"Reduced Inequalities" is the 10^th of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN to promote a better and more sustainable future worldwide. In pursuit of this goal, Mitsubishi Electric is implementing various efforts to ensure that people across society are afforded equal opportunities, regardless of their economic or social backgrounds.

Empowerment is Key

Discussions about inequalities in contemporary society frequently mention the fact that a small handful of the super-rich possesses the majority of the world’s wealth.

SDG10 calls for "reducing inequality within and among countries" in order to address this crisis, above all else by sustainably raising the standard of living. The goal includes some specific targets, the first of which stipulates that every nation should enact policies to ensure that the lower 40% by income of its population will achieve a rate of income growth exceeding the national average by 2030 — and continue enjoying a similar rate of improvement afterwards.

SDG10 also acknowledges the importance of empowerment, with other targets that call for empowering all people, regardless of their age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, or other social status, as well as ensuring equal opportunities and reducing inequalities of outcome.

Uplifting the Most Vulnerable

As part of its efforts to empower people whose voices may otherwise be silenced in the name of economic development, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation serves as a major sponsor of the consumer electronics recycling company, Blue Star Recyclers. For more than a decade, Blue Star has devoted itself to a pair of innovative initiatives: the responsible recycling of electric and electronic waste and the extension of employment opportunities to people with autism and other disabilities.

Mitsubishi Electric also promotes empowerment in sports. Since 2010, Mitsubishi Electric has been sponsoring and organizing volunteer opportunities with the Special Olympics — an organization that has supported the independence and social participation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since its founding by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Mitsubishi Electric is also continuing to organize "Going Up," a campaign designed to "create a vibrant and symbiotic society" through wheelchair basketball.

Finally, the company is actively developing technological innovations aimed at realizing an equitable society where anyone of any economic status or social background can live comfortably. One such innovation is the User Interface for Voice-activated Drawing, an app that allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to engage in fluid, multimodal communication with hearing people.

(This article was originally published on May 16, 2022)

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