Activities to Reduce Environmental Impacts (3) Corporate Facilities Implementing Environmental Impact Reduction through Environmental Management Systems throughout the Company

1. We received ISO 14001 certification for 5 factories in March 1999

Our Sapporo plant (Hokkaido), Shirakawa plant (Fukushima Prefecture), Nada plant (Hyogo Prefecture), Takanabe plant (Miyazaki Prefecture) and Shimabara plant (Nagasaki Prefecture) all received certification for ISO 14001, the international environmental management standard, in March of 1999. Certification came from the JIA - QA Center and required about six months. Our remaining three plants will be certified by 2002. We plan to expand certification to business divisions as well.

2. Processing Waste Liquid from shochu Distillation at the Takanabe plant

Recycling all waste liquid from shochu distillation at our Takanabe plant for use in cement contributed greatly to this year's increase in "Environmental Impact Reduction Green Ink". We achieved a 100% recycle rate for the material, which alone accounts for 83% of the waste from the plant. Ocean dumping of waste liquid from shochu distillation will be summarily prohibited from 2001 under the London Protocol. This particular waste can also be recycled into feed or fertilizer, but considerations such as the size of recycled material markets led us to choose cement ingredients as our recycled product.

3. Developing Environmental Activities in our Business Divisions under the "Eco Office Campaign"

In-House Campaign Poster

Environmental activities are not only the concern of production and product development divisions, but business divisions too. Improving environmental consciousness in every employee of business divisions is important. In addition to planning the sharing of environmental information among employees through our "Eco Challenge 21" database, we've developed an "Eco Office Campaign" to reduce copy paper use and set environmental goals for each section. Furthermore, we'll be undertaking ISO 14001 certification for business divisions during this fiscal year.

4. Taking Action against Global Warming: Glass Bottle Cullet Tiles in Corporate Facilities

Crystal Clay Tiles Corporate Housing Using Crystal Clay

With little demand for "Bottle to Bottle" recycling of colored glass bottles, the surplus of cullet (crushed glass) is a problem. We participated in the founding of Crystal Clay, Corp., which develops business for the manufacture and sale of tile blocks containing cullet as a lightweight aggregate. We have actively been using Crystal Clay products in our Kyoto Headquarters, branch offices, dormitories, and related facilities - so far, the equivalent of 160,000 720-ml shochu bottles.

Crystal Clay tiles replace 70% of the clay material with cullet, allowing a lower baking temperature and decreased environmental impacts, including less energy and resource use and a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions. Compared with the use of tiles made from 100% natural resources, we've realized an effective saving of 19 t-c of CO2 emissions. Active use of these tiles is not only a measure to reduce the cullet surplus but also helps us fight global warming.

Crystal Clay Product Purchases

Purchase date	Place of Use	Product Name	Use (m2)	Glass reused (expressed as 720 ml bottles)
12/94	Aguri Development Center	Crystal Clay	489	5,100
12/94	Kusatsu Corporate Housing	Crystal Clay	1,100	11,400
5/95	Fukuoka Corporate Housing	Crystal Clay	1,100	12,000
9/95	Kanto Branch Office	Crystal Clay	109	3,200
2/96	Kusu Plant	Crystal Clay	297	3,500
3/96	Matsudo Plant	Crystal Clay	313	5,500
6/96	Fushimi Plant	Crystal Clay	535	7,400
9/97	Testing Room Takara Sake USA	Crystal Clay	232	6,800
10/97	Sapporo Plant	Crystal Clay	37	400
4/98	Headquarters Office Building	Crystal Clay	750	25,000
		G Light Use, OA Floor, Partitions, etc.	45m3 (G Light)	34,000
12/98	Sapporo Dormitory	Crystal Clay	146	1,500
1/99	"Hofu SATY" Commerce Facilities at the site of Hofu Plant	Crystal Clay	1,400	41,000
Total			6,560 (tiles only)	156,800 (tiles and G Light)

* Due to differences in cullet use by tile type, the 720 ml bottle equivalent may not be comparable to the square meter measure of tiles used.