The contest Painting for Forest Planting was organised in March on the occasion of Earth hour by Panasonic in cooperation with CNREC. It aims at not only creating a fun and artistic activity for students but also increasing their awareness of the environment. This is the chance for students to impart their message about environmental protection through their personal works.

The initiative responds to the One Billion Green Trees for Vietnam programme by the Vietnamese government. It is also in line with Panasonic Green impact – a commitment declared earlier this year towards CO₂ emission neutralisation within Panasonic globally.

Marukawa Yoichi, general director of Panasonic Vietnam said, “I am very happy to see how much Vietnamese children, schools, and parents love the environment and take action to make a sustainable Vietnam. This is a new activity on top of our annual tree planting programme, where we aim to generate more value from the society by encouraging students to participate and plant forests together with Panasonic."

He added, "Beyond our joy and surprise, we have received over 3,600 paintings from students of seven provinces over the country, which is more than double our initial target. Therefore, after finishing planting the first batch of 1,500 trees in April, we shall plant the rest in August. We also plan a very special tree planting programme in 2022, the largest of its kind done by Panasonic in Vietnam, with the participation of our customers and business partners in the whole country."

At the ceremony, Panasonic Vietnam and CNREC also signed an MoU to promote environmental and education activities by 2025, including eco learning and STEM classes through activities at local schools and online.

Besides these initiatives, Panasonic has implemented its corporate social responsibility programmes. Since in 2013, Panasonic has planted over 250,000 trees in 10 provinces in the annual tree-planting programme.

Meanwhile, Panasonic Risupia Vietnam is a playground for Vietnamese students of all ages, stimulating their passion for science and technology.

In addition, Panasonic Scholarship granted more than 160 scholarships to Vietnamese students with a total value of over VND53 billion ($2.28 million) since 2004. The company also offers sponsorship activities for schools, hospitals, and local communities across Vietnam.