From left to right: Gladys Goh, group general manager of Nippon Paint Malaysia; Wee Siew Kim, group CEO of Nipsea; Charlie Ong, general manager of Nippon Paint Singapore; and Ariel Wu, group PR and brand communication director of Nipsea Photo: Courtesy of Nipsea Group

Wee Siew Kim shares his ideas on CSR. Photo: Courtesy of Nipsea Group

Nipsea group announced on August 24 that it would continue to expand its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and bring "Color, Joy and Love" to more than 300 cities in Asia over the next five years.

The leading maker of paints and coatings is investing $15 million in the projects, working with business partners, local communities and more than 20,000 employees to create a better and more colorful society.

"We have always worked closely with our communities on CSR projects that are meaningful to them," said Wee Siew Kim, group CEO of Nipsea. "Even as we pursue growth in our markets, Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the mindset of all our employees and business leaders."

Themed "Eco Color," Nipsea Group's CSR strategy, featuring Ecological Responsibility and Social Responsibility, aims to add color and happiness to people's lives in an environmentally sustainable way.

The group's CSR projects have been operating in 15 countries and regions including China, Singapore and Malaysia. In each market, CSR projects have gone through localization to adapt to different cultures and communities so as to give customized support to specific groups of people in need.

In China, Greater China group's CSR project "Color, Way of Love" was launched in 2009 with the purpose of helping rural primary school children in remote areas decorate, rebuild, and improve their campus and study environment. "Color, Way of Love" has built and repainted over 230 schools, created 195 art studios and reached out to 60,000 children. Over 3,000 school children received art educational support from over 150 student volunteers from five universities in China. More than 20 enterprises are involved in the "Color, Way of Love" initiative, making the project an open and sustainable platform.

In Singapore, Nippon Paint Singapore donated more than 1,000 liters of premium paint and paint supplies for student painters to create murals and art installations displaying Singapore's cultural diversity, which consists of Chinese, Malaysians and Indians, in more than 40 hawker centers.

In Malaysia, Nippon Paint Malaysia is committed to its "Colorful Dreams" in addressing both the physical environment and self-developmental needs of children through "Colorful Reads" and "Colorful Picasso." A Colorful Dreams Art Exhibition was organized to showcase orphans' artwork as a corporate fundraiser in order to provide participants with a small start-up fund to be released when they turn 18 years old and are no longer eligible to stay at the children's home or orphanage.

The CSR projects are employee-centric, encouraging and facilitating employees to contribute their time and effort to help out with the projects. It gives fulfillment that a salary alone cannot provide, said Wee.

In its commitment to Ecological Responsibility, the group has adopted green manufacturing methods and offers a portfolio of green products to ensure sustainability. Paying close attention to environmental protection, the group invests in energy-saving and resource reduction measures, continuously developing environmentally-friendly products and working with its supply chain partners and suppliers to subscribe to green expectations.

In the next five years, Nipsea CSR will be committed to enhancing inclusiveness by engaging with more strategic partners and employees. Innovativeness, coverage and localization will be highlighted through all these projects.

"With an inclusive principle, Nipsea Group believes joint efforts will bring greater benefits to the community," said Wee. "We will continue to increase investments in CSR despite the slowing down of economic growth."