Editor's note- ESG, which contains sustainable ideas through environmental and social responsibility and management, is taking a place as mandatory, not an option. Yet, quite a number of businesses are still ignoring this matter. ESG management is directly linked to consumption value. Thus, we are reporting on the steps of leading ESG management businesses this year, hoping to bring messages to both consumers and businesses that are not aware of their importance.

[Consumerwide - HueSoung Jun Reporter / Yohan Bok Reporter]  It's been a year of dreams for Toyota Korea as the sales record in Japan turns beyond recovery to growth after the No Japan boycott in Korea. According to Carisyoudatalab, the sales record of Japan's cars is 13,933, which is a 34.3% increase from a year prior, and their market share is 1.5% in the domestic market. During the same period of time, the sales records of Lexus were 11,007 (93%△) and Toyota 5,363 (26.3%△). This might be a result of the hybrid model trend speeding up in the market, yet it seems to be an inevitable social contribution activity Toyota Korea supports. On the 13th, Konyama Manabu, the CEO of Toyota Korea, spoke during the Toyota official event about the new car release. "In the future, Toyota will offer a variety of mobility options through automation, intellectualization, and variation (multi-pathway) and consistently try to achieve carbon neutralisation. As a beloved business citizen, we diligently pursue social contribution activities with deals in overall domestic areas for the happiness of every single customer.” Toyota Korea has practiced social contribution activities this year, focusing on training people and the environment accordingly.

E: Sustainable environment through social contribution activities.

Toyota Korea concentrated on activities for sustainable life, including Toyota Weekend Farmers and Connect to Young Farmers. Toyota Korea has been continuing activities to protect the environment on a daily basis with customers in the Connect To Store (Lexus complex cultural space) since June 6th, 2019. Connect To has turned off lights for ten minutes in Connect To and an hour in the overall Lexus and Toyota exhibition halls (56) on Earth Day. They also encouraged customers of Connect To to use tumblers or reusable cups by offering a drink discount. (zero weste) Through the campaign, they shared the sustainable lifestyle of Lexus and encouraged customers to protect the environment on a regular basis. 18 participating customers produced soaps and candles using coffee grounds and learned the importance of environmental activities through the Connect Upcycling Day Class.

One of the representative environmental social contribution activities is the Toyota Environmental Weekend Farm, which began in 2012. They cultivate crops and make gardens without using chemical fertilisers. This year, they made kimchi out of some of these products to donate to the House of Anna at the end of the year. Toyota weekend farmer participant families experienced environmental cultivation, makinig gardens, and cooking by using these products, which they produced. Toyota Korea signed an MOU with Young Farmers in November 2018. Since then, they have been discovering and supporting young farmers who are passionate about sustainable agriculture in Korea. On September 14th, Toyota signed an additional treaty with four young farmers who practice environmental farming. Young farmers practice environmental farming by avoiding herbicides and chemical fertilisers while donating ugly products to local farms.

Cultivated products are also used for Connect To (the cultural space of Toyota Korea) drinks and desserts. These organic desserts and seasonal drinks have been consistently loved by customers. In November, Toyota Korea introduced an environmental lifestyle through Siksik Market (Nov. 4th) to promote environmental cultivation and healthy food value in collaboration with young farmers. Besides, Young Farmers and Connect To shared Young Farmers' value with the future generation by participating in teen career mentoring social contribution activities and cooperating with the "Kkummaru" Songpa Career and Job Experiment Centre.

S: Social Contribution Activity; Toyata Korea has been taking responsibility as business citizens by training people.

Toyota Korea has proceeded with ‘T-TEP’ (training people in the car sector), Sejong Kkumnamu Ochestra (sponsoring for cultural education of low-income family children and teens), and Lexus Creative Masters (discovery of new craft artists) activities this year. On October 11th, Toyota Korea facilitated the Toyota "Concert Tour" at Sejong Cultural Centre Academy Square Hall in cooperation with the KBS Symphony Orchestra. The concert was designed for Sejong Kkumnamu Ochestra members and 100 children and teens with cultural vulnerability. The concert tour is in connection with the Toyota Charity Hospital Concert, which began in 2003 in association with KBS. Toyota Korea has facilitated a concert tour at the National Cancer Centre and Korean Paralympic Committee Icheon Icheon Training on July 6th and 7th and passed on the message of hope and encouragement to cancer patients and their guardians, as well as the Hangzhou Far East and South Pacific Games for the disabled sports team national representative. In April 20th, Toyota supplied necessities for disabled sports teams by donating 50 million won after sponsoring a treaty with the Korean Paralympic Committee. Toyota has sponsored athletes with disabilities for various challenges during the Hangzhou Far East and South Pacific Games in October. Toyota Korea has been sponsoring training and participating expenses for disabled table tennis athletes since the 2018 treaty with the Korea Table Tennis Association for the Disabled. In 2020, Toyota Korea sponsored national representative athletes during the Tokyo Paralympics (0.15 billion won) and sponsored 0.535 billion won for the Korea Table Tennis Association for the Disabled in 2021.

Toyota Korea has been taking a step forward as a long-term sponsor since Toyota staff volunteer activities began in 2005. On March 15, 2023, Konyama Manabu, the CEO of Toyota Korea, 15 staff members of Toyota Korea and Toyota Financial Korea, and volunteers went to the House of Anna and volunteered to hand out meals to 500 homeless people and clean. Afterwards, Toyota passed on 80 thousand won for free meals and daily necessities for homeless and elderly people living alone. At the end of the year, the Weekend Farmer families and Toyota Korea and Toyota Financial Korea staff made kimchi and donated it to the House of Anna in Seongnam. The total kimchi donation passed to 1825 households last year amounted to 18 metric tonnes.

Toyota Korea donated 80 million won to the National Cancer Centre on February 16th to support mental programmes and improve the hospital ward (shelter) of child cancer patients. Earlier, Toyota donated 0.1 billion won to Hope Bridge for the restoration of the area and the recovery of flood victims due to heavy rain on July 18th. Besides, they supported typoon victim farms in 2019 (Korean Rural Leader's Central Association/50 million won) and donated 0.1 billion won to Hope Bridge in 2020. In 2021, Toyota supported child patients to complete regular education. Currently, the accumulated donation from Toyota Korea amounts to 0.78 billion won. Toyota Korea has been supporting the National Cancer Centre regarding research and treatment of child cancer patients from low-income families.

Toyota Korea has been providing field and online programmes through Lexus Connect To while focusing on training people as a part of social contribution activities. (Teens career experimental miracle, career day show case, career mentor "any stories," job menu plate production program) During July (6th and 13th), there were 1,900 participants from 32 middle and high schools in Songpagu (including Munjeong High School and Yeongpa Girl's Middle School). The plan is to continue this educational activity until 2025. Connect To has been certified for career experimentation by the Ministry of Education in 2022.

Toyota Korea has donated 0.14 million won on an accumulated basis till 2023 after a treaty with Sejong Cultural Centre for the vitalization of children and teens art training in 2021. (June 30th, 2023, 60 million won) The 2023 Sejong Kkumnamu Ochestra Regular Concert was held on October 13th, and the donation was used for opening the concert and music training and camps for ochestra children and teens (120) from low-income families.

Toyota Korea has signed a T-TEP MOU with seven car technology universities in the domestic area as a social contribution activity to train people in the car sector since 2020. Accordingly, they have donated 13 cars for training and passed on technology and field know-how to students. This year, introductions to the multi-pathway and Lexus and Toyota car experience opportunities were given to students through Toyota Experience Day. Due to the T-TEP treaty, they also passed on car parts to Aju Car University while also offering a field environment for learning car repair. Since September, Toyota has opened the Lexus Toyota Training Academy and provided training curriculum, which is an integration of theory and practice.

Lexus Korea has been supporting craft artists annually since 2017 through selecting and awarding programmes. The Creative Masters Award 2023 chose art works that contain master's spirit, technique, and emotion based on the theme "The Next: The Future of Craft." The final winner won 20 million won, and four artists who were listed as finalists were given 5 million each. Art works were exhibited and sold. Creative Masters Market was held in Connect To between March 17th and 19th. 33 brands participated in the market, and the market was planned by Lexus to promote a sustainable future and lifestyle. Green Check-In (reducing the use of disposable products), SNS events, and a variety of lifestyle classes were offered during the event.