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Environmental Activities of Business Divisions |
Environmental measures in business divisions consist of methods to directly reduce impact through the actions of employees, in high visibility areas such as office use of paper and electricity, and disposal of garbage. Methods to indirectly reduce environmental impact include activities like green purchasing. As environmental efforts by individuals are vital for environmental impact reduction in the business division, we strive to increase employee awareness through continuing environmental education.
Below is a look at the efforts made by the business division, focusing on the Tokyo site, which in August of this year became the first of our business divisions to acquire ISO 14001 certification.
ISO14001 Certification Acquisition by the Tokyo Site of the Business Division
Our office in Nihonbashi brings together many organizations, including the Kanto Business Unit, into one Tokyo Site. The Tokyo Site is undertaking environmental management activities under ISO 14001, which was acquired in August of this year with "JIA-QA Center" acting as the auditing and registering organization.
In addition to energy conservation, paper consumption reduction, garbage separation and recycling, and environmentally-considerate sales vehicles, the Tokyo Site also strives for green purchasing of its office goods and promotional products. Other daily duties undertaken in close conjunction with environmental ISO activities include the promotion of sales that encourage impact reduction, such as returnable containers and bulk sales.
After five months of activity, energy consumption has fallen to 89% year-on-year, and garbage recycling, 61%.
We began the company-wide "Eco Office Campaign" in September 1998 to reduce use of copy paper. Figures for FY99 were 99% of the previous year, a 1% reduction.
Promoting Green Purchasing for Office Goods and Promotional Products
At the Tokyo Site, we established green purchasing standards for environmentally friendly office goods and promotional products. About half of our office goods, by type, have been replaced with "green" products. Other efforts include switching from plastic bags for promotional purposes to recyclable bags.
Furthermore, we participated with alcohol and drink manufacturers and glass companies in the founding of Crystal Clay Co., Ltd. The company manufactures tile using glass cullet as its main raw material. The tiles are currently used in our offices, company dormitories, and a related company's restaurant as efforts toward green procurement.
"Anthology" in Nihonbashi, Tokyo
Environmental Education for Employees
We plan annual education activities and carry out necessary environmental training initiatives as part of ISO 14001 certification. In addition, the "TaKaRa Container and Packaging Recycling Handbook" which had been distributed to each section, will be distributed to all employees in consideration of the Container and Packaging Recycle Law, which came into full effect in April of 2000. We are also creating a system to respond to inquiries from the public, which includes sharing recycle information through the "Eco Challenge 21" database.
As training for new employees, we utilize lecture-format education, visits to the returnable bottle washing factory, and participation in regional beautification projects. Letting employees see recycling in the field builds recognition of environmental problems and understanding toward why corporate response is important.
Environmental Activities of the Group Printing Company
Taihei Printing Co., Ltd., a TaKaRa Group printing company, considers the environment an important issue for the printing industry and is involved in research and education to make printed material more ecological. The company spreads information on low environmental impact printing through PR publications and sponsorship of events such as "Environmentally Friendly Printing Exhibition 99", while it works toward ISO 14001 certification.
Environmentally Friendly Printing Exhibition 99
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