HOME > CSR Information > CSR Report 2011 > Social Report > Customer and Business Partner Relationss

Social Report

Customer and Business Partner Relations

Our Policy Concerning Customer and Business Partner Relations

The Corporate Mission of JSR Group is “Materials Innovation: we create value through materials to enrich society, people and the environment.”
We believe that the JSR Group's most important role is to offer innovative materials and excellent products that meet customer needs and contribute to a better society.
We also strive to carry out initiatives to ensure the quality and safety of our products so that our customers can use them with peace of mind.
We also strive to treat all business partners with sincerity and maintain fair and equitable business relations.

Safety Assurance for Customers

Quality Assurance Activities

JSR has obtained ISO 9001 certification at all of its plants, and has also formulated corporate Quality Assurance (QA) Promotion Plans and Quality Policies under the RC Committee. Each plant has a QA Promotion Sub-Committee that works together with the company-wide QA Promotion Committee to promote activities in accordance with corporate policies. Furthermore, internal QA audits led by the director in charge periodically take place through actual visits and audits of each plant.

PLP Activities

In 1994, JSR enacted its “Product Liability Prevention (PLP) Standards” to reinforce efforts in product safety. With the basic regulations in PLP Standards, JSR has established various stipulations to prevent accidents related to products at all stages from product design to manufacture and sales, and takes actions accordingly. JSR has also created a system for new products to be introduced onto the market whereby each product undergoes safety checks starting from the product design stage in accordance with the PLP Check Sheet and is then put on the market after having received approval from the department manager.
To prevent accidents related to products we also strive to improve quality management throughout our supply chains—everything from raw materials procurement through distribution—by acquiring information through communication with our customers and by strengthening activities to prevent quality-related accidents, such as through revising our quality management system and updating assessment technologies.

Disclosing Environmental and Safety Information to Customers

JSR discloses environmental and safety information to its customers by preparing Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for all products containing polymers, regardless of whether they contain hazardous or toxic substances or not.
In Japan, our current MSDS items all comply with JIS Z 7250, the Industrial Safety and Health Law, the Law Concerning Reporting, etc. of Releases to the Environment of Specific Chemical Substances and Promoting Improvements in Their Management (PRTR Law), and the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law. Our new MSDS electronic data management system has been in operation since its creation in 2002 to provide customers with MSDS that contain as accurate information as possible about each product. This system is equipped with user management, chemical substance database management, creation support, and publication (revision) history, allowing us to accurately and quickly provide environmental and safety information related to JSR products.

Maintaining Transport Safety and Environmental Standards

JSR outsources the distribution of its products. To maintain environmental and safety standards during transport, JSR has drivers carry a “Yellow Card” imprinted with special measures and telephone numbers in case of emergency, in addition to having contractors train them on specific safety issues.

Chemical Products Safety

Basic Policy on Managing Chemical Substances

JSR has established the three basic policies below in light of the recent global trends in the management of chemical substances.

  • (1) Instead of hazard-based management1, we will endeavor to implement risk-based management.2
  • (2) We will strive to manage our entire supply chains by utilizing a globally standardized method.
  • (3) We will utilize the most appropriate combination of regulations and voluntary measures to ensure the safety of our products.

1.  Management based solely on the hazardous properties of substances

2.  Management based on exposure to the hazardous properties of substances

Measures for Chemical Products in Japan

● Responding to revisions in the LERMCS Law and PRTR Law
The Law Concerning the Examination and Regulation of Manufacture, etc. of Chemical Substances (LERMCS) was revised in 2009 and came into effect in April 2010. JSR is currently working to comply with the LERMCS.
● GHS
The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) was developed as an international standard to classify and label chemicals and includes the following elements:
(a) classification of chemical products according to danger and toxicity;
(b) labeling on product packaging and containers; and
(c) documentation and provision of details in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
In Japan, the Industrial Safety and Health Law stipulates mandatory application of the GHS on the labels and MSDS of products containing GHS-designated chemical substances. JSR has finished carrying out danger and toxicity classification for all products that contain applicable substances and has prepared the appropriate labels for its products. We completed the application of GHS to MSDS by December 2010 as planned, and are striving to achieve compliance with GHS legislation in various countries and regions around the world, including the EU, South Korea, Taiwan and China.

Measures for Export Chemical Products

● EU (Compliance with REACH)
REACH is an EU system for the "Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals" and has been in effect since June 2007. REACH does not differentiate between existing chemical substances and new chemical substances. All chemical goods manufactured in or imported by EU countries in volumes exceeding one ton a year, excluding certain chemicals, are required to be registered and accompanied with safety test results and other data. JSR has created a list of the substances it exports to European countries that are subject to registration. Pre-registration was completed by our agent-or "Only Representative" (OR). We confirmed that all substances requiring registration by November 30, 2010, were registered on time.
● United States
The U.S. notification system for new chemical substances is stipulated in the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and related federal regulations. Legal procedures are undertaken when exporting chemical substances to the U.S. that are not on the existing chemical substances list.
● South Korea
The South Korean notification system for new chemical substances is stipulated in the Toxic Chemicals Control Act regulated by the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Labor's Industrial Safety and Health Act. Legal procedures are undertaken when exporting chemical substances to Korea that are not on the existing chemical substances list.
● China
The new chemical substances notification system in China is stipulated in the Provisions on the Environmental Administration of New Chemical Substances, regulated by the Chemical Registration Center under the State Environmental Protection Administration. Legal procedures are undertaken when exporting chemical substances to China that are not on the existing chemical substances list. These provisions were amended and promulgated on January 19, 2010, and enacted on October 15, 2010. JSR is currently working to comply with the amended provisions.
● Taiwan
Products are exported to Taiwan in accordance with the Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act, and the Rules on Hazard Communication of Dangerous Materials and Toxic Materials. Taiwan is introducing a new chemical substance notification system. JSR has completed the notification process for chemical substances under the existing system, and the information on these substances will be released in June 2011. JSR is also currently working to comply with the new chemical substance notification system.

Industrial and International Measures

The Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA), to which JSR belongs, promotes PS3 and LRI4 activities, and our company is actively involved in these programs through participation in the association's working groups and by providing to research funding.

3.  Product Stewardship (PS) is an activity that individual companies independently carry out to promote the Global Product Strategy (GPS), which was presented by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) at the First International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM-1). Companies linked by a supply chain, such as manufacturers, suppliers, and purchasers of chemical substances, work together on chemical substance management to ensure safety, human health, and preservation of the environment.

4.  The Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) is one of the critical activities of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), and is an autonomous long-term research project for chemical substances that have an impact on the environment, safety, and health. The major focus areas of the initiative are endocrine disruptors, neurotoxicity, chemical carcinogenesis, and hypersensitivity.

Green Procurement Measures

Raw Materials

JSR has long been commited to green procurement, a policy 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 in managing chemicals in the supply chain, JSR joined the Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (JAMP)5 in October 2008 and conducted a review of its Green Procurement Guidelines6. JSR will continue to practice green procurement with an emphasis on disseminating information through the supply chain.

5.  Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (http://www.jamp-info.com/english)
JAMP was established as an inter-industry organization in September 2006 to support activities that aim to create and expand specific systems for proper management of information on chemicals in articles (components, products, and so on) and for facilitating the disclosure and dissemination of information within supply chains. JSR conducts activities that contribute to the practice of these principles through its participation in JAMP.

6.  JSR conducted a review of its Green Procurement Guidelines when it joined JAMP. Substances presently managed at JSR were coordinated with substances managed under the JAMP MSDSplus system (http://www.jamp-info.com/english/msds) 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 it can effectively manage chemical risks in its supply chains.

Office Equipment and Supplies

JSR defines green purchasing as the purchasing of environmentally friendly office equipment and supplies not directly related to its 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 Japan's basic policy on the law was announced in 2001 when the law came into effect. Based on this policy, JSR strives to prioritize equipment and supplies with energy-saving features and high recycled content. In FY2011 (April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011), we switched from itemized data compilation to one that more accurately reflects results based on purchase cost. Out of 23.546 million yen in purchases at all business sites, 22.440 million yen was green purchasing, or a green purchasing rate of 95%.

CSR Procurement Measures

In FY2011 we began a CSR procurement initiative to practice and promote social responsibility in our supply chains. We established criteria for how much business partners should practice eco-consciousness and social responsibility, and we are trying to raise standards throughout each supply chain.
Specifically, based on our Purchasing Policy, we surveyed the social and environmental considerations of our suppliers using a questionnaire. When an issue was detected, we dispatched a procurement employee to the supplier to work on solving the issue together.
In FY2011, the first year we conducted this survey, we questioned 52 suppliers in and outside Japan, accounting for approximately 90% of all purchased raw and processed materials by cost. Six companies received sub-standard scores, but after advising them on ways to improve, four companies met the standards.
In FY2012, we will increase the survey's coverage of suppliers for raw and processed materials to 95% by cost, and will include suppliers for construction-related work.

Protection of Personal Information

The JSR Group recognizes the profound importance of protecting personal information as the society within which we live adopts ever more advanced information and communication technologies. Based on the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, JSR has formulated and implemented a privacy policy setting out our basic approach to the acquisition, use, and management of personal information.


Return to the top of the page ▲



CSR Report 2011 Menu CSR Report 2011 Home Executive Commitment Highlights Feature Article 1: E2 InitiativeTM and Manufacturing for the FutureFeature Article 2: Social Contribution Activities: Supporting Education in Our Own WhyManagement CSR Management Targets and Results Corporate Governance Corporate Ethics and Legal Compliance Risk Management RC (Environment, Health and Safety) Report Highlights of RC Activities RC (Environment, Health and Safety) Management Material Flow ManagementInitiatives to Prevent Global WarmingEffective Use of Resources Initiatives to Reduce Environmental Impact RC Activities by Group Companies Social Report Highlights of Social Activities Stakeholder Relations Customer and Business Partner Relations Shareholders and Investor Relations Employee Relations Community Relations Third Party Opinion / Independent Review