Stakeholders communication

To achieve sustainable growth and enhance corporate value, the DOWA Group is committed to transparent information disclosure and promoting dialogue with our stakeholders, including shareholders, investors, customers, suppliers, employees, government agencies, and local communities.

The President and Representative Director, directors, and various DOWA Holdings departments work together to implement various measures to promote constructive dialogue with shareholders and investors. To the extent possible, directors and relevant departments will respond to requests from shareholders and investors for interviews for constructive dialogue that will contribute to sustainable growth and medium- to long-term corporate value improvement. In addition, the Company has established an appointed investor relations department to promote dialogue with shareholders and investors.

［Main Correspondents］

• President and Representative Director
• Director (General Manager of Corporate Strategy Dept. and Public Relations & Investor Relations Sec., in charge of Accounting and Finance), Director (General Manager of Human Resources Dept., in charge of General Affairs and Legal)
• Executive Officer (General Manager of General Affairs and Legal Dept.)
• Those responsible for IR, Sustainability, and Governance

［Main IR Events］

［Summary of Shareholders and Investors with Whom We Have Had Dialogue］
Japanese and overseas investors (fund managers, analysts, ESG officers, voting officers) primarily with growth, GARP, and value investment styles

［Main Themes and Concerns of Dialogue］

• Future business strategy (growth drivers, efforts to monetize prior investments, etc.)
• Progress of key measures in Midterm Plan 2024
• Capital policy (dividend level, share buybacks, etc.)
• Expand disclosure of human rights-related information
• Expansion of information disclosure on climate change response (Scope 3 disclosure, acquisition of SBT certification, etc.)

［Status of Feedback to the Board of Directors］
Opinions and concerns identified through dialogue with shareholders are promptly fed back to the President and CEO and other relevant internal departments, and are reported twice a year at Board of Directors’ meetings (FY2023 results: August 2023 and March 2024).

［Items Incorporated based on Dialogue and Feedback］

• Expansion of information disclosure on Nominating Committee and Remuneration Committee (number of meetings, disclosure of main agenda items)
• Review of criteria for independence of outside directors by Nominating Committee
• Revision of the dividend structure for the year-end dividend (to a single common dividend)

Akita Zinc Co., Ltd. was awarded the Excellence Award of Akita City Vibrant Children’s Community Development Company in 2022. Akita Zinc Co., Ltd. promotes health management, and in addition to women taking maternity leave, the number of men taking paternity leave is increasing. The certification and commendation were in recognition of the company’s efforts to meet the certification criteria, which include the actual results of paternity leave taken when their partners took maternity leave, measures to improve the paid leave utilization rate, and management’s declaration of being more family-friendly.

The head office and seven sales offices of DOWA-Tsuun Co., Ltd. received certification under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Comfortable Workplace Certification Program. The goal of this program, which was established in 2020, is to bring attention to the efforts made by automobile-based transport companies to improve their workplaces in order to create more comfortable working environments and to help human resources remain in their positions. DOWA-Tsuun acquired the certification after meeting certification requirements in five areas: legal compliance and related matters, working hours and holidays, mental and physical health, safety and stability, and the securement and training of diverse human resources.

DOWA Eco-System Co., Ltd. took the podium at an online seminar during the Second Viet Nam–Japan Environment Week, an event sponsored by Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. The event is held to discuss environmental issues common to Japan and Vietnam and provides a platform to share advanced environmental solutions for building a decarbonized and sustainable future. The company took the stage at this seminar as a company that plays a part in the circular economy and introduced the resource recycling and waste treatment businesses that provide services in Japan and overseas.

In April 2023, DOWA ELECTRONICS MATERIALS OKAYAMA CO., LTD. (DEO) was registered as an Okayama City SDGs Promotion Partner. In December 2023, BIODIESEL OKAYAMA CO., LTD. (BDO) also became a registered partner.
Okayama City registers businesses that are working toward the SDGs, which aim to create a sustainable world in which the economy, society, and environment are in harmony. DEO has been working to reduce CO2 emissions from its business activities, and its efforts have been recognized. BDO was recognized for its wide-ranging activities, including the production of biodiesel fuel from used cooking oil, biogas power generation using food waste, acceptance of school lunch leftovers from some elementary schools in Okayama City, and implementation of environmental education in elementary schools.

The DOWA Group has made community contributions a priority measure in its social field initiatives. In order to develop together with the local communities, our sites in Japan and overseas are actively engaged in community-based social contribution activities, such as communications through community round-table meetings, supporting sports, organising events, plant tours, and accepting interns. For more information on our initiatives, please refer to the following links.

The development of various initiatives to meet the expectations of stakeholders has resulted in external awards and evaluations. For more information on external evaluations, please refer to the following links.