Materiality
Contributing to the SDGs by applying Mizuno’s technologies

Mizuno is not only focused on competitive sports products but is also expanding its business to cater to various scenes, including lifestyle products and work business. Leveraging its strengths in the sports field, Mizuno is committed to enhancing physical and mental health, promoting diverse communication within communities, and contributing to the resolution of social issues and the healthy development of local societies.

Additionally, utilizing the strengths gained in the competitive sports field, such as the ability to develop new functions and materials, and the technological capability to realize high-quality manufacturing, Mizuno is challenging itself to create various innovations. Moving forward, Mizuno will continue to aim for contributions to sustainability, with the resolution of social challenges as the starting point, including the achievement of the UN’s SDGs.

Mizuno has always placed people at the center by conducting research into people’s motions and forms. Mizuno will continue placing people at the center of its research efforts, and it will continue conducting research with the aim of creating new value, such as products and services that can help achieve the UN’s SDGs. Mizuno will not only put effort into developing good products and services as a manufacturer but also ensure that it pursues research themes that will help achieve the UN’s SDGs. As its medium- to long-term goal, it will aim at achieving carbon neutrality, and by doing so, it will aim at helping create a sustainable world.

As part of its research efforts to apply carbon technology, Mizuno currently puts effort into the following: 1) developing more products that use recycled carbon technology, 2) conducting research into thermoplastic carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs), and 3) conducting research into ways to reinforce CFRPs by using nanofillers.

• Developing products by using recycled carbon technology
  One example is the insole, which is a product designed to reduce foot fatigue. Mizuno hopes to utilize recycled carbon as a spring material for insoles that support the feet of walkers, workers, and elderly people.
• Research into thermoplastic CFRPs
  Thermoplastic CFRPs are used in the same way as conventional thermosetting CFRPs, which are used in plate springs for prostheses, but the former can be molded faster and recycled more easily than the latter. Mizuno aims to help create a sustainable society by developing practical CFRP products.
• Research into ways to reinforce CFRPs by using nanofillers
  Mizuno believes that adding nano-sized ingredients will improve the material itself and enable the development of high-function sports equipment.

Mizuno puts effort into conducting research into the development of new sports and services that will allow people to enjoy sports together, regardless of their age, gender, and physical disability.

Mizuno can contact its customers with relative ease when it needs help with conducting research into the development of new services because it operates facilities, including designated management facilities, used by its customers. In conducting research into the development of new services, Mizuno also uses data it has accumulated from previous research into sports equipment with help from actual people.

Mizuno has positioned its work business domain as one of its strategic focuses and is offering corporate uniforms, shoes, and other products that leverage the functional value of sports equipment to workers across various industries. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on "health management" in corporate activities, where the health care of employees is strategically viewed and implemented from a managerial perspective. There has been an increase in companies emphasizing the safety and comfort of employee-provided items such as uniforms, from a welfare perspective.

We are also working on proposals tailored to harsh working environments, such as "Airy Jacket" (a work jacket with a fan) for heat countermeasures and "Tech Shield Jacket" for cold countermeasures. In addition, by advancing the development of environmentally conscious products, such as corporate uniforms using recycled PET bottle threads and work apparel using chemical recycling threads, we aim to improve labor productivity and contribute to the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mizuno has been conducting research into people’s body movements for more than a century and has supported countless athletes with its sports equipment. Mizuno’s technology and know-how, which have been accumulated by closely working with athletes in the sports industry, can be applied to the medical and nursing industries, where workers work in harsh environments to care for patients.

As part of its medical and nursing business, Mizuno sells medical shoes and apparel. Mizuno aims to expand its business by selling its Dynamotion-fit-designed "Scrub Pants," made of hydro silver titanium, which disassembles unsanitary protein.

Sports and other exercises, in addition to play-based exercises, need to be fun if they are to be made a habit. Experiences that we undergo during our childhood are known to last for a lifetime. Therefore, in addition to conducting research into children’s physical strength and athletic abilities, when examining the effects of its play-based exercises, Mizuno conducts research into the relationship between its play-based exercise programs and children’s minds. Mizuno aims to develop play-based exercise programs that will allow children who believe they are not good at sports or do not like to exercise to enjoy it with relative ease.

We offer a physical play program targeted at children who struggle with precise movements in sports or daily life, such as frequently dropping objects or having difficulty handling scissors or sharp tools. Through this program, we aim to enhance the way children move their bodies and their dexterity, thereby promoting their overall development.

The concerns that elderly people have regarding their health are as follows: 1) becoming bedridden after falling down and 2) coming to have difficulty in their daily lives due to a decline in their cognitive skills. The more elderly people become permanently bedridden or hospitalized, the higher medical bills and long-term care costs will become. Mizuno believes that extending healthy life expectancy depends on whether we can enjoy exercising throughout life. Mizuno conducts research into the development of exercise programs for elderly people based on the belief that moving our bodies rhythmically and coordinating movements of our hands and feet help prevent our cognitive skills from declining.

Mizuno is actively engaged in the research and development of new sports, in collaboration with various associations and universities. For example, "500 Steps Soccer" is a game where players are limited to a certain number of steps, monitored by digital devices. This rule allows individuals who may feel less skilled or less confident in their athletic abilities to enjoy moving their bodies and scoring goals.

Mizuno will continue to harness its strengths in combining sports science with digital technology, as well as its ability to demonstrate and manage sports facilities with staff, to persist in the research and development of innovative sports experiences.

Mizuno has formulated the "MIZUNO MIRAI VISION," a guiding principle for creating products and services, and made it publicly available on our website. We define sports as "enjoying moving the body" and aim to fulfill our mission of "making people happy through sports." Our goal is to realize a society where everyone enjoys moving their bodies and a world where sports can solve societal challenges.

As a venue for this ambition, we established the innovation center "MIZUNO ENGINE" and commenced full-scale operations in November 2022. We will pursue what can be achieved in sports within five domains: "Competition," "Health," "Environment," "Education," and "Work," aiming for transformation through the power of sports.

To enhance "focus" and "motivation" that propel individuals to greater heights, we believe that challenges must be met in unraveling the yet unexplained mechanisms within the realm of the mind. We will further evolve our core technology, which we have long cherished and honed, that centers on "understanding the human mechanism and designing products and services to suit the purpose." Along with this, we will also accelerate co-creation with external partner companies and expedite research leading to the elucidation of the mechanisms within the realm of the mind.

For more information about MIZUNO MIRAI VISION, please refer to the following link:
Link: https://corp.mizuno.com/en/technology/vision

Innovation center "MIZUNO ENGINE"