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- Basic Environmental & Safety Policy
We established our basic environmental and safety policy (*1) in 1995, and in order to attain it, we set environment and safety policies by referring to the Responsible Care (RC) Code of Conduct of the Japan Responsible Care Council (JRCC). Since then, we have been promoting integrated safety management on an international level, ranging from the development to the production and disposal of products with RC (*2) activity policies and targets set on a fiscal year basis.
NIPPON GOHSEI acquired ISO 9001 certification and ISO 14001 certification for its quality management system and environment management system, respectively in July, 2001. and started a unique comprehensive management system.
- (*1)Environment and Safety
- Prevention, occupational health and safety and safety of chemical products
- (*2)RC (Responsible Care)
- RC stands for the voluntary measures implemented by companies that produce and handle chemicals, based on the principle of self-responsibility, to protect and improve the environment, safety and health in their activities at all stages of chemical substance life cycle from development, manufacturing, distribution, use,final consumption through to disposal.
CO2 emissions rose in 2010 as compared to 2009, to 2.64 million tonnes. This means that there has been a 7.0% reduction in CO2 emissions as compared to fiscal 1990 (2.84 million tonnes; 2.94 million tonnes including the former Ogaki Kasei). Our goal was to reduce emissions during the five-year period 2008-2012 by 6% as compared to fiscal 1990, so we are on target. We continue striving to reduce CO2 emissions by promoting energy-saving activities and carrying out fuel conversion for the Ogaki plant boiler (completed in March 2011). We expect to reduce emissions even further with the introduction of a biomass boiler at the Kumamoto plant.
The figures given here are those included in the corporate figures submitted in accordance with the Energy Saving Act, which include figures from the Ogaki, Mizushima and Kumamoto plants, Central Research Laboratory and others. However, the conversion factor(*) used for the figures from 1990 is from the Japan Chemical Industry Association's (JCIA) 2005 Voluntary Action Plan follow-up questionnaire.
CO2 emissions (energy sources)
- (*)
- The main difference between this and the 2006-2010 conversion factor from the Energy Saving Act is the conversion factor relating to "use of heat supplied by a third party." (Energy Saving Act: CO2 0.060 ton/GJ, JCIA: C 21,800 tonnes / PJ = CO2 0.080 tonnes / GJ). The Ministry of the Environment's web site gives the 1990 conversion factor as CO2 0.088kg CO2/MJ, but this Report uses the JCIA's conversion factor, which results in lower 1990 CO2 emissions.
The old boiler at the Ogaki plant was replaced. We switched fuel from bunker C oil to city gas, which is more environment-friendly. Annual CO2 emissions will be reduced by 12,000 tonnes as compared to the old boiler. We often had questions from the people in the community about the steam coming from the chimneys in the form of white smoke, and this, too, will be reduced. The boiler is contained within a structure in order to reduce noise, and began operating from the middle of March 2011.
A view of the new boiler
As a "designated energy management factory"(*1) NIPPON GOHSEI is obliged to submit a report each year, pursuant to the Energy Saving Act, on energy used in transport and CO2 emissions, and to formulate plans for reducing transport energy source units.
Transport increased in fiscal 2010 and so CO2 emissions increased slightly, but energy consumption source units improved somewhat. Truck transport tends to account for 2/3 of our total CO2 emissions, so we are working toward a modal shift(*2) to rail transport, working to improve transport units and the like in an effort to improve energy consumption source units and reduce CO2 emissions.
- (*1) Designated energy management factory
- indicates a transporter of 30 million tonnes/kilo or more annually.
- (*2) Modal shift
- is a term for switching to methods that place a smaller burden on the environment, i.e., converting from transport by truck to rail and ship.
Transport amount (tonnes /kilo)
CO2 emissions and energy consumption source units
The flow chart illustrates the status of the burden placed on the environment by our production activities, generated through energy consumption and production processes.
Production Activities and Environmental Burden Input/Output (annual)
- (*) Amount shipped
- The amount of product produced, less the amount of self-consumption for manufacturing our products. The amount of product produced is used to calculate the energy source units, which are explained later in this report.
- (*) SOx
- Sulfur oxide gases such as sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide, generated mainly when fuel oil is burned.
- (*) NOx
- Nitrogen compounds, mainly nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide, which are inevitably generated when substances are burned.
- (*) Particulates
- Tiny particles generated when fuel or other substances are burned. Emission standards for particulates are regulated by the Clean Air Act.
- (*) COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)
- A chemical oxygen demand and water pollution index that indicates the amount of oxygen required for chemical decomposition of organic compounds in water.
- (*) PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register)
- A register of emissions and movement of environmental pollutants. Under this system, businesses report to an administrative body the amount of various chemical substances emitted into the air, water and ground, and the amount of industrial waste moved, and this data is made publicly available.
