Shin-Etsu Group and Climate Change
The Group is addressing climate change by contributing to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions through its business activities.
Structure of dealing with climate change
In the Group, the ESG Promotion Committee is working together with our business divisions and the entire Group to address climate change.
The ESG Promotion Committee is positioned as one of the "committees for each material management task" in the corporate governance system. The Committee is chaired by the president and consists of about 50 members, including the directors and general managers of divisions of Shin-Etsu Chemical and ESG officers of Group companies. The mission of the committee is to promote ESG activities in an effective and appropriate manner in all aspects of the Group's corporate activities.
SustainabilityーManagementーESG Promotion Structure
The Committee held 8 meetings on climate change in FY 2019. At the general meeting of the Committee held in November 2019, we discussed addressing climate change. In addition, the Committee reports on the Group's efforts to deal with climate change at the Managing Directors' Meeting which reviews and makes decisions on the execution of business operations each year, and the contents of its activities are detemined.
Strategies for addressing climate change
The Group aims to develop society and people’s daily lives while keeping down environmental impact. To this end, we will contribute to maximizing efficiency through our products and technologies. The specific strategies and implementation methods are as follows.
Strategies
- 1) Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions production intensity through thorough improvements in production efficiency
- 2) Through development, production, and supply of environment-contributing products, contributing to the efficiency of customers’ production processes, expecting to spread throughout society
- 3) Promoting the utilization of renewable energy
- 4) Promoting logistics rationalization
1) Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions production intensity through thorough production efficiency improvements
①Promotion of efficient manufacturing activity
The G Committee, one of the "committees for each material management task", promotes efficient
production activities and
works to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Committee monitors the progress
and results of
strategy implementation, and twice a year reports to the Managing Directors' Meeting on the results
and specific
initiatives.
For many years, the Group has continuously worked to improve production technologies, in order to
realize reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions per product unit. We are constantly striving to put new
production technologies to practical use in
order to further raise production efficiency and build a track record.
Examples of the G Committee Initiatives
- 1. reduce energy and raw material use
- 2. reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- 3. enhance productivity
②Reduction of greenhouse gases through capital investment
We are introducing a new high-efficiency gas turbine. In addition, we set greenhouse gas reduction
effects as an
indispensable issue in the planning of capital investment. Having greenhouse gas emissions
reductions in mind at the
investment proposal stage helps each to understand that this is an important management issue.
2) Through development, production, and supply of environment-contributing products, contributing to the efficiency of customers’ production processes, expecting to spread throughout society
The R&D, manufacturing, and sales divisions work together to develop, produce, and supply products that contribute to the environment. The Group has a wide range of products that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Each research center is responsible for developing products that meet customer needs. The reseach centers have the ability to develop new products at an early stage, which contributes to the expansion of the Group's business.
| Products that contribute to climate change mitigation | |
|---|---|
| Product | Applications |
| PVC resins | PVC pipes that can be used for a long period of time PVC windows frames that contribute to energy conservation |
| Silicones | Encapsulating materials for solar cell modules Eco-tire materials that contribute to higher fuel efficiency in vehicles |
| Semiconductor silicon | Semiconductor devices installed in consumer products contribute to the efficient use
of energy. Inverters and other electronic devices that enable substantial power savings |
| Rare earth magnets | Various types of motors, including drive motors for hybrid vehicles, electric
vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles, that
contribute to the electrification and energy conservation of vehicles as well as
improvements in safety Compressor motors for energy-saving air conditioners and high-efficiency motors for wind power generators |
| LED encapsulating materials | Major components of the optical modules of energy-saving, long-life LEDs |
Sustainabilityー The Shin-Etsu Group and SDGs
3) Promoting the utilization of renewable energy
We are working to reduce purchased electricity by introducing renewable energy. This also contributes to reducing scope 2 emissions.
| Examples of Renewable Energy Utilization | |
|---|---|
| Example | Details |
| Installation of solar panels | Installation on the rooftop of a building in Shin-Etsu Handotai’s Shirakawa plant
(scheduled for completion in July
2020) Shin-Etsu Chemical’s Gunma complex plans to install on the rooftop of the building |
4) Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Logistics
We are reducing greenhouse gases during product transportation. This will contribute to the reduction of scope 3 emissions of greenhouse gases.
| Example of logistics rationalization | |
|---|---|
| Examples | Scope 3 emissions categories contributing to reductions |
| Modal shift 1 in methanol transport (switching from tank truck to railcar) |
Category 4: "Emissions from product transport" |
| Modal shift in silicon wafer transport (switching from aircraft to ocean vessel) |
Category 4: "Emissions from product transport" |
| Promoting the reuse of wafer cases | Category 5 "Waste disposal-related emissions" |
- 1 Modal shift
Shifting from trucks and other freight transport to railways and ships with less environmental impact.
Risks and opportunities posed by climate change to our businesses
In the Group, the Risk Management Committee, one of the "committees for each material management
task", is responsible
for the overall management of business risks, including those arising from climate change. The
committee is chaired by a
managing director and consists of about 20 members, including directors and general managers of
divisions of Shin-Etsu
Chemical.
The Committee stipulates the comprehensive risks that the Group considers when conducting its
business activities in its
Risk Management Regulations. It stipulates specific risks and risk management systems from a
long-term perspective, as
well as responses to emerging risks. The Committee reports important issues in risk management,
including climate
change, to the Board of Directors, the Managing Directors’ Meeting, and the Audit & Supervisory
Board.
SustainabilityーManagementーRisk Management
In identifying and analyzing the risks and opportunities that climate change poses to our
business activities, we have
adopted two climate change scenarios which are temperatures increase by 2 degrees Celsius and 4
degrees Celsius
respectively from today's level at the end of the 21st century. Currently, we are conducting
identification and analysis
of the risks and opportunities.
Factors that may affect the Group are as follows.
1. Possibility of introduction of strict regulations to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
2. Possibility
of introduction of environmental taxes and other new taxes
3. Changes in the supply-demand balance and prices of energy and raw materials
4. Increasing corporate social responsibility for climate change mitigation
5. Greater business opportunities to provide products and technologies that contribute to
climate change mitigation
The risks and opportunities identified so far are as follows.
| Risks and mitigation measures that climate change will affect our operations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Factors | Risks | Mitigation measures |
| 1.Introduction of carbon taxes and carbon emissions trading systems | The carbon tax and carbon emissions trading systems are already in place in the EU, where our production bases are located. They may also be introduced in Japan and the U.S. | Through further improvements in production efficiency by the G Committee and the implementation of new production technologies, we are promoting energy savings and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. |
| 2.Changes in precipitation and precipitation areas | Floods and storms occur all over the world. On the other hand, droughts and water
shortages due to the decline in
precipitation have occurred in some regions, and it is essential to secure stable water
supply there. The group has production bases around the world, including in Asia, where floods and storms frequently occur. While each site implements flood countermeasures, it is possible that floods and storms will far exceed expectations. In either case, there is a possibility that recovery cost for production facilities failure and opportunity costs associated with the shutdown of production activities will occur. In addition, there is a possibility that we may not be able to procure raw materials originating from natural sources or materials whose production areas are concentrated in specific areas. |
We are working to diversify production sites and raw material suppliers. In
addition, based on past flood
records, we have installed plant control rooms and other important facilities in
locations with low risk of flooding, as
well as have surrounded with waterproof walls. After implementing these measures, the
Company buys property and casualty
insurance coverage necessary for business continuity. To conserve the water resources, we are actively working to reduce the amount of water intake and promote the water recycling. |
| 3.Loss of reputation | The Group's greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production have declined significantly.
However, there is a possibility
of concern that the absolute volume of greenhouse gas emissions will increase as the
business expands. In addition, it is possible that our stakehokders do not understand that our products are contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. |
We proactively disclose the Group's initiatives from various perspectives through publications such as sustainability reports and annual reports, as well as case studies from the Keidanren’s "Challenge Zero." We also actively engage in dialogue with investors on climate change. |
| Opportunity that climate change will have for our operations | |
|---|---|
| Factors | Opportunities |
| 1.Opportunities arising from tighter regulations |
Movements to promote energy conservation, such as standards for vehicle fuel
efficiency and demand for energy
consumption of electrical products, will be strengthened more and more. Our products
contribute to energy saving in our
customers manufacturing processes and the performance improvement of energy saving
can be seen at the use of the end
products. Shin-Etsu Group Products and Technologies that Contribute to Environmental Conservation Comparison and analysis of greenhouse gas emissions1 over the life cycle of products using competing products against products using PVC and silicones reveals that products using PVC and silicones emit less and are superior. Semiconductor silicon is also used in home appliances, automobile inverters, and information and communications equipment, contributing significantly to energy conservation. |
| 2.Chances of changing temperature | As greenhouse gas emissions increase, the average temperature rises and the fluctuation
range of the temperature
changes, and expectations for energy-saving products such as automobiles and home
appliances increase. For example, power consumption can be reduced by using rare earth magnets for various motors. Semiconductor silicon is indispensable for electronic devices that manage energy use. In addition, our products, such as PVC resins and silicones, are used and sold in a variety of energy-saving products. |
| 3.Improving the reputation | As greenhouse gas emissions increase, the average temperature rises and the lowest
temperatures fluctuate. Demand for
energy-saving products is rising, as they are increasingly regarded for health and
comfort. Our products, such as PVC
resins for plastic windows, silicone resins for LED packaging materials, and rare earth
magnets used in hybrid cars and
electric vehicles' motors, are used in a variety of energy-saving products. As a result,
we expect to increase profits
by increasing sales of existing products and expanding opportunities to expand sales of
new products. In addition, by deepening investors' understanding of our contribution to energy conservation, better evaluation will be given to us and our shares. |
- 1 GHG emissions over the entire life cycle
Emissions of greenhouse gases throughout the product lifecycle, from the procurement of raw materials for products and services through disposal and recycling