Effluents and Waste

KPI

  • Item

    Achievement of total zero-emissions

  • FY 2016 results

    Landfill rate 7.2%
    percentage of bases achieving target 86.0%

  • FY 2017 results

    Landfill rate 0.0%
    percentage of bases achieving target 100.0%

  • Item

    Water quality and total wastewater emissions by type of discharge

  • FY 2016 results

    Surface water 5,837,000 m3
    Groundwater 0.0 m3
    Sewerage 1,183,000 m3
    Others 522,000 m3

  • FY 2017 results

    Surface water 5,616,000 m3
    Groundwater 0.0 m3
    Sewerage 1,114,000 m3
    Others 496,000 m3

  • Item

    Total number of serious leaks and amount of wastewater leaked

  • FY 2016 results

    None

  • FY 2017 results

    None

  • Item

    Total quantity of hazardous waste transported, imported or processed, and percentage of waste that was transported internationally

  • FY 2016 results

    NA

  • FY 2017 results

    NA

  • Item

    Waterways and connected habitats affected by wastewater discharge—locations, size, conservation status, and value of biodiversity

  • FY 2016 results

    NA

  • FY 2017 results

    NA

Responsible Departments

Each business location

Stance and Target

Why is “Effluents and Waste” a critical issue to be addressed?
Explanation of the reason and background

We believe that minimizing the impact of our business activities in Japan and overseas on the environment will lead to sustainable operations. Accordingly, we believe that it is important for effluents and waste to be minimized as much as possible in a form with a low environmental impact.

Vision (attainment goal) / target

Mid-term targets are set for water use in Japan and overseas.
Based on these targets, and after confirming water risks and the status of wastewater, we will improve recycled water use and ultimately aim for a closed system.
We will work to achieve a reduction of 1% in waste materials per unit of waste, and aim for the attainment and maintenance of 100% recycling*1. We will then aim to achieve total zero-emissions*2 at all production bases.
Specially managed industrial wastes such as PCB, asbestos, chlorofluorocarbons, and mercury, etc., will be appropriately processed in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

*1 100% recycling: Achieve zero final disposal (= direct landfilled amount + incineration disposal amount resulting in ineffective use)

*2 Total zero-emissions: Make the direct landfilled amount zero.

Measures for vision achievement

  • We will introduce water recycling facilities, increase recycled water use, and reduce the volume of water discharge.
  • Even in the case of business locations that are legally entitled to have waste disposed of in landfill sites, we will look for and select industrial waste disposal contractors that do not conduct landfilling, and contract with them to undertake recycling processing.
  • The processing of PCB-containing devices will be conducted within the deadline specified by law.

Review of FY 2017 Activities

At overseas production bases in areas with high water risks (Thailand and India), closed systems have been introduced at the time of plant construction, and there is minimal water uptake and no water discharge.

Amount of waste material generated at Group companies in Japan and overseas

The amount of waste material generated at all Group production bases in Japan and overseas during fiscal year 2017 increased by 6.3% year-on-year to 37,219 tons.
We conduct recycling and activities aimed at achieving total zero emissions at all production bases in Japan and overseas.
We have established a target aimed at zero total emissions by fiscal year 2017 at our four overseas production bases in North America (excluding one new production base in the United States).
Additionally, other new plants overseas are also developing activities aimed at achieving zero emissions.

PCB wastes

Used PCB-containing devices are properly stored and processed according to relevant laws and regulations. During fiscal year 2017, 4 tons of PCB-containing devices were processed. We have begun processing PCB stabilizers depending on the region.
We will continue to implement proper processing of PCB-containing devices in use within the legally mandated deadline.

Introduction of Initiatives

At the Onomichi Plant, we improved and strengthened water filtration capabilities, worked to stabilize water quality, and succeeded in significantly improving the period of possible repeated use.

Amount of waste material generated at production bases in Japan

The amount of waste materials generated in fiscal year 2017 totaled 16,488 tons, representing a 3.5% increase year-on-year; the unit base of the generated amount of waste materials (per net sales) deteriorated by 1.1% compared to the previous year.

The processing flow for waste materials at production bases in Japan during fiscal year 2017 was as follows.

 1) Excluding general industrial waste
2) Consumer paper manufacturing waste, tree planting material, various consumer waste

In order to prevent improper disposal such as illegal dumping, local audits of processing contractors are conducted every year. A total of 95 audits were conducted fiscal year 2017, and it was confirmed that waste was properly disposed of.

Issues and Future Improvement Measures

  • Selection of overseas production bases of industrial waste disposal contractors that don’t conduct landfilling
  • Development of low-water-use facilities, and review of and investment in closed systems
  • Formulation of disposal plans for devices that are currently in use which contain low concentrations of PCB
  • Consider increasing the effective recycling value by increasing the ratio of valuables from industrial waste