Corporate Social Responsibility
Vikan call to put CSR at the heart of your community
Vikan recently welcomed an opportunity to demonstrate how
corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be turned into action
that makes a real difference to people's lives.
Carsten Bo Pedersen, Vikan's CEO, and product manager Jette
Fruergaard were in Japan on business. They were invited to
Rikizentakada Sendai to see the extent of the devastating March
2011 tsunami for themselves.
"It was a shocking experience", Fruergaard recalls. "Rikizentakada
Sendai was one of the hardest hit areas, and many had been killed.
Buildings, roads, vehicles, plants and everything else had been
razed to the ground and destroyed when the 23m-high tidal wave
swept across the area. A bare field was all that was left."
"But in the middle of all the horror and terror, there was also
consolation," Pedersen continues. "Japan's highly developed sense
of order and systems meant that the area had been effectively
cleaned up, and reconstruction was in full swing. It was very
impressive indeed!"
A helping hand
Vikan sought out a local Japanese customer, the Kawamura Group,
to see if we could help in the revitalisation of the area. Kawamura
is a key player in the region's local fishing economy with 350
employees and 15 local fish factories, all of which were destroyed
by the tsunami.
The business owner, Mr Kawamura, had been on the point of
retirement but, instead of taking things easy, he has started to
rebuild his business from scratch. "Mr Kawamura's attitude, and his
strong feeling of obligation and responsibility towards his many
employees made a very strong impression on me" explains Pedersen.
"It seemed only natural to donate tools and equipment that would
support his efforts."
Vikan collaborated closely with its Japanese importer Kyowa Clean
Co. Ltd and the local wholesaler to contribute the cleaning tools,
which comprised mainly brushes with accessories.
Restoring a community
"Mr Kawamura expressed great joy for the donation of tools, and
he was most appreciative of our presence and interest in their
efforts," continues Fruergaard. "It was very humbling that the
people we met were so thankful for the concern and sympathy shown
by others for the very difficult situation in Japan." The
community's gratitude was also reflected in the local newspaper,
with the Vikan visit to the tsunami-hit area featuring
prominently.
Pedersen concludes: "Our increased awareness of the Japanese
peoples challenge certainly put domestic problems into context. I
really hope that Vikan's experience, and that of our
importer/wholesaler in Japan, might encourage our other valued
distributors to question what they could do to assist a community
in need in their local area."
In encouragement, we leave you with a Japanese proverb:
案ずるより産むが易し。(anzuru yori umu ga yasashi), which means 'attempting is
sometimes easier than expected'!
For more information, please contact
Jette Fruergaard, Product Manager, Vikan A / S, tel 96 14 26 03
Vikan A / S - Rævevej 1- DK 7800 Skive
