Chemical Safety
Basic Approach
Nippon Shokubai Group promotes chemical product control by complying with laws and regulations, disseminating information, and engaging in other efforts to completely avoid legal and social problems with chemical products throughout their lifecycles based on the RC Policy.
Promotion System
Targets and Results
| FY2023 targets | FY2023 results | FY2024 targets |
|---|---|---|
| Completely avoid (legal/social) problems with chemical products | Cases involving problems with chemical products: 0 | Completely avoid (legal/social) problems with chemical products |
Initiatives
Rigorous chemical product control throughout product lifecycles
We have been conducting thorough chemical management for each stage of products lifecycles from research and development to disposal after usage by establishing operation scheme, rules, systems, etc. to comply with domestic and foreign laws and regulations and providing appropriate information on chemicals safety to customers.
Chemical Management System
Efforts toward product safety
We strive to ensure the safety of new products and swiftly put them on the market by appropriately and promptly examining the safety and compliance status throughout the chemical product lifecycles at each stage, from research and development to commercialization.
Product safety initiatives
We create GHS-compatible Safety Data Sheets (SDS), warning labels, and Yellow Cards to promote the dissemination of information to our customers and the education of our employees. We also conduct strict checks of products intended for different end-uses (e.g. active pharmaceutical ingredients, pesticides, cosmetics, food additives) that include action by the Product Safety Review Subcommittee to comply with the Product Liability Act (PL Act).
Operating our chemical substance control system
We established a chemical substance control system to centrally manage information on chemical substances, raw materials, product-related hazards, laws and regulations, and more, and use the system for many purposes, including evaluating risks, preparing SDS, and responding to customers’ inquiries about the chemical substances in products. We are also sustaining efforts to update information and improve the functionality of the system, and in FY2020 launched an automatic warning label-creating function based on the system, that we began using for products in development.
Accommodating chemical registration requirements within and outside Japan
We work with specialized agencies and Group companies outside Japan to comply with laws and regulations, for example the Chemical Substances Control Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act of Japan, TSCA in the USA, and REACH in the EU.
We also hold training on laws and regulations and briefings on new systems pertaining to chemical product control on a regular basis to inform our employees and foster in them a sense of respect for the laws and regulations.
Additionally, regarding acrylic acid—a priority assessment chemical substance under the Chemical Substances Control Act—an organization to which we belong conducts safety tests for aquatic life, and we submit information and otherwise respond proactively to risk assessments by the central government.
Import and export control initiatives
To ensure faithful compliance with import and export regulations, we establish and maintain Company rules, inform everyone in the Company of decisions as to controlled items, establish and maintain a shipping management system tied to our central accounting system, and conduct internal training on a regular basis. Additionally, our annual internal audit revealed no problems with exports during CY2023.
Promoting a voluntary initiative of the JCIA
We participate in GPS/JIPS, a voluntary initiative for strengthening chemical management promoted by the Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA), which prepares and releases a safety summary to the public.