-generation automotive textiles, by integrating the planning and technological capabilities of the interior fittings business and the automotive textiles business, which we have cultivated since our founding.
A green recovery is proposed as a post-COVID-19 initiative. We will contribute to the realization of a recycling-oriented and sustainable decarbonized society by deploying the Group’s technology for reducing environmental impact and products for resolving social issues from our operation sites in each country.

○　To a new business segment
In September 2020, CPO Co., Ltd., which is involved in designing and constructing stores, joined our Group. In our interior fittings business, we have sold interior fittings, such as carpets, curtains, and wallpaper. However, with the addition of this company with a deep knowledge of store design and outstanding know-how of store construction, we are now able to design the entire interior space and embody customer needs at a higher level. In the future, we will expand our business segments from the manufacture and sales of interior fittings to space designing and to the store field, which has not been our business target until now.
While working on developing our in-store business, we will also focus on the implementation of business negotiations and exhibitions with the use of online tools and on the online sales of products in the field of online business, which has become more active due to people voluntarily not going out and working from home.

All our employees will continue to work together this year, and we look forward to your continued support.
Thank you very much.

Ichizo Yoshikawa
Chairman and President
Suminoe Textile Co., Ltd.