Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori) is going to conclude a comprehensive partnership agreement concerning the promotion of SDG initiatives ("the Agreement") with Toride City (Mayor: Osamu Nakamura), Ibaraki Prefecture. Through the "Mitsui SASUGAKU Academy", an inquiry-based learning program, Mitsui will collaborate and cooperate with the city in a way that contributes to economic and educational development in Toride City and will work to put the SDGs into practice. Mitsui will also engage in joint efforts to address social issues, including environmental problems, and contribute to solving these issues, by introducing various initiatives undertaken by the Mitsui & Co. group, including decarbonization-related business activities.

Mitsui has identified 1) community contribution, 2) environmental conservation, and 3) human resource development as priority areas for its social contribution activities. As part of its human resource development activities, it has been providing courses through the "Mitsui SASUGAKU Academy" program since fiscal year ended March 2015. The aim of the program is to encourage children to take ownership of global issues by learning about Mitsui's diverse business activities, and to develop their ability to work with others to pursue ideas that will lead to more sustainable futures.

Toride City has issued a Climate Emergency Declaration. Among the measures to mitigate global warming and adapt to climate change is the Toride City Sustainable Education Project launched in fiscal year ended March 2023, which supports children, as citizens driving the future, in developing the knowledge and values needed to build sustainable futures.

Mitsui's corporate mission is to "build brighter futures, everywhere." Mitsui aims to contribute to the creation of more sustainable futures by developing human resources capable of generating new value through the provision of learning opportunities and platforms for future generations, such as those enabled by the Agreement.

The "Mitsui SASUGAKU Academy" is an inquiry-based learning program, which focuses on creating sustainable futures and uses Mitsui's diverse business activities as case studies. The program is designed to support practical learning through the SASUGAKU Compass and Future Timeline, which were compiled under the supervision of environmental science expert Professor Shogo Sugiura, as well as online videos in which Mitsui employees themselves introduce the company's business initiatives to address social issues.

The program received the Environmental Activity Award of the Japan Association for Human and Environmental Symbiosis in fiscal year ended March 2017, and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award (highest award) for the Corporate Youth Experience Promotion Award of Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in fiscal year ended March 2020.