Beyond “Evaluation”: SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s Sustainability Discussed at EcoVadis Panel Discussion | Event Report

Hello. I’m Anou from the Social Good Promotion Group in the President’s Office.

Recently, Tanimura, Executive Officer of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, participated as a panelist in a discussion hosted by EcoVadis, an international platform that evaluates corporate sustainability performance!

The theme was “Co-Creating the Future: Mutual Understanding and Growth Strategies in Supply Chains Through EcoVadis.”

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, participating as a PR and communication company, is not a direct supplier in the traditional sense, but rather a provider of professional services.

We will report on the initiatives we have undertaken from the perspective of “creating systems and continuously evolving sustainability.”

Our Distinctive Approach Reflected in “Labor and Human Rights”

EcoVadis evaluations consist of four areas: “Environment,” “Labor Human Rights,” “Ethics,” and “Sustainable Procurement.” In the 2025 evaluation, SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP achieved a perfect score of 100 in the “Labor and Human Rights” category. (Apparently, achieving a high score in this area is extremely difficult…)

Tanimura identifies our group’s unique employee benefits program, “32 Benefits,” as one of the major reasons for this achievement.

This program is designed to enable each member to perform at their own pace, taking into account various age groups and lifestyles.

What we have valued most is continuously refining the program in response to member feedback and societal changes. This includes the newly established “Dear PARENTS” and “Dear FAMILY” programs introduced in July of this year, which have gradually evolved to accommodate diverse life stages such as childcare and caregiving, while also responding to social changes.

We believe that the attitude we have maintained since the program’s launch in 2011—listening to our members’ voices and continuously updating in line with the times—has ultimately led to this high evaluation.

Sustainability Advances Through “Teamwork”

Regarding the “organizational approach” to sustainability, Tanimura stated, “Sustainability initiatives cannot be realized unless the entire corporate department works together as one.” At that moment, many people in the audience nodded deeply in agreement.

At SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, we have established the Social Good Promotion Group within the President’s Office, with cross-functional involvement from departments such as Human Resources, General Affairs, and Public Relations, enabling integrated action on sustainability initiatives.

This structure has enabled us to avoid common corporate challenges such as “not knowing which department to contact” or “progress stalling when personnel change,” creating a system that keeps the entire organization moving forward.

Building “Trust” Amid Change

We first received an EcoVadis evaluation in 2017. At that time, we were requested to obtain it by a European client. There was no dedicated sustainability staff within the company yet, and the application process was exploratory.

Seven years have passed since then. Now we receive inquiries from many more companies, primarily overseas, asking “How are your sustainability initiatives progressing?” and our sales members who engage with clients strongly recognize its importance.

Regarding this situation, Tanimura states, “Sustainability initiatives, including environmental and human rights efforts, are no longer a ‘choice’ but a ‘prerequisite’ for building transactions and trust.”

As societal expectations rise, we have felt that our approach of practicing sustainability as “a means of building trust with society” is now demonstrating tangible strength.

We were able to obtain a Bronze Medal in 2025

The Power of Continuity Creates Corporate Value

Sustainability initiatives are not merely responses to societal demands, but matters that companies must address as their responsibility, and are essential for future corporate growth.

The accumulation of discussions across departmental and hierarchical boundaries, refining systems, and gradually spreading them throughout the company has generated trust with the world, including stakeholders, and transformed into corporate strength.

Even in an era of significant change, continuing initiatives, reviewing them, and refining them—this repetition is the process that has shaped our distinctive approach to sustainability.

We were greatly honored to have this opportunity to communicate the sustainability initiatives that SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has undertaken thus far.

We will continue to challenge ourselves with further sustainability initiatives.