Corporate Social Responsibility
Panasonic has been a purpose-driven company since its founding over a century ago. Our founder, Konosuke Matsushita, knew that a giving heart is at the core of every successful organization. With his seven principles, he laid the foundation for the way we treat each other at Panasonic - we value the differences in all individuals and strive to treat each other with human dignity and respect. Each person is special to us and we use this uniqueness to achieve more, together as a team. The seven principles reflect our corporate social responsibility and are deeply integrated in our management philosophy, vision & mission and operating values. In keeping these core values, as one of the world’s industry leaders, we are committed to meet the highest standards of business ethics and integrity, while driving positive change through technology.
My Management Philosophy
(issued in June 1978)
“There is much discussion today regarding ‘social responsibility,’ but while the meaning of that concept can be wide-ranging depending on social conditions at a particular time, the fundamental social responsibility of a corporation, in any era, should be to improve society through its business activities.
It is extremely important to manage all business activities based on this sense of mission.”
Konosuke Matsushita
Founder of Panasonic Corporation
Modern Slavery Act
Modern slavery can occur in various forms including servitude, forced or compulsory labor and human trafficking, all of which include the deprivation of an adult or child’s liberty by another, collectively called Modern Slavery. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), over 40 million people worldwide live in some form of Modern Slavery, 25 million of which are victims of forced labor. Modern Slavery is a criminal offence under the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015. By firmly implementing human rights for all workers along the entire supply chain, companies can play a major role in preventing Modern Slavery.
At Panasonic Industry Europe we show continuous effort to prevent Modern Slavery from occurring in our company and supply chain. Various procedures help us to identify and mitigate risks, as well as verify the absence of Modern Slavery. Our Code of Conduct describes how to create a working environment defined by respect and human rights for all Panasonic Industry Europe employees. It also states that Panasonic will not employ people against their will and continue to tackle Modern Slavery at Panasonic company sites and supply chain.
The documents below set out the procedures Panasonic Industry Europe has put in place with the aim to prevent opportunities for Modern Slavery to occur within our business and supply chain.
Sponsoring
Today’s students have a bright future ahead of them. To help them fulfill their potential, we are sponsoring university students in their pioneering projects and assist their innovative ideas. Panasonic Industry Europe is a key partner in providing expertise and components, such as for the TUM Hyperloop team, the TUFast Racing team or the solar car project of the University of Eindhoven.
Sponsoring Projects: Student Teams
Hyperloop, TU Munich
The Hyperloop is a transportation concept for a high-speed train to travel in a near-vacuum tube, which allows the capsule to travel at supersonic speed – faster than any commercial train or car in the foreseeable future. In pursuit of this vision, SpaceX founder Elon Musk launched the "Hyperloop Pod Competition". Teams of students from around the world compete against one another with pod prototypes. In Musk's 2013 ground transportation paper, pods of people and cargo travel between cities at transonic speeds in a network of low-pressure tubes, while self-driving electric cars transport goods from Hyperloop stations to their final destinations around the country.
"Our design concept is influenced in many ways by the e-mobility sector. On that basis, a co-operation with Panasonic Industry was a logical and necessary step for us. Using an electric motor guarantees the best possible acceleration, but it also creates safety requirements for our components that are typical of electric vehicles – here we can benefit from technical support and guidance by the industry" explains Tim Simon Klose, Technical Lead, TUM Hyperloop from Technical University of Munich.
TUFast Racing, TU Munich
For the fourth consecutive year, Panasonic Industry Europe is sponsoring the TUfast Racing Team from Technical University Munich in the Formula SAE/Formula Student racing competition, where student teams from different universities compete against each other in professionally organized races in their own self-built and developed racing cars. The team will be participating with an electric racing car and also with a driverless, autonomous racing car, both built from scratch by the students.
"Panasonic Industry's team of engineers and product managers are highly experienced and helped us to avoid mistakes. Thanks to our collaboration we will create a better car each year because fresh and creative ideas from our side mixed with years of experience from Panasonic Industry's side generates the best design in the end" says Grygoriy Garyuk, Technical Director TUfast Racing Team.
Commenting on the four projects, Alexander Schultz-Storz, Division Director, Solution Competence Division, Panasonic Industry said: " Cooperation between industry and university is not a one-way street: industry also benefits. The TuFast Formula Student project enables us to interact with and support students who exhibit lateral thinking and design capabilities in a realistic engineering environment. The InMotion project looks at replicating the gasoline car experience which may be required to bring over some folk who won't otherwise drive an electric car. Hyperloop offers a significant reduction in carbon emissions, intended to enhance current sustainable, networked mobility concepts. This matches our mission as a global leader in smart and sustainable infrastructure. Finally, Solar Team Eindhoven's solar vehicles are a match for Panasonic Eco Solutions' technologies, especially its photovoltaic modules, which are among the highest quality available on the market. At Panasonic Industry Europe we're continuously looking for fresh and innovative ways to throw our know-how into exhilarating and ground-breaking projects to explore new opportunities and make life more liveable for everyone – these sponsorships provide an ideal method of doing that."
Solar Car, University of Eindhoven
Solar cars are powered by energy from solar panels mounted on the vehicle. They have been raced competitively since 1985 in Europe, the US and Australia. The Solar Team Eindhoven is working on a prototype which will participate at the World Solar Challenge in Australia, and also on building a commercially viable solar-powered family car from the ground up which will quicken the transition to clean energy abundance.
"We believe that the solution for electric vehicles is not to be found in the energy grid or better infrastructure: it is to be found in cars themselves. By becoming independent of the grid we can accelerate the transition towards sustainable mobility through bypassing political agendas. By using the largest infinite source of energy; our Sun, we can make mobility not about energy consumption, but about facilitating energy abundance" says Evan Quadvlieg, Technical Acquisition Manager, Solar Team Eindhoven.
