In support of Agenda 21: “Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Development,” adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Group is promoting responsible care (RC) activities, a voluntary initiative to implement and improve comprehensive safety measures for chemical substances.
Responsible Care (RC) is a voluntary management activity carried out globally by companies in the chemical industry based on the principles of self-determination and self-responsibility. It involves implementing and improving safety, health, and environmental measures throughout the entire life cycle from the development to the manufacturing, distribution, use, and final disposal of chemical substances.
We have been a member of the Responsible Care Committee of the Japan Chemical Industry Association since its establishment, and the RC Promotion Council plays a central role in actively promoting RC activities.
RC Philosophy
Recognizing that the preservation of the global environment is one of the common challenges facing humankind, we will, based on our own responsibility in our corporate activities, give consideration to the preservation of the environment and safety throughout the entire life cycle of our products, from development through manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal.
RC Basic Policy
- Carry out comprehensive environmental and safety management in such areas as environmental protection, operational safety and disaster prevention, occupational health and safety, chemical product safety, logistics safety, and international trade safety.
- Ensure the safety of employees and areas in the vicinity of company facilities by working to achieve zero accidents and zero disasters.
- Make efforts to save energy and resources and reduce the amount of industrial waste generated as a result of operations.
- Ensure the development and introduction of products and manufacturing processes that take environmental and safety issues into account.
- Strictly comply with laws, regulations, and agreements related to the environment and safety, as well as establish and meet our own stricter voluntary standards in these areas.
- Promote logistics safety and safe chemical handling for customers.
- Carry out the Environmental and Safety Audits.
- Collect information on the environment and safety related to products, and thoroughly disseminate the information among employees and provide information to customers.
- Take care to ensure the protection of the environment and safety in overseas operations, technology transfers, and the international trade of chemical products.
- Promote mutual understanding of risk by widely publicizing the details and results of our environmental and safety activities to local communities, investors, related organizations, and others through environmental reports and other materials.
RC Promotion System
RC Promotion Council
The council is chaired by the President and consists of the chairs of the subordinate committees and few other members who are appointed by the President. The Safety, Environment, and Security Department serves as the secretariat and supports the council to formulate medium- to long-term and annual policies on RC, deliberate and decide on important matters related to RC of the entire company, supervises and promote the three subordinate committees, and deliberate and coordinate audit items.
RC Audit System
Our RC audit system consists of three types of auditing: self-auditing, in which each business site evaluates its own performance; site auditing, which is conducted by committees; and overall auditing, in which the RC Promotion Council discusses and assesses the results of site audits. Continuous improvements are fostered, as self-auditing results are reflected in the next RC objectives and plans, while overall auditing results are incorporated into management policies, objectives, and implementation plans for the following fiscal year. Since FY2018, site auditing conducted by the Safety and Environment Committee has been integrated with that conducted by the Quality Assurance Committee. We have introduced audit preparatory meetings and audit follow-ups to implement an audit system that pays more attention to the PDCA process.
The 9th RC Action Targets for FY2022–2026 (five-year plan)
| Action target | Results and achievements | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Actions for zero accidents and zero disasters Strengthen the safety measures by using the PDCA cycle based on “5S.” |
Major occupational accidents* : 0 (Employees and partner company contractors: 0) Equipment accidents : 0 |
Safety Initiatives |
| 2. Energy-saving measures Improve energy consumption per production volume at facilities with high energy consumptions; promote efficient use of excess hydrogen. |
Reduce energy consumption (crude oil equivalent) per plant production volume by 3% compared to FY2023 (1% reduction per year) |
Response to Climate Change: Disclosures Based on the TCFD’s Recommendations |
| 3. Reduction of the final disposal of industrial waste Increase the number of recycling destinations; improvement of raw material intensity to reduce the generation of industrial waste. |
Reduce final disposal of industrial waste by 60% compared to FY2021 by improving the recycling rate (12% reduction per year) |
Reduction of Pollutant Emissions and Effective Use of Resources |
| 4. Reduction of emissions of PRTR substances For substances with increasing emissions, analyze causes and enhance measures. |
Reduce emissions of PRTR-designated chemical substances under the JCIA method by 40% compared to FY2021 (8% reduction per year) |
Reduction of Pollutant Emissions and Effective Use of Resources |
| 5. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions Precise measures to reduce emissions of high-GWP substances and promotion of power-saving measures to control CO2 emissions. |
Reduce CO2equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to FY2021 (4% reduction per year) |
Response to Climate Change: Disclosures Based on the TCFD’s Recommendations |
| *Major occupational accidents: occupational accidents that resulted in four or more days of lost work time | ||
Investment to Achieve RC Action Targets
Investment in Safety Measures
Investments are focused on building a foundation to support safety measures. We continue to invest in safety in line with the “giving the highest priority to safety” principle. We are committed to improving working environments and systematically upgrading facilities.
Investment in Environmental Measures
To conserve the environment, we continuously invest in necessary environmental measures such as promoting resource and energy saving, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, PRTR target substances, and the final disposal of industrial wastes.
