| Adoption of an Environmental Management System (Company-wide Activities) |
If environmental activities were simply based
on establishing rules and giving orders, these activities might stop altogether.
In order to prevent the halt of environmental activities in process, we
promote certification under ISO 14001, international environmental management
regulations that require periodic third-party audits. We are aiming for
certification of all our workplaces: factories, branch and main offices,
research centers, and group companies.
About ISO 14001 Certification
|
|
Offices certified by April 2001
All Factories Certified (eight factories)
The factories established goals to prevent pollution and control the environmental impact of production and office activities at the factory, and to promote energy and resource conservation and prevention of environmental pollution.
|
 |
Tokyo Site (Business and Administrative Sections) Main Office Technology and Supply Division
The sales divisions promote energy conservation, trash separation, and green purchasing for sales activities, along with promotion of the EcoDrive program and sales of environmentally friendly products.
|
Future Plans: All workplaces certified by FY 2002
| FY 2001 --> Nine branch offices |
|
| FY 2002 --> |
Headquarters, research centers, major affiliated corporations |
|
Regarding relevant environmental laws
|
|
(1)Compliance with Relevant Laws
We have received ISO 14001 (environmental management system) certification at all of our factories. Under our environmental policy, we are committed to legal compliance with environmental laws and appropriate up-to-date management methods.
Relevant environmental laws number over 30. We engage in strict information management for all of these, and for the past five years have been involved in no violations or claims involving these laws.
| 1) |
PRTR Law (Law Concerning Improvement of Handling and Management of Emissions of Specified Chemical Substances)
Our company is among the businesses required to make notifications under this law. Major chemical substances affected include acetonitrile (for research use) and acetaldehyde (a byproduct of brewing alcohol).
|
| 2) |
Law for Special Measures Concerning Dioxides
As a facility falling under this law, out Takanabe plant houses an incinerator for refuse from shochu distilling. This refuse contains almost no organic chlorides, and the plant's incinerator temperature, dust collection equipment, and measurement instruments are all designed for dioxin prevention; thus there is almost no danger of dioxin emission. The plant complies with all management standards under the law, and periodically tests gas emissions and soot to confirm that these are under legal limits.
Dioxin concentration in gas emissions
Legal limit: 80ng - TEQ/Nm3
Measured amount: 0.064ng - TEQ/Nm3 |
|
| 3) |
Law for Special Measures Concerning the Promotion of Proper Treatment of PCB Wastes
Our company has 26 electric machines using PCB (condensers, transformers, etc.), each of which is stored at the owning factory under strict management. We will make plans for proper disposal of these in accordance with the above law. |
| 4) |
Foodstuffs Recycling Law
Our company is among the businesses affected by this law, which took effect this year. We already engage in nearly complete recycling of the food wastes specified by the law, but will make further efforts to reduce the amount of waste initially generated.
|
(2)Regarding soil contamination and regular testing
We regularly test groundwater for contamination, but do not regularly test soil. At the start of our activities for ISO 14001 certification, we conducted soil sampling and confirmed that there was no contamination. As we do not handle any chemical substances that could be a cause of contamination, we have not undertaken regular testing since then.
|
