Water Resource Conservation
The Nippon Shokubai Group manufactures a wide variety of chemical products, and water is indispensable in the manufacturing process. For example, water is used to prepare water solution products, heat or cool materials in the manufacturing process, clean products, and operate detoxifying facilities that remove chemicals generated in the manufacturing process as well as drainage facilities. Consequently, the continuity of our business depends on our ability to ensure the sustainability of water, which we see as our responsibility to society. In an effort to conserve water resources, we are working to use water efficiently and prevent water pollution by introducing a wastewater collection system that enables acrylic acid contained in wastewater to be collected and reused. In addition, we strive to provide solutions to water problems through our products and technology (see Environmental Contribution Products).
Reducing Water Consumption (Efficient Water Use)
The Group aims to reduce water usage in our plants by using and reusing recycled water and making other efforts to use water efficiently.
Trends in water usage (water withdrawal*1)
(million ㎥)
| Fiscal year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nippon Shokubai | 15.8 | 15.0 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 14.4 |
| Group Companies in Japan | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Group Companies outside Japan | 46.5 | 48.6 | 47.4 | 47.9 | 19.8 | 3.0 |
Trends in water discharge*2
(million ㎥)
| Fiscal year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nippon Shokubai | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 7.7 |
| Group Companies in Japan | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Group Companies outside Japan | 45.8 | 47.2 | 46.1 | 46.6 | 18.0 | 1.0 |
Trends in water consumption*3
(million ㎥)
| Fiscal year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nippon Shokubai | 7.7 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.7 |
| Group Companies in Japan | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Group Companies outside Japan | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 |
Water Pollution Prevention
To prevent water pollution, we work to eliminate the environmental impact of wastewater at all plants through high-level purification of wastewater from manufacturing processes, specifically by introducing high-performance activated sludge treatment equipment, which is capable of consistently treating even heavy-duty wastewater.
All emissions of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus, and total nitrogen for our wastewater are at levels below municipal and prefectural agreements.
Nippon Shokubai
(tons)
| Fiscal year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COD of wastewater | 54 | 55 | 50 | 50 | 56 | 45 |
| Total phosphorus emissions | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Total nitrogen emissions | 47 | 58 | 55 | 52 | 56 | 57 |
Group companies in Japan
(tons)
| Fiscal year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COD of wastewater | 45 | 53 | 60 | 61 | 55 | 72 |
Products and Technologies Providing Solutions to Water Issues
We develop and sell water treatment agents and wastewater treatment catalysts for wet air oxidation and decomposing hazardous substances in wastewater (See Environmental Contribution Products), osmotic pressure-generating agents for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment (See Page 17 of the TCFD Report (April 2022)), and other products to help solve problems with water resources.
Water Risk Assessment
We have confirmed with the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI), that none of our business locations are in the “Water Stress” area. We will continue to check on this matter and work on reducing water-related risks.