Earth Day began in the U.S. and has spread around the world

Earth Day began in the U.S. in 1970 and has since spread around the world. Currently, Earth Day is led by the Earth Day Network (EarthDay.org), and more than one billion individuals, organizations such as schools and companies, non-profit organizations, and even governments and local governments in over 190 countries around the world participate in a variety of environmental protection activities and environmental education programs, such as tree planting, environmental cleanups, recycling campaigns, and promotion of renewable energy.

Earth Day is on April 22, but the event doesn't end in just one day. The week surrounding Earth Day is called Earth Week, during which a variety of activities are carried out, while the month of April is designated as Earth Month, during which longer-term activities are carried out. People can use this Earth Day as an opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, both short-term and long-term, and continue their commitment to a sustainable future of our planet.

Brother Earth Promise overcame the COVID-19 pandemic

For Earth Day, with an eye to how we can make a greater impact on the global environment, direct participatory events have been planned and carried out in cooperation with environmental organizations and local communities. In 2020, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, however, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced a change of plans. BIC wondered if there was anything they could do even in such a difficult situation. Then the company came up with the idea of the Brother Earth Promise, in which each employee writes down what they will do to help the global environment, such as "plant a tree" or "conserve water," takes a photo of it, and shares it on social media, pledging to do so. The program was then spread to Brother International Europe and Brother Industries, Ltd. (Japan) with great success.
This activity was carried out the following year as well and continued to encourage employees to take action for the environment. However, at the same time, BIC was facing a challenge where there was no way to measure how much positive impact each individual's diverse actions had on the global environment.

Participating in Fill it Forward, working toward one goal together

If the entire organization makes a Brother Earth Promise toward a single goal and takes actions, its impact could be measured effectively. In 2024, when the theme of Earth Day was Planet vs. Plastics, BIC set the goal as “reducing the use of single-use plastics” and decided to participate in the Fill it Forward program, which promotes the use of reusable products.
As part of this initiative, Brother gifted all employees a 30 oz Brother-branded insulated and refillable water bottle for use in their facilities. This thoughtful and sustainable gift was paired with Fill it Forward stickers, enabling employees to scan a code to track their hydration, measure their environmental impact, and unlock donations with every reuse. This small but significant step demonstrated Brother’s dedication to reducing single-use plastics and promoting a culture of sustainability across the organization.

Earth Day serves as a starting point for various activities, providing employees with an opportunity to take part in efforts to protect the global environment. However, if we are to reach our sustainability goals, much more needs to be done, both as a society as a whole and as a company. We cannot be satisfied with Earth Day alone. While celebrating Earth Day each year, they continue to contribute to a sustainable future for our planet throughout the year, for example, by participating in the Corporate Beach Sweeps Program in cooperation with Clean Ocean Action, a non-profit organization, to clean up the shores of New York Bay in summer.