Month of Impact: Protecting the Environment Across the Americas
(Sumitomo Corporation of Americas)
THE AMERICAS
Every year, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) holds the Month of Impact, a month dedicated to social contribution activities focused on environmental themes. Employees across the Americas roll up their sleeves to take part in a variety of initiatives that help improve and restore their local communities.
Stepping outside and into the community
Each year, employees from SCOA branches across the Americas step outside their offices and into their neighborhoods to make a difference for the environment. From tree planting and park cleanups to oyster reef restoration and biodiversity monitoring, no two events look the same. This program, the Month of Impact, was started by SCOA’s Corporate Sustainability team as a way for employees to experience the company’s Corporate Giving strategy in a hands-on way.
Since most activities take place outdoors, the Month of Impact is held in June, when the weather is favorable across much of the region. Ten teams joined from four countries, tailoring their efforts to local needs. The Sustainability Department provided guidance—helping coordinate with nonprofit partners, supporting logistics, and ensuring everyone had standardized gear—while local office liaisons brought each event to life.
Hands-on action across the Americas
Across the Americas, teams partnered with local nonprofits on projects tailored to their communities. In Bogotá, 20 employees planted over 40 trees in an indigenous reservation with Fundación Red de Árboles, contributing 60 volunteer hours. Mexico City’s 28 participants worked with Emma Hidroponia to plant and donate 150 fruit trees, along with essential tools, to 15 communal landowners dedicated to conservation in the Irrigation District of Xochimilco.
In New York, 23 volunteers supported oyster reef restoration with the Billion Oyster Project, improving water quality and protecting shorelines, while Los Angeles employees spent a collective 12 hours cleaning beaches with Heal the Bay. City environments benefited too: Chicago’s 12 participants cleaned local parks, Houston’s 11 restored Buffalo Bayou Park, Denver’s team led a neighborhood cleanup, and Vancouver hosted a Neighborhood Cleanup Party, together contributing dozens of volunteer hours.
Elsewhere, Toronto’s 15 volunteers monitored local species for EcoSpark, and Silicon Valley’s 7 participants packed 750 boxes of fresh produce at a community farm to be distributed to families in need. Each effort was hands-on, tangible, and directly connected to local communities, giving employees the chance to see the immediate results of their work while supporting long-term environmental and social impact.
Participation across the Americas region reflected strong engagement with the program’s purpose and approach. By bringing colleagues together around locally meaningful initiatives, the Month of Impact strengthened collaboration across teams while reinforcing a shared commitment to environmental stewardship and community partnership.
Measuring and amplifying the impact
SCOA measures the Month of Impact both through numbers and firsthand feedback. In 2025, 132 employees across ten cities contributed a total of 317 volunteer hours with eight nonprofit partners. Equally important is the qualitative perspective: each office sends summaries of their activities, which the Sustainability team compiles to capture the bigger picture. This feedback highlights how the events supported communities, strengthened ecosystems, fostered connections among employees, and even inspired moments of personal growth.
A big part of what makes the Month of Impact so meaningful is also the nonprofit partners. The Sustainability Department prioritizes organizations whose work delivers measurable results and whose goals align with the regional business strengths, employee feedback, and strategic focus. Many become long-term partners, allowing teams to build on past efforts and expand their impact over time. This ongoing collaboration also makes planning easier and helps employees feel more connected to the communities they support.
To further amplify these efforts, SCOA uses its “Kifinity” corporate giving platform, launched in 2024. The platform allows employees to log volunteer hours and charitable contributions while earning reward credits and donation matching benefits. Its name combines “Kifu” (the Japanese word for donation) with “Infinity,” symbolizing the limitless impact of giving. Volunteers earn $20 USD per hour in reward credits, which can be donated to a nonprofit of their choice. For smaller offices that cannot run their own events, Kifinity offers an easy way for individuals to contribute to causes that matter to them. The Kifinity platform is available to U.S., Canada, and Mexico employees, with plans for expansion across the entire SC Americas region.
The success of the Month of Impact comes from the partnership between SCOA’s Sustainability Department and local office teams. The department provides the framework and support, while employees bring each event to life. What ties it all together is a shared purpose: advancing climate resilience, supporting healthy ecosystems, and fostering thriving communities. That sense of common mission creates momentum across borders and time zones, leaving a lasting impact both on the environment and on the people who take part.
Zheng Qian
Rowena Eng
Corporate Sustainability, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas
