Corporate Social Responsibility

Circle K Sunkus helps customers participate in social contribution activities close to where they live or work by collecting donations through fundraising boxes placed in all Circle K and Sunkus stores. Circle K Sunkus raises funds for the "Nationwide Guide Dog Campaign," the "Green Fund" and the "Japan UNICEF Fund." Total annual store fundraising reached \55,601,776 in fiscal 2010. The donations are put to good use by each of these funds. They are used to train and promote wider use of guide dogs, advance green initiatives such as forest development, and support children around the world.

According to current surveys, Japan is estimated to have approximately 7,800 people with visual disabilities who wish to use guide dogs. There is a large gap between the number of guide dogs available and the number of people who actually need them. Faced with this reality, the National Federation of All Japan Guide Dog Training Institution conducts awareness-raising activities for people with visual disabilities, such as "hands-on guide dog trial walks," in addition to public relations programs targeting the general public. By promoting the training and wider use of guide dogs, the organization is working hard to expand opportunities for as many people with visual disabilities as possible. The overriding goal is to help them lead independent lives and participate more fully in society.

The National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization was established as a public corporation in order to promote the national land afforestation campaign as a public movement. The funds are used for forest improvement activities such as tree planting and forest thinning, which are needed to restore neglected headwater forests; afforestation programs designed to educate younger people about the environment and contribute to the sound physical and mental development of youth; and support NPOs and NGOs engaged in international cooperation in fields such as restoring tropical rainforests and combating desertification.

National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization website:
http://www.green.or.jp/english/engt.html

The United Children's Fund (UNICEF) was established in 1946 at the first United Nations General Assembly to provide emergency support to children in countries severely affected by World War II. UNICEF is derived from the organization's original name, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. UNICEF is a major world organization committed to safeguarding the rights of children. As of 2006, the organization provided humanitarian assistance in 156 countries and regions around the world in fields such as health, nutrition, water and hygiene, and education in cooperation with national governments, NGOs and local communities.

UNICEF Headquarters website:
http://www.unicef.org/