Third-Party Comments on the CSR Report 2011

Actions in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake

The most important information provided in this Toshiba Group CSR Report covers the Group's actions in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. This report includes a four-page detailed explanation of the measures they have taken. Given the short time that has elapsed since the earthquake, this timely disclosure of information is commendable. In particular, Toshiba Group's aim of establishing a sustainable society by promoting low carbon power generation in the aftermath of the earthquake is noteworthy. Going forward, it is important that the Group clearly defines such goals within the framework of the Group's CSR management, and the Group should make continuous efforts to achieve those goals and systematically disclose related information.

Editing Policy in Line with ISO 26000

Since last year's CSR report, Toshiba Group has aligned its reporting with the core subjects of ISO 26000. While Toshiba remains committed to its editing policy, this year, it has adopted a much more refined process. This reflects the Group's policy of promoting its CSR practices in accordance with global standards, which is truly commendable from an international perspective. We expect Toshiba Group to analyze the materiality of the issues of each of the seven core subjects and take strategic actions accordingly in order to present a model approach toward global CSR activities.

Extensive Use of KPIs

Another important characteristic of the Toshiba Group CSR Report is the extensive use of key performance indicators (KPI). KPI-based disclosure of CSR-related information is a worldwide trend. While the set of KPIs used by Toshiba is one of the best in Japan, Toshiba could further refine its KPIs by promoting quantification of some of the essential qualitative KPIs. Such quantification could be performed by introducing absolute value indicators and rating indicators that reflect satisfaction levels with respect to performance. The integrated reporting of essential KPIs in the annual report is likely to be considered important in the near future.

Excellent Environmental Measures

Toshiba Group has been highly commended for its vigorous environmental measures not only in Japan but also overseas. Their CSR Report provides a clear picture of the direction they have taken and the progress they have made in terms of environmental performance through the use of systematic and advanced eco-efficiency indicators. Toshiba Group's environmental strategy will play an increasingly important role in creating a post-earthquake society. In particular, the future direction of its energy and environmental technology development has attracted attention from the global community. We hope that Toshiba Group will continue to provide detailed information on its strategies and actions from mid- and long-term perspectives.

Promotion of Stakeholder Dialogue

Toshiba Group conducts dialogue with stakeholders through a variety of channels. The outcomes of these dialogues are presented in various sections of its CSR Report. We expect Toshiba Group to take such dialogues to the next level. In other words, it will become increasingly important for Toshiba to gather opinions from a wide range of people on major issues as well such as the policies and strategies for Toshiba's CSR activities, and to make use of such feedback to enhance its activities.

Professor Katsuhiko Kokubu
Graduate School of Business Administration
Kobe University

Biographical outline:

Professor Kokubu completed his Ph.D. at Osaka City University and published more than 10 books and 120 papers on environmental accounting and CSR. He has served as Professor of Social and Environmental Accounting at Graduate School of Business Administration, Kobe University since 2001. He has been appointed as Chairperson or Convenor for various committees including the Committee for Environmental Management Accounting International Standardization in Japan, and Convenor of Working Group 8: Material Flow Cost Accounting at ISO TC 207.