Employees take the initiative: Addressing social challenges through voluntary pro bono work

This event was held by NEC in collaboration with Kawasaki City as part of the city’s centenary project. Its aim was to promote sustainability over the next 100 years by working with local businesses, organizations, and educational institutions that are actively supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event was organized by the NEC Pro Bono Club. The term “pro bono” comes from the Latin “pro bono publico,” meaning “for the public good.” It refers to voluntary efforts that draw on one’s professional experience and skills to contribute to society and the public interest.

NEC was a pioneer among Japanese companies in adopting the concept of pro bono work in-house. In 2010, it became the first company in Japan to launch pro bono activities, doing so in collaboration with Service Grant, an NPO recognized as a trailblazer in the field. At the time, it was a groundbreaking initiative: employees used the skills and expertise they had developed in their professional roles to tackle social issues—a novel approach for Japanese companies.

In July 2020, the NEC Pro Bono Club was launched by a group of employee volunteers. Unlike top-down company directives, this initiative is driven by employees themselves, who take the lead in addressing social issues. As of June 2025, more than 730 NEC Group employees have taken part, demonstrating how deeply the initiative has taken root within the organization.

Although the initiative was originally launched under the leadership of NEC headquarters, the establishment of the volunteer-led NEC Pro Bono Club has created a complementary partnership. NEC headquarters and the Pro Bono Club now promote efforts by both wheels, aimed at addressing social issues. The series of efforts is collectively known as the NEC Pro Bono Initiative.

The NEC Pro Bono Initiative partners with diverse organizations—ranging from local governments such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Fukushima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and the previously mentioned Kawasaki City, to NPOs, social entrepreneurs, and educational institutions. Over the past five years, the Initiative has supported efforts to address more than 100 social issues.

One such example is NEC’s collaboration with BANSO-CO Inc., a startup from Institute of Science Tokyo. The NEC Pro Bono Club is supporting this partnership, helping to advance business collaboration with NEC Body Care, a healthcare service being developed as an NEC demonstration project.

In fact, the founder of BANSO-CO is a 2021 graduate of the NEC Social Entrepreneurship School. Launched in 2002, the program is organized by ETIC, an NPO, with NEC participating as an official partner. It aims to nurture young social entrepreneurs committed to addressing social challenges.

By fiscal 2024, a total of 74 groups had graduated from the program. The school has produced several outstanding entrepreneurs—including the youngest-ever recipient of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the Harvard Business School Club of Japan, and a graduate who was selected by Newsweek as one of the "Top 100 social entrepreneurs who change the world."

However, within a few years of the 2002 launch of the NEC Social Entrepreneurship School, a challenge emerged: joining the program did not necessarily guarantee the expected growth of one’s business. At the same time, the rise of social business—ventures aimed at solving social issues—began to gain momentum, particularly in response to the global financial crisis triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. This environment sparked a growing sense of purpose within NEC, as more employees felt motivated to support efforts addressing social challenges. That momentum led to the launch of NEC’s pro bono activities in 2010.

At the heart of NEC’s pro bono activities is employees’ capacity for awareness. Recognizing the social issues that exist is the first step toward solving them. Once employees become aware of a particular issue, they can consider how best to leverage the company’s technologies and services, apply their own skills, and identify external partners with whom to co-create solutions. Ultimately, the goal is to maximize both economic and social value while minimizing risks—a value-creation approach that supports the realization of a sustainable society and contributes to the SDGs. Experiencing this cycle of awareness and action also plays a vital role in developing and growing NEC’s human capital.

Social issues are diverse, and their causes are often complex. As a result, few can be solved by a single company acting alone. That’s why NEC places great importance on “co-creation” with external organizations. Although the Japanese term Kyoso (meaning co-creation) is now widely used, it was originally trademarked by NEC in 2005. NEC is truly a pioneer in putting co-creation into practice.

NEC’s wide-ranging social contribution activities since 2002 have served as the foundation of the company’s purpose stated in its 2013 Mid-term Management Plan: transforming into a “social value-creating enterprise.” In the following year, 2014, NEC anounced its new brand message, “Orchestrating a brighter world,” reflecting the vision behind its Solutions for Society business. It expresses the NEC Group’s strong desire to collaborate closely with partners and customers around the world, orchestrating new value and enabling people to live richer and brighter lives, now and in the future. Since 2015, it has served as the NEC Group’s corporate brand message.

The Sumitomo Pavilion at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan features the NEC Pro Bono Initiative and NEC Social Entrepreneurship School, showcasing them to a global audience.