ESG Considerations
1. MUFG AM Sustainable Investing Policy and Significant ESG Issues
The Company has adopted the MUFG AM Sustainable Investing Policy and considers ESG in its operations.
For significant ESG issues, we have established five common ESG issues as Global Common ESG Issues across the Group.
2. Participation in Initiatives
For matters that cannot be resolved through engagement with investee companies alone, we aim to engage the entire investment chain through collaborative engagement and participation in initiatives. The Company participates in the initiatives listed below (including those in which MUFG AM is involved).
To further strengthen our commitment to addressing climate change, we joined the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative in 2021.
3. Participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment
With regard to the management of MUFG Private REIT, Inc., a private REIT managed by the Company, we have been participating in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment since fiscal year 2022.
In addressing the Management component (such as establishing ESG-related regulations) and the Performance component (such as setting targets for each energy type) of the GRESB Real Estate Assessment, we are actively engaged in tenant engagement programs as well as refurbishment and renovation programs focused on ESG for leased properties held by the investment corporation.
Our Commitment to ESG Initiatives
Since fiscal year 2021, the Company has been promoting the following initiatives, and we are committed to continuing these initiatives with a focus on contributing to the global environment, enhancing productivity, and ensuring business continuity.
1. Employees' Flexible Ways of Working and Taking Vacations in the Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic
(1) Expansion of the telecommuting system and improvement of work-life balance
Continuing from the previous fiscal year, we have promoted telecommuting by actively utilizing telecommuting systems (with an on-site attendance rate of 50-60%) as well as web conferences and online meetings with internal and external individuals.
The adoption of flexible ways of working, such as telecommuting, has become more ingrained, leading to an improvement in the utilization of vacation days. The average number of vacation days taken increased to 13.8 days (an increase of one day year-on-year). While the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic persist, we believe that reevaluating our employees' ways of working has provided an opportunity for enhancing their work-life balance.
(2) Efficient attendance management and paperless transition through the introduction of an attendance management system
Our new system for vacation management has been operational since January 2022 and has eliminated the need for paper-based vacation requests and the supervisor's approval through stamping, leading to a paperless process.
With the introduction of a working hours management system in April 2022, the use of paper-based attendance records and stamps has been discontinued. Additionally, reports related to attendance management have been digitized.
Amid the establishment of telecommuting practices, the elimination of paper and stamps has contributed to streamlining administrative workflows, reducing processing time, and achieving 1000 or greater paperless transitions annually.
(3) Support for childcare and nursing care leave
We introduced a paid childcare leave and nursing care leave system, allowing its utilization on an hourly basis, in January 2021. As a result, two employees took childcare leave (on an hourly basis; decrease of two employees year-on-year), and two employees took nursing care leave (increase of two employees year-on-year).
2. Contribution to Resource and Energy Conservation
(1) Introduction of Green Mark products and recycled items in the purchase of office supplies
(2) Achievement of simplified, paperless processes through a transition from physical document storage to electronic data storage, as well as the near-complete digitization of various procedures related to social insurance
(3) Implementation of energy-saving measures such as automatic air conditioning shutdown in unused meeting rooms
(4) Promotion of simplified, paperless processes through the digitization of applications for internal procedures
(5) Step-by-step handling of electronic invoices that account for 30% of invoices from payees in response to the amendment of the Act concerning Preservation of Electronic Books in early 2022