Click below to move to each initiative.

• 1. Environmental Impacts of Our Business Operations
• 2. Tackling Climate Change
• 3. Initiatives for Eco-friendly Distribution
• 4. Environmental Protection through Our Products
• 5. Chemical Substances Control Initiative
• 6. Waste Reduction Initiatives
• 7. Pollution Control Initiatives Targeting Air and Water
• 8. Environmental Accounting

1. Environmental Impacts of Our Business Operations

We are engaged in various efforts to not only provide better products and services, but also to reduce the environmental impacts of our business operations, including in our supply chains. We make efforts to conserve energy and tackle climate change of course. We are also managing the water used in our manufacturing sites in order to use water resources effectively, conducting advanced recycling and thoroughly treating water before it is released into the natural environment. Moreover, we also commission odor monitoring as well as conduct odor patrols and regular noise measurements so that neighboring residents can live in peace. In fiscal 2019, we received no reports of environmental pollution incidents or environmental complaints.

Note: This fiscal 2019 data is for only Nippon Shokubai (including our head offices, research centers and other sites).

2. Tackling Climate Change

Promoting GHG reduction

Reducing energy use/CO₂ emissions

At Nippon Shokubai, in line with the targets set in the commitment to a low carbon society by the JCIA, the RC Promotion Committee, chaired by the President, has formulated the Medium-term RC Basic Plan. Based on this Plan, each plant, under the initiative of the energy management committee, implements activities to help mitigate climate change, including reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emission intensity. Furthermore, we set the GHG reduction target for fiscal 2030 to be 10% or more compared to the level of fiscal 2014 by reference to the CO₂ emissions reduction target for fiscal 2030 set by the JCIA in March 2019 (10.7% reduction compared to FY 2013). In fiscal 2019, the results of our efforts to conserve energy aimed at our fiscal 2020 targets were 102 L/t-production for energy intensity and 0.402 t-CO₂/t-production for CO₂ emission intensity, and 0.192 t-CO₂/t-production for energy source CO₂ emission intensity. Our Osaka and Tokyo Offices use green electricity (biomass generation) under the Green Electricity Certificate System.

Calculating the CO₂ emissions resulting from our entire supply chain

3. Initiatives for Eco-friendly Distribution

Promoting modal shift

As a way of tackling climate change through our logistics operations, we are taking steps to reduce our CO₂ emission intensity and implement exhaust gas countermeasures to control air pollution.
Although changing economic conditions can affect the amount of goods we transport and our CO₂ emissions, we are advancing initiatives to reduce our CO₂ emission intensity. These include modal shifts, improved transport efficiency, introduction of digital tachometers interlocked with GPS and drive recorders, and energyefficient vehicle operation such as minimal idling and the installation of energy-efficient tires.
We adopted the Kawasaki eco-transportation system as an air pollution control measure (effective April 1, 2010) and introduced three initiatives: eco-friendly driving and display of "eco-drive" stickers, elimination of vehicles that do not comply with laws regulating NOx and PM emissions, and widespread adoption of lowemission and energy-efficient vehicles.
Starting in fiscal 2017, in addition to joint transportation with other companies in the same business and conventional ship transportation by tankers, we have introduced a new type of ship transportation (roll-on/roll-off shipping) to reduce the environmental impact.

An example of modal shift
(railway tank containers and loading and filling equipment)

4. Environmental Protection through Our Products

Promoting Environmental Contribution Products

Chemical products have an impact on the environment because they are produced using the Earth’s resources and involve the discharge of CO₂ and other waste. However, looking at the entire product life cycle from raw material extraction to product disposal, in some stages chemical products contribute to a reduction in the environmental impacts.
We evaluate how our products are used to reduce the environmental impacts through the supply chain to produce the various products in our daily life and as equipment to produce our products and in the social infrastructure.
In fiscal 2019, Nippon Shokubai began to review its Environmental Contribution Products by reviewing internal criteria and establishing an internal certification system in which the certification committee examines the checklist items and numerical data and certifies the products.

Environmental Contribution Products

Promoting CO₂ emissions reductions throughout the product lifecycle

We employ the c-LCA method to assess the degree to which our products contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions. The c-LCA method assesses CO₂ emissions throughout the lifecycle of a finished product incorporating a specific chemical product compared with a product when assuming that the chemical products are not available. The difference in the volume of emissions is calculated as the net volume of emissions that would be avoided as a result of using that chemical product.

5. Chemical Substances Control Initiative

Reducing chemical emissions

In fiscal 1995, we participated in a voluntary PRTR survey undertaken by the JCIA and have set out to reduce our emissions of chemical substances into the environment.
In fiscal 2019, we released 78 tons of substances subject to the PRTR Law, which represents a 27.2% decrease in emissions compared to fiscal 2015 levels. As a result, we were able to achieve the reduction target for the 10th Plan ahead of schedule.

6. Waste Reduction Initiatives

Reducing the amount of waste subject to final disposal at off-site landfills

Reducing waste is a necessary initiative to support the creation of a society committed to recycling. Toward the goal of achieving and maintaining “zero emissions” (defined as “reducing the quantity of waste subject to final disposal at off-site landfills to less than 0.1% of the total amount of waste generated”), we are introducing sorting for the recovery and recycling of our waste.
In fiscal 2019, we are continuing to implement our zero emissions policy by reducing the amount of waste subject to final disposal at off-site landfills. In addition to implementing comprehensive sorting for recovery and recycling, we are achieving this by redesigning our processes to reduce waste, reusing byproducts and processing product leftovers on site.

7. Pollution Control Initiatives Targeting Air and Water

Working to reduce the environmental impact by introducing waste gas treatment catalysts and high-performance activated sludge treatment equipment

We are monitoring our SOx, NOx and dust emissions, and we have installed denitrification equipment, which we developed in-house, for NOx and scrubbers for dust to prevent air pollution. For SOx, we are reducing our heavy oil consumption and progressing with converting fuel to natural gas to reduce emissions. We use the waste gas treatment catalysts we developed in-house for purification of unreacted raw materials and by products generated in the production processes.
To prevent water pollution, we are working to reduce the environmental impact of wastewater from production processes by using waste liquid treatment equipment. In addition to reusing cooling water for more effective use of our water resources, we have adopted high-performance activated sludge treatment equipment that can stably process even high impact substances and are working on reducing sludge waste as well. All emissions are at levels below municipal and prefectural agreements.

8. Environmental Accounting

The values determined in our environmental accounting were aggregated according to the Environmental Accounting Guidelines for the Chemical Industry published in 2003 by the JCIA and the Japan Responsible Care Council. We also made reference to the Environmental Accounting Guidelines 2005 published by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.