Contact Lens Manufacturer Seed Earns "Eraboshi Certification (Stage 2)" as an Excellent Company for Promoting Women's Active Participation

SEED Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takao Sato), a manufacturer and seller of contact lenses, has been recognized for its excellent initiatives in promoting women's active participation and obtained the "Eraboshi Certification (Stage 2)" on June 4, 2026, certified by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The "Eraboshi Certification" is awarded by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to companies that have formulated and submitted a General Employer Action Plan and meet certain requirements, such as demonstrating excellent implementation of initiatives for promoting women's active participation. Our company received the "Eraboshi Certification (Stage 2)" in recognition of our efforts in "Recruitment," "Work Styles such as Working Hours," "Proportion of Managers," and "Diverse Career Paths" among the five evaluation items.

In our medium-term management plan, we have set "Developing a Business Foundation through Strengthening Human Resources" as one of our key strategies and are working to enhance our human capital to strengthen the business foundation itself. Human capital is a crucial element of our value creation base and has also been identified as a key theme in our materiality (important issues).

As part of our efforts to improve corporate value with a view to medium- to long-term growth, we have formulated "Human Resource Development Policy" and "Internal Environment Improvement Policy." We are actively working to secure and develop human resources with "broad perspectives" that support business growth and the development of new domains, promote diversity, and strengthen human capital. We also strive to create an environment where employees can work more comfortably, such as by introducing work styles that consider work-life balance.

◆ Proportion of Female Managers (Section Chief level and above, as of April 1)

Our proportion of female managers was 24.6% in the fiscal year ending March 2027. This is due to the low proportion of women in the age groups of managers. When looking at the proportion of men and women in each age group, the proportion of male and female managers is almost at the same level.

Fiscal Year Ending March 2025: 17.7%

Fiscal Year Ending March 2026: 22.1%

Fiscal Year Ending March 2027: 24.6%

【Our Main Initiatives and Internal Systems】

◆ Human Resource Recruitment and Development

We are standardizing human resource education for new graduates while diversifying career recruitment to broadly hire highly specialized talent from outside. Furthermore, we are developing a continuous learning environment to ensure employees can always acquire the latest knowledge and skills.

・ Qualification Acquisition Incentive System

・ Scholarship Repayment Support System

・ Degree Acquisition Support System

・ Regular Employee Conversion System

・ Career Design Sheet System (A system for employees to communicate their career intentions and desired future selves to the company)

・ Post Challenge System (A system that allows employees to challenge desired departments and positions to achieve their career development)

◆ Promotion of Diversity

We are building a diverse work environment by providing equal opportunities and fair selection mechanisms to all employees, regardless of gender, age, nationality, or disability. As of the end of March 2026, the proportion of female employees in our company alone was 54.2%, and the proportion of foreign national employees was 13.8% (including temporary employees).

In addition, we regularly implement initiatives such as establishing a company-sponsored childcare facility and holding exchange meetings called "MeBae CAFE" for those balancing childcare and nursing care to exchange information and alleviate concerns.

・ Formulation of DE&I Basic Philosophy

・ Establishment of a Company-Sponsored Childcare Facility (Seed Nursery School, adjacent to the Konosu Research Institute)

・ Implementation of MeBae CAFE (Exchange meetings for career development support and support for balancing childcare and nursing care)

◆ Introduction of Work Styles Considering Work-Life Balance

We have introduced leave systems for those balancing childcare and nursing care, reduced working hours for childcare up to the 6th grade of elementary school, and introduced a flextime system and remote work system for flexible working styles.

・ Childcare Leave

・ Family Care Leave

・ Extension of Reduced Working Hours for Childcare (up to the 6th grade of elementary school)

・ Flextime System

・ Remote Work System

・ Child Sickness Care Allowance Payment

SEED Co., Ltd. Company Overview

SEED Co., Ltd. is a contact lens manufacturer headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. Our journey began with contact lens research in 1951, and we were founded in 1957. Next year, we will celebrate our 70th anniversary as a comprehensive specialized manufacturer of "eyes." We offer a wide range of contact lenses and related products to meet the diverse needs of our customers. We aim to realize a society where the joy of diverse "sight" can be created, and we deliver our products to over 50 countries and regions, primarily in Asia and Europe, as well as domestically.

Homepage: https://www.seed.co.jp SEED Corporate X (Official): https://x.com/SEED_koho SEED Public Relations TikTok (Official): https://www.tiktok.com/@seed_koho SEED YouTube (Official): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOCIN1Lb3yq6T_LiHDB4YVA SEED LinkedIn (Official): https://www.linkedin.com/company/seedcontactlens