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RC (Environment, Safety, Health) Report

RC (Environment, Safety, Health) Management

Environment and Safety Management Policy

JSR has established the following promotional areas based on the Basic Policies of the Japan Chemical Industry Association concerning the environment and safety as well as JSR's Management Policies for Safety, the Environment, Quality and Product Safety. JSR devises specific projects and promotes Responsible Care activities based on these areas.

Click here for JSR’s Management Policies for Safety, the Environment, Quality and Product Safety

Promotional Areas and Policy
  1. Undertake product development in consideration of safety and the environment
    When developing new products, JSR evaluates the environmental, safety and health impact at every stage from research and development to manufacture, transport, use and disposal, and makes utmost efforts to provide products that put into consideration such evaluations.
  2. Provide safety and environmental information related to products
    JSR sets in place a system for management of product-related safety and environmental information and furnishes Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and yellow cards to customers, transporters and others as necessary.
  3. Preserve the environment and assure safety for local residents
    JSR takes a positive approach in its measures for preserving the local environment, facility safety, and protection against major earthquakes taking into consideration the impact its business activities have on the environment. JSR's objective is to earn even greater trust at its business locations.
  4. Reduce the environmental impact
    JSR conducts studies of the environmental impact of chemical substances and works toward the systematic reduction of emissions. JSR engages in thorough efforts to reduce sources of emissions, reuse materials, and recycle resources in order to lessen environmental impact.
  5. Assure safety and environmental preservation in international operations
    JSR makes every effort to ensure that environmental and safety standards are observed at each operating base outside Japan. JSR cooperates with cross-border transfers of technology in these fields and strictly adheres to the regulations of Japan and other nations.
  6. Ensure employee health and safety
    Constantly at work on advanced evaluation of safety matters related to chemical substances and their handling, JSR is dedicated to improving operations and facilities, and to creating a healthy and safe workplace environment.
Environment and Safety Advancement Structure

JSR Signs Declaration Supporting RC Global Charter

Declaration of support for RC Global Charter
Declaration of support for RC Global Charter

The Responsible Care (RC) Global Charter is a voluntary activity policy adopted by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) shared by the chemical industry to enhance and reinforce RC activities around the world. JSR subscribes to this activity policy and has signed a declaration supporting the RC Global Charter in October 2008. By signing the declaration, JSR has committed itself to making even greater contributions to health, safety, and environmental preservation not only in Japan, but around the world.

ISO Certificate Acquired

By 1999, all JSR plants had acquired ISO 14001 certificate, which is an Environment Management System that supports environmental management. Together with the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, we will continue to receive regular audits by the authority concerned to maintain ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, and will strive to improve our system for protecting the environment and product quality. All plants successfully passed regular audits again in FY2009 (April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009).


The Environmental and Safety Internal Audits

Audits by the President (Kashima Plant)
Audits by the President (Kashima Plant)

JSR conducts annual internal auditing of the main office for the plants and research center with the president as the head of the auditing team. Furthermore, it has audited a high-pressure gas approved operation as well as a qualification inspection management department to confirm qualification criteria.
In FY2009, audits were conducted on improvement activities at four operation centers and 38 departments (including Group companies), with the following four areas of focus for the environmental and safety goals.


  • (1) Confirm that shortcomings in worksites are identified to clarify priority issues concerning environmental and safety activities, that specific response and improvement measures are reflected in activity plans, and that appropriate evaluations of activity results are conducted.
  • (2) Confirm basic operations to prevent accidents that can occur on the individual level during everyday activities and confirm the innovations that are being introduced to ensure strict legal compliance and for education on fundamental principles.
  • (3) Confirm that management, including the monitoring, measuring, recording and reporting of atmospheric and water quality as well as the environmental impact of waste, is being performed thoroughly and appropriately at worksites.
  • (4) Confirm that the safety equipment of moving and rotating equipment is functioning properly. Confirm the content of industrial accident prevention activities for employees of Group company business partners.

Improvement measures have been implemented for all items indicated by the audits for further enhancing environmental and safety levels. In addition, individual environmental/safety internal audits have been carried out annually on a regular basis at individual business establishments.

Audits of the Environment/Safety in the Group Companies

Audits for the overseas Group companies JSR Micro Korea
Audits for the overseas Group companies
JSR Micro Korea

JSR implements environmental/safety audits at our all Group companies in Japan involved in production, transportation and engineering processes in order to achieve integrated Responsible Care activities. We audited five establishments of four companies during FY2009, and provided them with the support required for improving the environmental and safety levels of activities after considering individual characteristics of the Group companies. Regarding overseas Group companies, we commenced audits of nine companies in FY2006. The audits are conducted to confirm the environmental and safety activities at those companies given the differing laws and cultures of the countries where they are based. Proposals are then made with expectations that the activities of those companies would be improved to reach an even higher level. JSR Micro Korea Co., Ltd. conducted audits in FY2009. To ensure the environment and the safety at our overseas Group companies, we will continue to carry out auditing activities in the years to come.

Environment Merit Award

With the aim of further stimulating environmental protection activities, we have established the Environment Merit Award for people who excel in contributing to environmental protection through such activities as environmental product and technology development, environmental impact reductions and environmental assistance to local communities. Eight employees received this award for two areas of excellence in FY2009.

Legal Compliance

When environmental and safety laws are adopted, enacted, or amended, the head office distributes information to each business site to keep them fully informed. JSR employees and personnel seconded to group companies can view environmental and safety information at any time using the Group intranet.

RC traveling campaigns

RC traveling campaigns (Chiba Plant)
RC traveling campaigns (Chiba Plant)

JSR is using an RC traveling campaign to promote the company's Responsible Care activities among all employees. Every year, the JSR director responsible for these activities travels to all plants to explain RC. JSR uses such opportunities to share the results of its activities and future issues.

Securing Environmental Consciousness and Safety in Global Business

Cooperation with the International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer

ICETT Training (Yokkaichi Plant)
ICETT Training (Yokkaichi Plant)

JSR began extending support on a global scale to train environmental and safety technicians soon after the foundation of the International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer (ICETT).

Training of Foreign Technicians by JSR (47 countries)

Ensuring Environmental and Safety Levels in Technology Exports

JSR exported its proprietary energy-conserving technologies for plants involved in the production of 1,3-Butadiene to each of the following countries, thus contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions.


Environmental Accounting

JSR Independent Accounting

JSR introduced environmental accounting in FY2000 with the following two objectives:

1) To strive to quantify the amount of resources invested into the environment and implement healthy measures for the environment.

2) To publish environmental accounting and increase corporate transparency.

Aggregation Scope:
JSR head office, Yokkaichi Plant, Chiba Plant, Kashima Plant and Research Laboratories
Target Period:
April 1, 2008 - March 31, 2009
Unit:
Million yen

Underlying Assumptions regarding Aggregation and Calculation

1) While costs were mainly calculated based on actual results, some expenses were calculated based on underlying assumptions.

2) Economic effects do not include substantial effects of monetary conversion or risk avoidance and estimated environmental effects.

Environmental Protection Costs

Environmental Protection Costs

Environmental Protection Effects

Environmental Protection Effects

Economical Effects of Environmental Protection Measures4

Economical Effects of Environmental Protection Measures

Consolidated Accounting for Group Companies

Consolidated Accounting for Group Companies

Green Procurement Measures

Raw Materials

JSR has long conducted green procurement that puts the highest priority on goods with minimal environmental impact when purchasing raw materials and office equipment and supplies. In response to the growing industry trend of managing chemicals in the supply chain, JSR joined the Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (JAMP)6 in October 2008 and conducted a review of its Green Procurement Guidelines7. JSR will continue green procurement with an emphasis on disseminating information in the supply chain.

6  Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (http://www.jamp-info.com/english/)
JAMP was established in September 2006 as an inter-industry organization that supports activities with the aim of creating and expanding specific systems for properly managing information on chemicals in articles (components, products, and so on) and smoothly disclosing and disseminating that information within supply chains. JSR conducts activities that contribute to the practice of these principles through its participation in JAMP.

7  Green Procurement Guidelines
JJSR conducted a review of its Green Procurement Guidelines when it joined JAMP. The substances subject to management were coordinated with the substances managed under the JAMP MSDSplus system (http://www.jamp-info.com/glmsds/) and the format was changed to MSDSplus. Also, the scope of green procurement was expanded from raw materials to include packaging materials and facilities. JSR is conducting green procurement with an emphasis on the dissemination of information so we can effectively manage chemical risks in the supply chain.

Office Equipment and Supplies

JSR has defined green purchasing as activities for environmentally-friendly purchase of office equipment and supplies not directly related to products or manufacturing. Green purchasing is distinguished from green procurement of raw materials for products, packaging materials, and manufacturing facilities.
The Law Concerning the Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities (commonly referred to as the Green Purchasing Law) was enacted in 2000, and the Basic Policy was announced in 2001 when the law came into effect. Based on this policy, JSR strives to prioritize the purchase of equipment and supplies with energy-saving features and high recycling rates. In FY2009, of the 218 types of products that were purchased at all offices, 181 were green products, accounting for about 83% of all environmentally-friendly goods.

Development of New Environmental Protection Technologies

Amount of Capital Investment

Facilities to incinerate dried synthetic rubber waste(Yokkaichi Plant)
Facilities to incinerate dried synthetic
rubber waste(Yokkaichi Plant)

JSR continues to invest in environment and safety. The investments made in FY2009 reached 3.1 billion yen. This was mainly due to investments in plant and facilities aimed at various environmental improvements such as energy-saving equipment as well as safety improvements such as full-scale anti-seismic measures. JSR will continue to energetically and consistently invest to both maintain and improve the environment, safety and health aspects of its operations in accordance with the company's medium-term capital investment plan.

Environmental & Safety Capital Investment

Main Areas of Environmental & Safety Capital Investment
(Year in parentheses is investment year)
  • Major earthquake measures (FY1996-2009)
  • Ground flare installation (FY2000, FY2008)
  • Renovation of sludge dehydrator and upgrading efficiency (FY2001)
  • Facilities to reduce hazardous atmospheric pollutants (FY1999-2008)
    (dichloromethane solvent recovery facilities, 1,3-Butadiene treatment facility, incinerators for dried synthetic rubber waste, etc.)
  • Increased comprehensive facilities to treat wastewater (FY2006, FY2008)

Development of New Environmental Protection Technologies

Guided by the company's environmental concept that "Technological breakthroughs enhance environmental protection," JSR, led by its Process Development Center, is actively engaged in the development of new technologies to ensure environmental protection. The following are recent themes in technological development approached by JSR. Technology is deployed by JSR as it is developed.

Main Areas of Environmental & Safety Capital Investment
(investment year is shown in parentheses)
  • 1. Development of Energy-saving Processes
  • Computer-assisted optimization of heat recovery (pinch technology)
  • Computer-assisted optimization of energy use in control systems
  • Energy-saving through changes in heat recovery and solvent types across multiple plants
  • 2. Other Measures to Reduce Environmental Impact
  • Development of solution polymerization manufacturing facilities and a new solvent recovery process (to reduce atmospheric emissions of hydrocarbons)
  • Development of synthetic rubber manufacturing facilities and dried waste systems (to reduce odors near plants and of hydrocarbon emissions into the atmosphere)
  • Development of polymerization technologies to combat total nitrogen emissions (measures to prevent eutrophication of ocean waters)
  • Development of environmental technology through more effective use of microbes (to reduce odors near plants and to improve the quality of wastewater)
  • Incineration technology for dried synthetic rubber waste (measures for harmful atmospheric pollutants)

Improving the Local Environment

JSR attributes importance to the actual opinions of local residents and considers high transparency of plant operations to be the basis for improving the local environment. With this in mind, we have strived to improve the local environment by implementing monitoring and tours of environmental equipment at regular intervals. In FY2007 and 2008, we installed equipment to incinerate dried synthetic rubber waste at the Yokkaichi, Kashima and Chiba plants to prevent foul odors8. In FY2009, a ground flare was installed at the Yokkaichi Plant to prevent noise and flashes, and as a result, there were no environmental complaints in FY2009.
We will continue striving to maintain our basic stance on improving the local environment.

8  Burning of dry emissions also reduces the volume of VOC discharged.

Trends in Number of Environmental Complaints
Improvement Initiatives
  • Odor: Emissions incinerator
  • Noise: Ground flare

Supplying Environmentally-friendly Products

JSR has set goals for raising the percentage of its products that are environmentally friendly. Environmentally-friendly products have been divided into four categories to increase the use of environmentally-considerate designs in product development: (1) energy saving; (2) resource saving; (3) improved recyclability; and (4) reduced hazardous substances. Design reviews are conducted at each stage of research. Going forward, JSR is committed to contributing to the preservation of the environment by developing and supplying environmentally-friendly products.

Measures concerning Biodiversity

Biodiversity supports human life and provides many benefits to mankind. Japan ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted at United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) in May 1992 and adopted the Basic Act on Biological Diversity in 2008. As a result, many business enterprises have started specific activities designed to preserve biodiversity.
JSR's measures concerning biodiversity will start with understanding the relationship between our business and biodiversity as well as investigating how best to continue enjoying the benefits of biodiversity for the continuation of our business, and how we can reduce the impact on biodiversity.


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