*This news letter is an English translation of LIXIL Corporation’s news letter issued on September 3, 2012 in Japan

September 3rd, 2012
LIXIL CorporationOngoing Water Environmental Awareness
Program Being Provided in Cooperation withInternational NPOs

Environmental Awareness
Program in Vietnam 2012
Hoa Binh, Hanoi, Hue,

- Learned the Importance of Water with Local Children July 21-26, 2012
Since 2007, LIXIL Corporation (headquarters: Chiyoda-ward in Tokyo, President: Yoshiaki Fujimori)and its local subsidiary LIXIL INAX VIETNAM Corporation (“LIXIL VIETNAM”) have been conducting
the “Water Environmental Awareness Program” for children in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam(“Vietnam”).

At present, LIXIL Corporation and LIXIL VIETNAM are promoting the program incollaboration with two international NPOs, namely Bridge Asia Japan (“BAJ”) and Seed to Table(“STT”).
Meanwhile, as a result of rapid economic development, Vietnam has been facing a range ofproblems which societal systems are having difficulty to deal with. Those problems include thebroadening gap between the wealthy and poor, environmental pollution, sanitation problems, children’srights, etc.

As a company that has grown to achieve its current status during economic growth inVietnam, LIXIL (former INAX) aims to do whatever it can to benefit Vietnamese society. Since 2007, incollaboration with well-established international NPOs, LIXIL has been providing local support throughenvironmental education. Our education focuses on “water” that is truly necessary for the children ofVietnam to become future leaders of their country. We are consistently providing environmental
education not merely by giving financial aid, but by making curriculums and suggestions taking into
account local societal factors and circumstances, for example, by means of offering original curricular
programs such as “Let us think about and study water” and sending LIXIL staff as instructors.
This time, we carried out the environmental awareness program in Hoa Binh Province (in the northof Hanoi) and Hue (in central Vietnam) and made a visit to the LIXIL VIETNAM factory to deepen
exchanges with the children and the international NPOs. In Hoa Binh Province, the program was also
conducted in Dich Giao village. The following is a report of the activities we conducted locally in theperiod from July 21 (Sat.) through July 26 (Thu) (6 days) in Vietnam together with staff from the NGOs
BAJ and STT.
Table of contents@ July 22: Environmental classes featuring water together with STT
at Dich Giao Village@ July 23: Activity report and factory tour at LIXIL VIETNAM@ July 24: Activity with BAJ in the Thuy Bieu district, Hue@ July 25: Visit to farmers in the Thuy Bieu district, Hue@ Summary of the itinerary in Hoa Binh, Hanoi and Hue, Vietnam@ LIXIL business in Vietnam@ Principles and history of environmental awareness program inVietnam1

Environmental Classes featuring Water together with STT at Dich Giao Village
Dich Giao village is located in Tan Lac, Hoa
Binh Province. It is a village of about 3,600 people
in about 840 households spread out over 14
distinct

hamlets.

Hoa

BinhProvinceisamountainous area located in northwest of Vietnam
and although it is just about 80 km away fromHanoi, it is the home to several minority races
who have inherited original languages andtraditional customs.

Children eagerly listening to classes

In recent years, the village has been facing
issues related to waste disposal and water source
contamination because inhabitants’ knowledge

熱心に授業を聴く子どもたち

and information are not catching up with the rapidchangeof

theirlifestyle.

Under

such

circumstances, village representatives requested
LIXIL to provide our environmental education toenable the people of the village to have accurate

各自準備した水をサンプルに測定

knowledge about water. In response to that, we
conducted hearings about the situation of theMeasuring water prepared by each hamlet

village in February 2012 and determined to accept
the request. This time, a total of 91 people
including elementary-, middle- and high-school
students as well as youth association members
participated in the classes. In the morning, a class
was held using our original texts “Let us think
about and study water”. The class was held such

A class being given using texts

色の変化に興味津々の様子

that it suited the actual situation of Vietnam, as it
not only focused on a basic knowledge of waterShowing great interest in changes in color

from a scientific perspective but also addressedissues related to “water”, for example, keeping
one’s hands and body clean can prevent diseases such as diarrhea and maintaining clear water isimportant to prevent such diseases. The class lasted two and a half hours and children eagerly readthe text and answered to the questions asked by the LIXIL staff members serving as instructors.
In the afternoon, samples of well water and river water that had been collected in advance by eachhamlet were tested for quality using “Pack Test”. In addition, transparency measurements wereperformed with transparency meters made of plastic bottles. The water quality tests checked water
quality on a scientific basis by measuring PH levels, COD levels, and the quantity of phosphorous and2nitrogen. The children showed great interest as the kit changed its color due to chemical reactions. The
measurement results were compiled in a piece of paper to share them between the hamlets; from this,we learned that a water vein may be different depending on the region.
Through the desk study and hands-on training, the participants including the children deepened theirknowledge about water and environment. We believe that, if this kind of opportunity is provided moreand people who have accurate knowledge start taking actions, it will lead to improvements in theissues the village face.

Activity Report and Factory Tour at LIXIL VIETNAM [July 23]
Phu Vinh village is about 20 min drive away from Dich Giao village where the activity took place on
the first day. In the village, we conducted environmental classes featuring water in July 2011 andFebruary 2012; with help of STT, the youth association has played a leading role to continue
environmental activities on their initiative. Since water contamination due to agricultural chemicals is anissue the village face, LIXIL has provided measurement kits for checking chemical concentration insoil.
rdOn the 23 of July, the second day of the program, the children from Phu Vinh village and 76 youth
association members visited the LIXIL VIETNAM factory in Hanoi city, capital of Vietnam to present theactivity results of 2011 and the plans for 2012. From LIXIL VIETNAM, 20 members including Vice
President Hoa and Production Manager Matsumoto participated.
In the presentation session, 6 hamlets comprised mostly of the youth association members reported
the results and considerations for water quality tests that had been conducted for 1 year. The
environmental education provided by LIXIL has triggered a movement throughout the region thatpeople have realized importance of water and started taking actions. Moreover, the awareness ofprotecting their environment themselves has been rising through the activities.
After the presentation, a tour of the LIXIL VIETNAM factory was conducted. In Vietnam, only few
factories accept such tour/visit and thus, it is difficult for ordinary people to enter a factory. Therefore,
the people of the village really looked forward to it. The participants were divided into 6 groups, each ofwhich was accompanied by about 3 staff members. They observed Japanese manufacturing, while
being surprised to see large machinery for the first time and making questions about operation at eachprocess.

Listening to presentations

Large machinery giving full of surprises to children

3Activity with BAJ in the Thuy Bieu district, Hue [July 24]
Hue city located in the center of Vietnam attracts a lot of domestic and foreign tourists, as its
buildings and structures have been registered as World Heritage. In addition to the tourism, thesuburbs of Hue have been prosperous in agriculture. BAJ has been working on improving environment
for people living in deprived areas and at the same time supporting organic farming and community
establishment in rural areas.
Among the rural areas, BAJ has created good relationship of mutual trust with local people in theThuy Bieu district through constant activities, as it has participated in building community in variousways, such as by providing environmental education and support for seeking higher education forchildren, planning an “Eco-Tour” with the objective to make tourists understand traditional lifestyle offarmers, and helping sales of local organic vegetables.
thOn the 24of July, the third day of theprogram, we held a workshop with children fromthe Thuy Bieu district and 25 high school anduniversity student volunteers using our original
texts “Let us think about and study water”. First,
the participants were separated into several
groups and asked to pick up one page theywanted to use as a theme. Next, from the photosof their environmental activities that had been

Exploring relation between photos and texts

taken beforehand, they chose some photos
related to the selected theme. Finally, the selected
page and the photos were put on a piece of paper
to present how they were related. The objective of
this activity was to make them feel what wasmentioned in the texts close to themselves so thatthey would be able to understand the relationshipbetween themselves and water and also what
they could do to protect water in their daily lives.
The workshop was held at the same time in Ho

Children making presentation

Chi Minh by the BAJ staff; with an iPad, the twovenues were connected real time to allow opinion
exchanges. By letting the children in an urban city
Ho Chi Minh and those in a rural village Huecommunicating with each other, those from Ho
Chi Minh have become interested in traditional
lifestyle, while those from Hue have recognized
the values of life and environment that remain in
the region they live, which has thus enabled them

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Class after workshop

to be proud of the beauty of such life and environment. After understanding the relation between
themselves and water in the workshop, the LIXIL staff provided environmental classes featuring water.
The combination of the workshop and the classes allowed the children to learn more about water.

Visits to Farmers in the Thuy Bieu district, Hue [July 25]
thOn the 25 of July, the fourth day of the program, we made visits to farm houses in the Thuy Bieu
district with 18 children, and learned how water was used and how vegetables were grown. In the Thuy
Bieu district, a traditional life in harmony with nature is still there; however, due to rapid economic
progress, it is being lost. To protect and inherit nature in the region and wisdom of living, BAJ has
continued to visit farm houses to learn their living.
The farm house we visited first did not use tap water tocultivate crops; instead well water was used. We learned
that if tap water was used continuously, its high salt
concentration hindered crops from growing. In addition,
the farmer collected rainwater in a tank for washing
purposes. In Hue, most farmers use rainwater as daily
life water. This is how we learn the way to make best useof limited water.
BAJ also provides support to sell organic vegetables

Farmer answering questions asked by childrenthat are produced in Hue to Ho Chi Minh through Internet.
This method which directly connects producers and consumers has become popular in Vietnam. Afterlearning water usage, the children participated in packaging the vegetables to be sent to Ho Chi Minh.
Through this, they learned how the local vegetables were delivered to Ho Chi Minh. Like the previousday, this activity was also reported live to Ho Chi Minh using an iPad; the children from Ho Chi Minhlearned the situation of production site while giving advice to the children of Hue on how to package thevegetables.
In the farm house we visited next, we saw an organic field and tasted harvested vegetables. Then, wecooked traditional food using the vegetables. Next, environmental classes featuring water were heldusing texts of Kamishibai-size (size of paper used for picture-story show). After visiting the farm houses
that devised a way to use water, the children seemed to have actually realized and understood theimportance of water by learning that water is limited, precious resource.

Packaging vegetables delivered to Ho Chi Minh

Cooking traditional food5

[Summary of the itinerary in Hoa Binh, Hanoi and Hue, Vietnam]
Jul. 21: Arrival of LIXIL staff in Vietnam
Jul. 22: Environmental classes & hands-on training in Dich Giao village (in Hoa Binh Province)
Jul. 23: Activity result presentation in Phu Vinh Village (in Hoa Binh Province) and a visit to LIXIL VIETNAM
factory (in Hanoi)
Move to Hue
Jul. 24: Workshop and environmental classes in Thuy Bieu district, Hue (broadcasted to Ho Chi Minh)
Jul. 25: Visits to farm houses in Thuy Bieu district and environmental classes
Numbers of participants in environmental education programs
Environmental classes & hands-on training in Dich Giao village (in Hoa Binh Province): 91
Factory visit from Phu Vinh village: 76
Workshop and environmental classes in the Thuy Bieu district, Hue: 25
Visits to farm houses and environmental classes in the Thuy Bieu district, Hue: 18
Accompanying staff from BAJ: Bridge Asia Japan
Vietnam Office: Huynh Hue Tue, Emiko Katayama
Tokyo Head Office: Shoko Ito
Accompanying staff from STT: Mayu Inou, representative of Seed to Japan
Instructors from LIXIL: Kazuyuki Kawai, Takayuki Inoue, Environmental Management Promotion Division
Instructors from LIXIL VIETNAM: Khuat Duy Song, General Affaires Division

7 Bridge Asia Japan (BAJ)

http://www.baj-npo.org/

BAJ is a Japanese non-profit organization founded in 1993.

As its name indicates, BAJ works as abridge between Asia and Japan, through international cooperation.
assistance activities mainly to address child poverty.

In Vietnam, BAJ carries out

As for environmental education, BAJ began

preparations in 2002 to start providing education to local children in Hue from 2004.

Various supports

carried out by BAJ include collection of valuable resource such as plastics and establishment ofwastewater treatment facility to avoid domestic wastewater from flowing into the river.

Thanks tosuch practical supports by BAJ, more and more local children are thinking and acting on their own.

Connecting People, Nature and Cultures@ Seed to Table （STT）

http://seed-to-table.org/

STT is a Japanese non-profit organization founded in July 2009.

Through cooperation with

Vietnamese people, STT aims to protect the indigenous seeds, nature and culture, to develop aneconomic basis enabling local people’s self-sufficiency as well as to improve their income so that
Vietnamese people can live happily with their families and friends.

In addition to recording andcommunicating local wisdom of living including farming methods, STT strives to provide a place formeeting and discussing with people, to foster next generation leaders, and to promote eco-friendly
agriculture and community development in Vietnam. Hoa Binh Province in the north of Hanoi is thebase of STT activities.

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[LIXIL Business in Vietnam]
In LIXIL group, sanitary wares of American Standard brand first entered the Vietnamese market. We
started both production and sales of the products in Ho Chi Minh in 1996. From the next year,production and sales of sanitary wares of INAX brand have also started. Currently, with these twobrands, LIXIL is enjoying the No.1 market share in the Vietnamese market. We have started selling
fittings since 2010 with the fitting factory started its operation. Then, in June this year, we expanded ourbusiness into electric water heater market that is a promising market. Moreover, in the sector ofbuilding materials, LIXIL has been engaging in manufacturing and sales of dry exterior tiles, mainly
mosaic tiles since 2008. The factory for residential sashes will begin its operation in fall, 2013. In thisway, we promote the expansion of our business in Vietnam from now on as well.
LIXIL VIETNAM, which played a central role of the activities reported this time, is a local subsidiaryengaging in manufacturing and sales of INAX brand sanitary wares and others in Vietnam.
[Principles and History of Environmental Awareness Program in Vietnam]
In 2006, LIXIL (former INAX) began searching not just for a way to provide funds and supplies, butfor partners who could take actions that are meaningful for local residents and will support their future.
In 2007, we began concrete activities with well-established NPOs. Using extensive experiences wehave gained through providing water-related products, we aim to support the kind of education that istruly necessary for the children of Vietnam to become future leaders of their country.

Furthermore,the kind of education that the company promotes goes beyond merely telling children not to throw
trash in rivers because they will become polluted, but making children understand the causes of riverpollution and to think for themselves about what they can do to prevent it. From now on as well, basedon this philosophy, LIXIL is committed to continuing such practical environmental educational
programs taking into consideration local circumstances, with the collaboration of BAJ, STT, and LIXIL
VIETNAM.
Record of major activities
2007: Activities begun with BAJ and Save the Children Japan (“SCJ”) (3-year contract)
Development of original educational texts (April)*1
Training of INAX VIETNAM Co., Ltd. staff to become instructors; briefing to government and educationalorganizations
Commencement of environmental educational programs targeting educators and children in Yen Bai northof Hanoi and Hue (June through August)
2008: Children from Yen Bai and Hue were invited to the Eco-products International Fair (Hanoi)*1
INAX VIETNAM Co., Ltd. factory tour (March)
Environmental educational programs in Yen Bai and Hue (June)
Environmental educational programs in Yen Bai, Hue, Ho Chi Minh, and Qui Nhon (December)
2009: Environmental educational programs in Yen Bai, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh (July)
2010: Activities begun with BAJ and STT
Environmental educational programs in Hue and Qui Nhon
*2
Visit to the tile factory of INAX VIETNAM TILE Co., Ltd. (January)
Environmental educational programs in Nam Son Village, Hoa Binh Province, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh (July)
2011: Environmental educational programs in Nam Son Village, Hoa Binh Province, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh(January)
Environmental educational programs in Phu Vinh Village, Hoa Binh Province, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh (July)*1
Activity report by Nam Son Village inhabitants, INAX VIETNAM Co., Ltd. factory visit (July)
2012: Environmental educational programs in Phu Vinh Village, Hoa Binh Province, and Hue (February)
Opinion exchanges in Dich Giao Village, Hoa Binh Province (February)*1 current LIXIL INAX VIETNAM Corporation*2 current LIXIL INAX Saigon Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

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