When doing good resonates with the company's core business, it's win-win

COVID-19, climate crisis and the spate of social justice movements have highlighted the importance of building a more resilient and cohesive society - and businesses have stepped up to the plate. The 3 companies featured here are recognised as Champions of Good, and they have leveraged their resources to create impact in areas that best resonate with their core business.

Champions of Good was launched in 2017 as a national recognition initiative under Company of Good. It recognises organisations that are exemplary in doing good and have also been a multiplier by engaging their partners and stakeholders on a collaborative journey.

Shiseido Company, Limited

SHISEIDO Group, which set up its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, started the Shiseido Life Quality Centre (SLQC) in 2019 to help people with skin concerns, such as scars and appearance changes due to cancer treatment, thus supporting their confidence and quality of life.

The initiative started in 1956, when Shiseido developed a foundation Shiseido Spots Cover to help people with serious post-war scars in Japan.

Fang Jiayun, who leads the regional corporate sustainability for Shiseido Asia-Pacific, said: "Although Singapore is the 5th location where we have opened this centre, we are the first to initiate a skills-based employee volunteering programme under which our colleagues volunteer at the centre as beauty consultants."

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Citing the case of an elderly woman who had brown pigmentation and vitiligo on her skin and did not feel comfortable attending a relative's wedding, Fang said: "We saw the joy it brought to her family members when she gained the confidence after the treatments to attend the wedding, and also to socialise more."

Strategic collaborations have also helped the firm amplify the positive impact as its partners brought different resources and knowledge to the table.

For example, Shiseido partnered with Daughters Of Tomorrow - which helps women from low-income families to be self-sufficient - by placing one of its beneficiaries in an administrative role at SLQC. She has since become an executive in Shiseido's human resource team.

"While it is more conventional for corporates to just make a monetary donation, Shiseido believes that economic empowerment of vulnerable women is more sustainable in the long run ... I believe the entire experience has also humbled many of us," said Fang.

Amid the pandemic, the company has also found ways to continue giving back.

The Shiseido Camellia Day, a global initiative for the group, was held last September in partnership with 3 non-profit organisations - DOT, Mums for Life, and Friends International - to discuss issues such as how DOT can increase the appeal of and persuade employers to consider women with non-traditional or lower qualifications and experience for jobs with career progression.

On Shiseido being recognised as a Champions of Good, she said that it "signals to us that we are on the right track and we look forward to continued efforts in achieving positive impact for the vulnerable communities that we support".

Johnson & Johnson

EVER since Johnson & Johnson (J&J) set up its regional headquarters in Singapore in 2018, it has strived to merge science, people and technology to improve people's health.

Guillermo Frydman, the company's managing director in Singapore, said: "To do so, it is important that we leverage our long-standing partnerships, dedicated employee base and company resources to build community-driven solutions."

J&J Vision, a global leader in eye health, has teamed up with Lions Clubs International Foundation since 2002 to implement the largest-known, school-based eye-health programme, Sight for Kids. In Singapore, it mobilised Lions and eye-care professionals to provide comprehensive eye-health services in low-income schools in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Last year, J&J Vision rallied the local optical industry to participate in a pre-loved spectacles donation campaign; it collected 3,000 pre-loved pairs of spectacles, which were sent to the South Africa Sight for Kids programme. The plan is to launch the programme in more markets in the Asia-Pacific this year.

Since its inception, Sight For Kids has screened about 42 million students globally and helped over 600,000 students receive additional treatments and surgeries.

The firm's other initiative, Mental Health Resiliency Programme for NGOs (non-government organisations) and Frontline Workers, was launched last year in the region.

Frydman said: "Covid has accelerated the mental health conversation in Singapore, and there is growing awareness and wider discussion on how best to support these groups of individuals."

The initiative was spearheaded in Singapore with the support of 32 volunteers across the Asia-Pacific; the volunteers had to undergo training to facilitate the virtual workshops. J&J reached out to over 120 NGO staff last year.

Frydman said: "We aim to continue to be a force for good, and strengthen our programmes further to create purposeful and sustainable impact here in Singapore and beyond," he said.

Xylem

GLOBAL water technology company Xylem has been a part of the Singapore's water story since 1982 and its corporate social responsibility programme, Xylem Watermark, was founded 12 years ago to solve the world's most challenging water issues.

Through the years, it has installed more than 320 sensors in Singapore's potable water supply pipelines to monitor the performance of the network. It has also installed about 220 aqua towers to provide clean water in countries such as Cambodia and India in the past three years, and provided water and sanitation solutions to 4.7 million people from 2019-2020.

Koh Chong Hin, the company's vice-president and managing director in South-east Asia, said the firm aims to raise awareness and access to clean water and sanitation solutions for at least 20 million people at the base of the global economic pyramid, among others. "Xylem Watermark is integral to realising our vision to help create a world where water issues are no longer a barrier to human health, prosperity and sustainable development."

In 2020, despite Covid-19 restrictions leading to fewer in-person volunteer events, 7,400 employees still found ways to make a difference. The company's global annual signature events pivoted to virtual mode; and when the pandemic scuttled volunteers' travel plans, local teams from Xylem's non-profit partner Planet Water continued to work on the ground to give rural communities access to clean water.

He added that the Champions of Good has created meaningful network opportunities with other fellow Champions and non-profits, especially in Singapore.

Sylvie Ta Higgs, marketing communications senior manager and Xylem Watermark lead for South-east Asia, said: "Companies must also be responsible and accountable for their economic and social impact. As an employee and as a human being, I strive for purpose in everything I do. Being able to create impact for our customers, and at the same time, make a difference in the community with the support of my company is the reason I joined Xylem more than seven years ago."

Applications for Champions of Good 2022 are now open. Apply now or nominate a deserving organisation to be recognised as an exemplary leader and multiplier of good at companyofgood.sg/champions