Constructing Communities
Caterpillar commits resources globally to help those hit by the pandemic
By Julian Ryall
In a year of unprecedented disruption—on both corporate and personal levels—Caterpillar Inc. has gone above and beyond what was already an impressive devotion to sustainability, extending a helping hand to those less able to withstand the impact of the global health crisis.
Caterpillar ensures that all workers are well trained to do their job safely.
“Caterpillar has a long-standing commitment to sustainability; it’s one of our five Values in Action,” Manabu Yamanaka—engineering manager of the Building Construction Products Division at Caterpillar Japan Inc.—told The ACCJ Journal. “It is part of who we are and what we do. It inspires us to help our customers build a better world through products and services that fulfill society’s basic needs—such as shelter, clean water, education, and reliable energy—in a sustainable way.”
Time of Need
During the pandemic—which has seen a sharp economic downturn piled on top of the rapid spread of the coronavirus to virtually every corner of the world—that promise to deliver sustainability has proved more important than ever.
In 2020, the Caterpillar Foundation—launched in 1952 to promote the resilience, sustainability, and economic strength of communities around the world—committed $10 million to support response efforts and help organizations directly impacted by the coronavirus. This was followed by an additional $3.4 million for 2021, Yamanaka said. The investment is having a global impact as it supports the world’s most pressing needs by partnering with the United Nations (UN) Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO) Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
This commitment includes a two-to-one match on eligible US employee and retiree donations, while the foundation also is collaborating with Caterpillar facilities around the world to donate to local charities, responding to the need for coronavirus-related health, housing, food, and other basic requirements in communities the company’s employees call home.
India has been in the headlines in recent months, with millions of people at risk of contracting the virus and not having access to adequate healthcare. This comes on top of their often-irregular access to routine medical services, food, and water. One of the biggest problems has been an acute shortage of bottled oxygen needed to treat those with serious cases of Covid-19.
The foundation’s investment of $13.4 million in 2020 and 2021 to assist response efforts supports its mission of building communities that thrive.
The Caterpillar Foundation is giving $1 million to help India’s health system deliver care to families and communities across identified hot-spot locations by funding the purchase of critical medical supplies and equipment such as oxygen concentrators, as well as the optimization of oxygen plants.
In addition to the foundation’s efforts, Caterpillar India is providing an initial contribution of $1.4 million, enabling an additional supply of oxygen, and donating beds with ventilator support to hospitals. The company is also supporting vaccination drives and setting up temporary relief shelters. Independent Caterpillar dealers are contributing oxygen solutions to address the shortage as well.
Manabu Yamanaka
Engineering manager, Building Construction Products Division, Caterpillar Japan LLC
Co-chair ACCJ Sustainability Committee
Brazil is another of the hardest-hit countries, and the foundation is donating $250,000 to help coordinate with local partners to deliver essential medical aid and basic supplies to hospitals and communities. The aim is to halt the rising number of new Covid-19 cases and put a cap on deaths.
Communities that Thrive
More broadly, the Caterpillar Foundation is working in partnership with the UN Foundation and the WHO to support the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative, more commonly known as COVAX, to promote equitable access to coronavirus vaccinations with a $500,000 gift.
In addition, to continue emergency relief work and address vaccine hesitancy—particularly among rural, Black, and Hispanic communities in the United States—the foundation is investing $250,000 to support the US-based non-profit Ad Council and the Covid-19 Vaccine Education Initiative of the COVID Collaborative, a diverse and comprehensive team of experts, leaders, and institutions in health, education, and the economy. The slogan of the group’s vaccination campaign is, “It’s up to you.”
Representing one of the largest public education efforts in US history, the initiative is designed to reach multiple distinct audiences throughout the country, answering key questions and empowering Americans with the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families about coronavirus vaccines.
Yamanaka said the philanthropic arm of Caterpillar “has been on a mission to improve lives since its founding in 1952.”
“Today the foundation is focused on building resilient communities that thrive in a rapidly changing world,” he added. “Just as our company and customers work to build infrastructure, the Caterpillar Foundation helps build stronger individuals, communities, and economies around the world.
“Covid-19 has affected every community that Caterpillar and the Caterpillar Foundation serve,” he said. “The foundation’s investment of $13.4 million in 2020 and 2021 to assist response efforts supports its mission of building communities that thrive.”
At the same time as helping people in the communities that Caterpillar already serves, the company’s staff have still had to go about their work, adapting to dramatically changed circumstances, while staying safe and ensuring access to the products and services that customers depend on to get their jobs done.
“We have prioritized the safety, health, and well-being of our production, distribution, and support employees who have continued to come into our facilities by implementing safeguards to protect our team members in accordance with regulatory requirements and guidance from health authorities,” Yamanaka explained. “Additionally, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some of our global team have been working remotely.
“The return to the workplace will vary around the world as the pandemic evolves, but our commitment to workforce safety will not.”
Environmental Care
As if that weren’t enough to keep the company busy, it has this year been playing a key part in the One Tree Planted initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through global reforestation efforts.
Caterpillar has invested $1 million in the charity. It’s just the latest in the company’s 95-year commitment to building a better world, and through the donation Caterpillar will collaborate on tree planting missions in 95 communities across the globe.
The company “is on a mission to help build resilient communities that thrive in a rapidly changing world,” Yamanaka said. Part of that strategy involves restoring local ecosystems to help communities grow stronger and become more sustainable.
As a result, the One Tree Planted partnership is about much more than planting trees, he explained. It is about contributing to restored forests, cleaner air and water, stabilized soils, and improved biodiversity.
In Japan, Caterpillar has selected two key locations—the cities of Akashi, in Hyogo Prefecture, and Yokohama, in Kanagawa Prefecture—where it will work with local partners to carry out the initiative.
Safety First
The well-being of the company’s employees remains a critical focus and is at the forefront of its strategic goals and metrics, supported clearly and visibly by management, Yamanaka said.
“In addition to metrics, we believe the best way to drive a culture of safety excellence is to create an environment where our team is accountable for their own safety, as well as the safety of those around them,” he said. “We relentlessly strive to ensure our workforce returns home safely every day.”
From day one, every new hire the world over is provided with the knowledge they require to perform their job without incident, with leaders regularly undergoing training in their role in standards and regulation compliance, thereby setting an example to reinforce the strong culture of safety, he added.
And that commitment has paid off, with the company last year having delivered its best recordable injury frequency (RIF) performance on record, and having improved on the previous record, set the year before.
The company’s new goal is to further reduce RIF by an additional 50 percent for the period 2018–30 and to remain an industry leader in terms of safety.
Maintaining lasting risk reduction will require even further maturity of our safety culture, said Yamanaka, adding that the company’s plan includes fostering a culture of caring by involving employees in developing solutions, listening to their concerns, and ensuring they feel comfortable talking to their peers about unsafe behaviors.
Continuing to provide learning opportunities for our leaders, safety professionals, and employees will enhance the company’s efforts, he added.
The result is Caterpillar holding one of the coveted spots on the _Dow Jones Sustainability World Index_—a list of global sustainability leaders as identified by S&P Global through its annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment—for a 21st consecutive year. The ranking represents the top 10 percent of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index, based on long-term economic, environmental, and social criteria.
THE JOURNAL
Vol. 58 Issue 5
A flagship publication of The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), The ACCJ Journal is a business magazine with a 58-year history.
Christopher Bryan Jones, Publisher & Editor
