Mitsui Chemicals Provides Third Round of Do Green™ Support Activities for Rural Communities in India
Contributing to SDGs Target of Universal Health Coverage Through Activities for Eye Health
2018.09.25
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: Tsutomu Tannowa) has completed a third round of activities under its Do Green™ initiative*1, helping to solve social issues faced by Indian farmers who produce raw materials for the company’s plant-derived products and by residents in surrounding rural areas. Mitsui Chemicals worked with South Korean-based lens manufacturer CHEMILENS*2, which supported and endorsed the efforts taken here.
This latest round of efforts included two periods of activity, with the first of these starting on November 10, 2017, and spanning eight days. Working in Jhabua, part of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Mitsui Chemicals provided its “Activities for Eye Health,” which included eye examinations for 1,011 local residents and children along with education on eye treatment and care for vision loss prevention.
The eye examinations carried out here revealed 241 people needing glasses, prompting a second period of activity from June 27, 2018, that spanned three days. Individually prescribed glasses were distributed to these local residents, helping to improve conditions for work and education. An outline of these activities follows below.
Outline of the third round of the Do Green™ initiative
| Period | November 10 to November 17, 2017 (eight days) June 27 to June 29, 2018 (three days) |
|---|---|
| Subjects | A total of 1,011 residents of Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Content | First period of activity (November 2017): ・Eye examinations delivered by doctors, with prescriptions issued to those needing glasses and cataract patients referred to hospital Second period of activity (June 2018): ・Event preparations and coordination with newspapers, schools and village ・Distribution of individually prescribed glasses to a total of 241 residents (81 school students, 160 villagers) |
| Supporting organizations | Coordination: ・The Institute of Cultural Affairs (Director: Shizuyo Sato) ・Holistic Child Development India (Director: N. Thomas Rajkumar) Eye examinations: ・Navjeevan Kendra Jhabua (Director: Sr. Jolly SJSM) ・Jeevan Jyothi Hospital Jhabua (Eye technicians) |
Mitsui Chemicals develops plant-derived products under the name Do Green™. Do Green™ MR-60™ and MR-174™ are the world’s first high-refractive-index lens materials for vision correction to be plant-derived, allowing for CO2 emissions to be cut by roughly 14 percent when compared to conventional lenses. These materials have received biomass product certification from JORA*3 and USDA*4, and provide the same level of material quality as conventional petroleum-derived lens materials.
Mitsui Chemicals will continue to use its Do Green™ products to help solve social issues being targeted under sustainable development goals (SDGs).
【References】
Outline of the second activity of the Do Green™ initiative
| Period | October 27 to October 29, 2015 (3 days) |
|---|---|
| Subjects | (A total of 153) farmers of Gujarat, India and residents in surrounding rural areas |
| Content | Questionnaires on health condition Eye examinations by doctors |
| Support groups | The Institute of Cultural Affairs (Director: Shizuyo Sato) Holistic Child Development India (Director: N.Thomas Rajkmar) Lensya Ltd (Director: Kazuyoshi Furuya) Jayant Agro Organics Ltd (Chairman：Abhay Udeshi) Ihsedu Agrochem (Director: Mulraj G. Udeshi) |
Outline of the first activity of the Do Green™ initiative
| Period | November 12 to November 15, 2016 (4 days) |
|---|---|
| Subjects | (A total of 805) farmers of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India and residents in surrounding rural areas |
| Content | Questionnaires on health condition Eye examinations by doctors Distribution of simplified eyeglasses and eye-drops to those identified with an eyesight problem by doctors Call for fund-raising to local groups for those identified with a problem in their Eye Health |
| Support groups | The Institute of Cultural Affairs (Director: Shizuyo Sato) Holistic Child Development India (Director: N.Thomas Rajkmar) Naujhil Integrated Rural Project for Health and Development (Director: Dr. Shobha Yohan) Community organizer and volunteer |
※1Do Green™ initiative:
Activities that use Do Green™ products in consideration of the global environment while helping to solve social issues such as those targeted under SDGs.
※2CHEMILENS:
A plastic lens manufacturer established in South Korea in 1988 and the world’s top producer of lenses using Mitsui Chemicals’ high-refractive-index Do Green™ MR materials.
※3JORA (Japan Organics Recycling Association)：
Provided to environmentally friendly products using plant-derived resources (biomass) certified by the Japan Organics Recycling Association and which meet certain quality, related laws, standards and regulations, etc.
※4USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)：
USDA BioPreferred® provided to plant-derived products certified by the United States Department of Agriculture