Our Commitment to Sustainability
WOVN's Sustainability Initiatives
Our Materialities and Initiatives
Materialities and Initiatives
Materialities for Our Stakeholders
Materialities for Our Stakeholders
- WOVN's Sustainability Initiatives
- Materialities and Initiatives
- Materialities for Our Stakeholders
We seek to create a world where all people can access all data in their native language
WOVN’s mission is to make all data accessible to people all over the world in their native language. In order to eliminate information disparities due to language, we hope to be a “global infrastructure company that localizes the Internet.”
We believe that WOVN’s pursuit to realize a multilingual world will lead to a more sustainable society.
In 2021, the number of Internet users worldwide reached 4.91 billion and will only continue to increase. However, English users, the most common group of Internet users, comprise about 25%, while Japanese users account for less than 3%2.
Ideas are not bound by borders on the Internet. Yet, through a plethora of information and content on the Internet, content available in one’s native language can be limited, and we find many of the world’s languages gradually becoming isolated.
To address this challenge, WOVN provides localization solutions to businesses and local governments to help disseminate information in different languages. We aim to work with our stakeholders to create a comfortable work environment, no matter where you are, and contribute to a diverse society.
WOVN, too, is a diverse organization. To realize our mission, we will continue to strengthen our work environment to enable employees from diverse backgrounds to perform at their best. We believe that promoting diversity will lead to better decision-making and increased service value for our multilingual solutions.
In aiming to be “a global infrastructure company that localizes the Internet,” we also take the impact we have on society very seriously, and to that end, we will strengthen our corporate governance and work to tackle environmental and social issues.
We commit to new value creation and solve social problems as a part of our mission and carry out Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives to promote sustainable growth alongside the rest of society.
1 Reference 1: ITU-D ICT Statistics
2 Reference 2: Internet World Stats
Sustainability initiatives roadmap
Our process
Our goal is to achieve our mission and vision and to do so by building a sustainable, high-value business. We defined our top materialities (key issues) based on WOVN's business and the environment in which we provide our services. We arrived at our current materialities and initiatives through the process below.
Clarify what ESG means in the context of our mission and vision
As we explored our ESG approach as part of our mid- to long-term growth strategy, we defined how the initiatives relate to our mission and vision.
Define potential materialities
Based WOVN's business context in mind, we came up with our potential materialities using international standards and indicators such as SASB, GRI, MSCI, and the SDGs and through consultations with shareholders, employees, and other external stakeholders.
Prioritize and select materialities
Based on the list of potential materialities, and taking into consideration the impact on each stakeholder, we selected the final set of key issues (materialities) through discussion with internal project teams and our board of directors. We considered business impact and the impact on each group of stakeholders, as we believe our ESG initiatives will create long-term benefits for all stakeholders and that there is a strong link between the resulting ESG initiatives and WOVN's management strategy and corporate culture.
Going forward
We will take concrete actions for each materiality and regularly report on the results. In addition, through dialogue with our stakeholders, we plan to review the materialities and their respective initiatives every year.
WOVN materialities and related SDGs
- Materiality
- Related SDGs
環境
Environment
Consideration for the environment
- Combat climate change
- Use resources efficiently and reduce waste
社会
Social
Realization of a diverse world and society
- Co-create a "multilingual world" with stakeholders
- Improve information equality
- Recruit diverse human resources
- Provide opportunities for employee growth
- Provide a healthy, safe, and rewarding work environment
- Pursue privacy protection and platform reliability
ガバナンス
Governance
Governance for sustainable growth
- Promote diversity in the management team
- Ensure management transparency
- Comply with corporate ethics and code of conduct
Materialities associated with WOVN stakeholders
Employees
Clients
Business partners
Shareholders / Investors
Society / End Users
E: Environment
Consideration for the environment
Combat climate change
We will measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In order to make more efficient use of energy, in the office, use air conditioning efficiently by setting the thermostat to a reasonable temperature and encourage business casual and casual wear. In addition to installing efficient LED lighting workspaces and meeting rooms, we will raise awareness of climate issues by setting up lighting appropriate to the area and time of day and installing auto-off switches.
Use resources efficiently and reduce waste
We will make effective use of limited resources and reduce waste. We use 100% recyclable chairs and carbon-neutral flooring made from natural materials in our eco-friendly office. We will also promote 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) activities as we push for efficient use of resources by distributing reusable goods such as eco bags and thermal mugs to employees, choosing eco-friendly options for everyday objects like cups and cutlery, and reducing printed materials.
S: Social
Realization of a diverse world and society
Co-create a “multilingual world” with stakeholders
We cannot realize the “multilingual world” without collaboration with our stakeholders.
In addition to empowering more companies to localize with WOVN, we will form a community with our clients and language service providers. This is to further underscore the need for a multilingual world and provide the expertise to make it happen.
Improve information equality
We seek to eliminate inequalities in access to online information caused by language barriers.
To make this a reality, WOVN’s localization platform must be accessible for all. For example, we revised the color schemes of the language-switching widget and components of the dashboard to one that better accommodates users with congenital color blindness. We will continue to follow web accessibility principles to improve usability of our services.
Recruit a diverse workforce
WOVN is composed of a diverse workforce, with employees representing over 25 countries and regions. We emphasize a culture of mutual respect for each other’s opinions and values and an environment in which diversity drives the value of our service. We work to eliminate inequalities based on nationality and gender in recruitment and personnel appointment. We will also provide employment support such as visa acquisition, language learning, and housing support through company-rented housing. Additionally, we will develop initiatives to promote female advancement.
Provide opportunities for employee growth
We hope that WOVN can support employees to become leaders who trailblaze new markets. In order to do so, we will offer a full range of internal programs and foster a culture in which each and every employee strives for personal growth. We established an internal mobility system where employees can experience multiple divisions and broaden their career horizon, as well as an onboarding program for enabling new members to take an active role soon after joining the company.
In addition, we started hiring new graduates in 2022, and we will push for improved training and career development for these new employees.
Provide a healthy, safe, and rewarding work environment
We are committed to creating a healthy and safe work environment where employees can get a sense of fulfillment and maintain a high level of performance.
Our employees have access to physicians and mental health professionals providing mental care, as well as a health room where employees can rest during work hours.
Managers also conduct weekly one-on-one meetings with employees to discuss career development. We also emphasize creating and the creation of an open environment in which anyone can speak up, regardless of department or position, and make suggestions, which can also be done via our online suggestion box.
We will continue to offer more programs and support to accommodate diverse work styles and a healthy work-life balance to enable employees in their work.
Pursue privacy protection and platform reliability
We have in place an information security policy and thoroughly manage information in order to prevent related incidents.
Through the establishment of the autonomous Cybersecurity Office, which reports directly to the board of directors, we will enhance the security of our assets and products and promote compliance with global and local privacy-related laws and regulations (e.g., Act on the Protection of Personal Information).
Furthermore, we are obtaining external security certifications, are constantly reviewing our security management, and conducting security training for employees and internal security audits.
As a company creating the infrastructure to localize the Internet, we are constantly developing new features and improving quality and functionality in order to build a reliable platform for our stakeholders. In 2021, we maintained a system availability rate of more than 99.9% when transmitting translation data. In addition, security vulnerability assessments are conducted by outside experts at least once a year, and any discovered vulnerabilities are promptly dealt with.
G: Governance
Governance for sustainable growth
Promote diversity in the management team
We believe that incorporating diverse perspectives and values in management-level decisions promotes innovation, is important for good governance, and leads to sustainable corporate growth. To further strengthen diversity, we will encourage the appointment of women and non-Japanese directors.
Ensure management transparency
We hold monthly board of directors and board of corporate auditor meetings, which are well attended, where we share management information, exchange opinions, and make key decisions on resolutions.
In addition, while WOVN has a board of corporate auditors, we are exploring best practices in organizational design from a governance perspective.
Comply with corporate ethics and code of conduct
We believe that all officers and employees must be held to high ethical standards and a consistent code of conduct. We are currently creating an ethical code based on WOVN’s corporate philosophy. In order to detect and prevent compliance violations at an early stage, we have established a reporting system through an external whistleblowing hotline.
We also believe that instilling values as a code of conduct for the employees will be the driving force behind sustainable business growth. Our culture book describes WOVN’s values, which are regularly reviewed and updated, with ample opportunity given for discussion to ensure that employees correctly understand and act upon the values.
Stakeholder Impact
This section summarizes the impact and relevance of WOVN materialities for each stakeholder.
* Turn the screen sideways to see the whole table
Employees
Clients
Business Partners
Shareholders / Investors
Society / End-users
E: Consideration for the environment
S: Realization of a diverse world and society
G: Governance for sustainable governance
Stakeholder Engagement
The following are WOVN’s main initiatives and responsibilities to each stakeholder.
- WOVN's Responsibility
- Main Initiatives
- WOVN has a diverse workforce (37% are non-Japanese workers from over 25 countries/regions as of July 21). We will offer various support programs and a work environment comfortable for a diverse workforce.
- Career development support through an in-house transfer systemActively recruit diverse human resources in terms of nationality and gender, and provide support for working in Japan (e.g., visa acquisition)
- Create a better multilingual world for clients and their stakeholders through WOVN’s website localization solutions and the improvement thereof.
- Support client business growth through WOVN’s website localization solutions and by disseminating case studiesUphold privacy protection and data securityMaintain reputation as a stable and reliable business platform
- Together with SaaS and translation service providers, continue refining and offering optimal website localization solutions usable in any situation.
- We will grow our business and increase corporate value through our website localization solutions.
- Transparent corporate management in accordance with compliancePursue diverse leadershipEstablish a corporate code of ethics for sustainable business and transactions
- Bring benefit to the entire world by localizing the Internet together with clients and business partners.
- Provide website localization solutions with the goal of creating a world where everyone has equal access to informationConduct business while being mindful of the environment