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Environmental Activities at the Factory |
Factories are centers of production, and undertake their activities with the understanding and cooperation of the people living in the region. At TaKaRa, under the environmental management system of ISO 14001, we take efforts to reduce the environmental impact of production and to exist in harmony with the region through open factory events and involvement in local beautification activities.
Conserving energy during distillation, the most energy intensive process in spirits production
Unlike fermented alcohols (seishu, beer, etc.) created from natural fermentation processes, distilled spirits (shochu, whiskey, etc.) distill fermented alcohol with heat to obtain very pure alcohol, requiring relatively large amounts of energy. TaKaRa has 3 large continuous distillation facilities in Matsudo (Chiba), Kusu (Mie), and Shimabara (Nagasaki). In 1997, an energy efficient distillation process was adopted so as to realize a reduction in fuel consumption. This process sets detailed distillation procedures for each grade of alcohol and prevents excessive energy use. |
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Continuing ISO14001 Certification and Zero Emission Activities
By March of 2000, 7 of our 8 factories had received ISO 14001 certification, with the remaining factory at Fushimi working toward that goal.
In conjunction with ISO14001 certification, we are working toward achieving a 100% recycle rate for factory waste by FY 2002. We had already reached a recycle rate of 97% in FY 1999. New efforts in recycling include converting discarded seishu paper boxes into refuse derived fuel (RDF), and composting leftovers and waste scraps from restaurants. |
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Supplying hot water from distillation from the Shimabara Factory to the region
The Shimabara factory, which uses a large, continuous distillation chimney, has been supplying the city pool, residences, and hotels with hot water from the distillation process since 1973. This equates to a savings of 250,000 liters of heating oil annually. |
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Creating an exchange with the region through Factory Open Events and Regional Cleaning Activities
Matsudo factory in Chiba, Fushimi factory in Kyoto, and Kusu factory in Mie all sponsor an annual event in which the factory is open to the public for events and environmental education displays.
Furthermore, we undertake regional beautification activities at all factories and offices. At the main factory in Fushimi, employees spend an estimated 6,000 hours annually with local residents in such efforts. |
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| A chemical management system following the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is currently under construction. Actual measurements will begin in April 2001, and detailed measurements for reporting will start from April 2002. |
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