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CSR Report 2012

Initiatives to Prevent Global Warming

Initiatives Aimed at Preventing Global Warming

Energy Consumption

JSR's Responsible Care Committee adopted a Medium-Term Voluntary Environmental Preservation Plan. This plan sets targets regarding energy intensity for reducing energy use as measures to prevent global warming. To achieve them, the Company is carrying out the E-100 plus project at all Group companies to reduce energy and resource use. In FY2012, we were able to achieve the energy intensity targets. We will continue to focus on the targets and make further efforts to conserve energy.

Energy Reduction Targets

Reduce energy consumption per unit of production by an average of 1% per annum, using FY1999 as the base year (voluntary standard based on the revised energy conservation law*1)

*1 Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy Energy Consumption (Crude oil Equivalent) and Energy Intensity Index

Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Cogeneration system at Yokkaichi Plant

Under the Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force in February 2005, Japan is required to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 6% in the five-year period from 2008 to 2012, using FY1991 as the base year. As a member of the Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA), the JSR Group is taking measures to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by conserving energy in accordance with the policies of the Kyoto Protocol. Initially, our goal was only to reduce energy use per unit of production, but in FY2011 we also started to work toward an absolute CO2 emissions reduction target.
As one such activity, 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 previous coal and heavy oil-fired steam boiler and condensing steam turbine system.
In FY2012, the JSR Group as a whole reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 36,000 tons, which was a reduction of approximately 8% from the FY 1991 level, largely due to a decrease in production. In FY2013, we will continue to consider appropriate efforts to achieve our target even after an increase in production.

Reduction target

6% fewer emissions in FY2013 than in FY1991

CO₂ Emissions Volumes

Logistics Environmental Policy

Improving Transport Efficiency

As part of our environmental efforts in transportation, we have taken systematic steps to reduce our energy use in transportation as a designated shipper under the 2006 amended Energy Conservation Law. We are trying to reduce transport energy intensity by at least an average of 1% per annum by using larger tanker trucks and shifting from road to rail and water transport. In FY2012, we made progress in shifting from road to rail and water transport for products, raw materials and other items. However, both transport energy intensity and CO2 emissions increased, because of a shift to road transport while rail transport services were unavailable due to the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and because of less use of rail transport services due to configuration changes by our designated customers.
Nonetheless, in the four-year period from 2007, we reached our target to reduce transport energy intensity by 4.7% (yearly average of 1.1%).

Transport Statistics 
FY 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Transport volume (1 million ton-kilometers*4) 526 524 480 427 479 473
Rail/Sea transport ratio (%) 79 79 84 85 84 83
Energy consumption level
(kiloliters: converted to crude oil)
10,273 10,122 8,780 7,681 8,729 8,726
Energy intensity
(kiloliters/1,000 ton-kilometers*4)
0.0195 0.0193 0.0183 0.018 0.0182 0.0184
CO2 emission level (tons) 26,000 25,700 22,400 19,600 22,100 22,200

*4 Ton-kilometer: Freight Tonnage×Transport Distance (km)

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CSR Report 2012