Energy-Saving, Resource-Saving and Reduction of the Environmental Impact
- Environment Management
- Response to Climate Change
- Resource Saving
- Biodiversity and Pollutant Countermeasures
Environment Management
Environment Management
The Group works on energy savings, waste reduction, and chemical substance management as
important issues. We create the "Shin-Etsu Group Environmental Safety Management Plan" every
year in accordance with the Responsible Care Codes1 and set numerical goals. The
company and all of the plants of our Group companies set goals annually according to this
plan and work to achieve them. Annual activity results are reported to the director in
charge of the environment control at the Group Environmental Protection Conference.
In order to increase the quality of activities, each plant and the Group companies perform
several internal audits a year to check if they have set appropriate goals and the progress
that they have achieved. In addition, we also check their activities and achievements
through periodical environmental control and safety audits. The audit results are reported
to the top management.
Promoting Reduction of the Environmental Impact
The Group constantly works to promote the reduction of environmental impact in the
manufacturing stage. Furthermore, we are considering ways to reduce the environmental impact
at the product usage stage and to contribute to energy and resource conservation. The
Research, Manufacturing, and Sales Departments work together to develop products that are
used in various fields, including the manufacturing industry, our daily lives, and the
renewable energy industry.
Environmental Impact of Business Activities
- 1 Responsible Care Codes
Six principle areas are addressed when implementing Responsible Care: Responsible Care Codes consist of seven codes, composed of six codes for different activity areas, namely, environmental preservation, disaster prevention, occupational health and safety, distribution safety, chemical and product safety, and dialogue with the public, and the Management System Code, designed to operate all the above commonly as a system. - 2 PRTR controlled substances
462 substances have been identified as Class I designated chemical substances from the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) system in the Act on Confirmation, etc. of Release Amounts of Specific Chemical Substances in the Environment and Promotion of Improvements to the Management. - ※ The scope of reporting has been changed from group companies including Shin-Etsu Chemical and non-consolidated companies to Shin-Etsu Chemical and consolidated companies.
- ※ For data disclosed from 2021 onwards, we use the CO2 emission factor of our power suppliers to calculate the amount released.
- ※ Waste standards and PRTR controlled substances differ from country to country, and these are the figures for the company and Group companies in Japan.
- ※ The waste recycling ratio indicates the ratio of the amount recycled to the total waste generated.
- ※ The final disposal ratio indicates the ratio of the amount of landfill waste to the total waste generated.
Targets and Results
The following shows our targets and results for environmental protection and chemical substance management for FY2020 and our targets for FY2021.
Target, Implementation Status, Evaluation, and Planned Implementation
Items
Environmental Certification
In 1996, Shin-Etsu Chemical Gunma Complex obtained the ISO 14001 certification, becoming the first facility of a major chemical company in Japan to achieve such a certification. The Group has continued to obtain the ISO 14001 certification, the international standard for environmental management systems.
Environmental Accounting
In FY2020, the company referred to the "Environmental Accounting Guidelines 2005" prepared by the Ministry of the Environment in Japan to calculate the investments and expenditures necessary to reduce the environmental impacts of air pollution, water pollution, environmental release of chemical substances, etc.; energy-saving measures to conserve the global environment; and reducing waste and recycling to reuse resources.
Environmental Conservation Costs in FY2020
million yen
| Category | Details | Investment | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant area costs | 1,586 | 6,324 | |
| (1)Pollution prevention costs | Prevention measures for air, water, noise and other type of pollution | 146 | 4,244 |
| (2)Global environmental conservation costs | Energy saving and global warming mitigation measures | 1,179 | 937 |
| (3)Resource recycling costs | Waste reduction, recycling and other measures | 261 | 1,143 |
| Upstream and downstream costs | Green purchasing and container and packaging measures | 11 | 8 |
| Administration costs | Environmental management, environmental impact monitoring and environmental education measures | 0.5 | 255 |
| Research and development costs | Research and development of environmentally conscious products and processes | 0 | 3,409 |
| Social engagement costs | Donations and contributions to environmental saving | 0 | 42 |
| Environmental remediation costs | Assessment, handling and other costs related to environmental pollution | 0 | 51 |
| Total | 1,598 | 10,089 | |
Economic Benefits of Environmental Accounting in FY2020
million yen
| Details of benefits | Economic benefit |
|---|---|
| Energy saving | 338 |
| Improved production efficiency | 2,835 |
| (1)Production process | 2,784 |
| (2)Secondary materials costs | 51 |
| Reduction in waste treatment costs | -22 |
| Profit from sale of valuable resources | 107 |
| Total | 3,258 |
Cost of Environmental Conservation:Investment and Expenditure
Economic Impact
