As a chemical manufacturer, the JSR Group undertakes Responsible Care (RC) activities to protect the environment and to ensure the health and safety of employees, local residents, customers, and other concerned parties. Major activities are described below.
Biodiversity Conservation
Land Use Score Report
Greenery assessment at Chiba Plant
Biodiversity seminar for directors at the head office
JSR sees biodiversity conservation as a key management issue and is actively engaged in a number of initiatives, especially those of the Japan Business Initiative for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity (JBIB), in order to make continuous contributions to this field. In FY2011, we created the “Map of Corporate Activities and Biodiversity”* to understand the interrelationships between biodiversity and our business activities for synthetic rubber, one of our core products. This assessment involved clarifying how we are dependent on and how we impact biodiversity in each operational process—from raw material procurement and manufacturing, to transportation, use, and recycling. In FY2012, we will expand this assessment to other products.
We also conducted a pilot assessment of biodiversity at Chiba Plant and Tsukuba Research Laboratories. Using a trial-version of JBIB's “Land Use Score Report,” which JSR helped to develop as part of its JBIB member activities, and made actual observations of vegetated areas at both sites. The survey identified what kind of plants are growing and what insects, birds, and other creatures are living on these properties and determined whether these sites are helping or hurting biodiversity. We plan to implement this project at a full scale in FY2012.
Another event held in FY2011 was a biodiversity seminar for company directors taught by an external specialist. Titled, “What was decided at COP 10 and what should companies work on now?” the management team reviewed the results of COP 10 and reached a consensus on the direction of future company activities.
The JSR Group will make continuous efforts to understand clearly the risks and opportunities it faces as a business who wishes to grow sustainably, and set concrete policies, plans, and targets to conserve biodiversity.
＊Based on a “Map of Corporate Activities and Biodiversity,” a product of research by the JBIB
Initiatives to Prevent Global Warming
Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Cogeneration system at Yokkaichi Plant
As a member of the Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA), the JSR Group is taking measures to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by conserving energy in accordance with the policies of the Kyoto Protocol. Since FY2011, we have been setting reduction targets for total CO2 emissions.
Furthermore, the Yokkaichi Plant installed a large-scale, natural gas-fired turbine cogeneration system in April 2010. By using natural gas as fuel, this system is expected to produce fewer CO2 emissions than the earlier coal and heavy oil-fired steam boiler and condensing steam turbine system. In FY2011, the company as a whole cut some 33,000 tons, an approximate 2% reduction from the FY1991 level.
Household Energy-Conservation Activities
In FY2011, JSR participated in Eco-cho (Environmental Household Account Book), which is part of the Environment Ministry's Wagaya-no- Kankyodaijin (The Environmental Minister in My Home) program promoted by the Ministry of the Environment, as a way to encourage employees to conserve energy at home. With some 900 employees registered in the program, JSR has raised awareness of energy conservation by surveying and recording monthly electricity, gas, and water use and determining CO2 emissions from such data. While we can no longer measure the effects of this program due to its cancellation by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan's power situation has become more critical due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, making household energy conservation more important than ever. Our efforts will continue, but through different approaches such as informing employees of creative ways to reduce energy use over the intranet.
Safety Initiatives
The president participates in audit activities at the Kashima Plant
Emergency response training at JSR Micro Kyushu
The JSR Group operates safety and health management systems based on the principle that safety takes priority over production. Audit teams under the leadership of the company president conduct environmental and safety audits. The president visits each audit site to hear directly from workers and provides an overall assessment in his or her own words after the audit is complete. Our improvement activities place great importance on communication.
All employees at JSR Micro Kyushu, recipient of the Kawasaki Commemorative Safety Award in our safety award system, have been participating in activities to reduce human exposure to handled substances, ensure safety during construction, and achieve other safety goals. JSR Group companies also provide education and technical training according to experience level, communicate examples of accidents to other companies, and promote a work environment that puts safety first.
In recent years we have sought to make workplaces safer by focusing on individual awareness, the last line of defense against accidents.
Rie Mawatari
Quality Assurance Section
Products & Technologies Department
JSR Micro Kyushu Co., Ltd.
JSR Micro Kyushu runs a company-wide emergency response training program to prepare itself for disasters. This important activity is a culmination of the hard work each division has put toward training. My role is to record various kinds of information on what's happening throughout the company as it reaches the general manager. Using the experience I've gained through training, I want to fulfill my role in the event that an emergency does happen. You can read about our other RC activities in the online version of this report.
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