Initiatives to Reduce Environmental Impact
Protection of the Atmospheric Environment
Boiler Emissions Countermeasures
At the Yokkaichi Plant, which generates its own power, we installed flue gas desulfurizers to reduce emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx). We also substantially cut emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by installing burners with low NOx emissions and denitrification equipment. SOx emissions declined in FY2012 as a result of the change in the operation of the boilers at the South Joint Power Plant, which provides energy to the Kashima Plant. JSR will continue to adopt the best emissions reduction technologies and will continue to make improvements.
Regarding PRTR
PRTR*1 Activities
The PRTR Law*2 was enacted in July 1999, and enforced in March 2000. Accordingly, since FY2002 we have been required to report PRTR results. The Japan Chemical Industry Association prioritized PRTR and implemented it ahead of other industries in FY1996; the scope of its survey has increased each year since then. As a member of the association, JSR will implement the survey on a continual basis.
The FY2012 results in accordance with the PRTR Law are detailed below.
Due to a revision of the PRTR Law, in FY2011, Class 1 Specified Chemical Substances subject to reporting requirements increased from 354 to 462 substances.
*1 Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR): A system for registering the emission and movement of environmental pollutants
*2 PRTR Law: Law Concerning Reporting, etc. of Releases to the Environment of Specific Chemical Substances and Promoting Improvements in Their Management
Emissions of Chemical Substances*3（PRTR Law）
| Ordinance designated number | Substance | Amounts handled*4(t) | Atmospheric emissions (t) |
Water emissions (t) |
Transfers*5 (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zinc compounds (water-solble) | 2.5 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Acrylamide | 88.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Acrylic acid and its water-soluble salts | 1,265.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 7 | n-Butyl acrylate | 1,653.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Acrylonitrile | 44,744.6 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Acetonitrile | 98.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.4 |
| 20 | 2-Aminoethanol | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 30 | n-Alkylbenzensulfonic acid and its salts (limited to those with 10 to 14 alkyl group carbons and their mixtures) |
724.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 36 | Isoprene | 77,279.1 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| 71 | Ferric chloride | 7.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 80 | Xylene | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 83 | Cumene | 22.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 150 | 1,4-Dioxane | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| 186 | Dichloromethane (also known as methylene dichloride) |
68.6 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 11.5 |
| 190 | Dicyclopentadiene | 14,382.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 56.8 |
| 202 | Divinylbenzene | 32.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 203 | Diphenylamine | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 207 | 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-cresol (also known as BHT) |
636.9 | 6.6 | 0.0 | 16.8 |
| 213 | N, N-dimethylacetamide | 9.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 220 | Water-soluble salts of dimethyldithiocarbamic acid | 42.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 234 | Bromine | 1,948.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 239 | Organic tin compounds | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 240 | Styrene | 129,782.2 | 19.9 | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| 274 | Tert-dodecanethiol | 1,019.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 276 | 3, 6, 9-triazaundecane-1, 11-diamine (also known as tetraethylenepentamine) |
11.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| 300 | Toluene | 2,959.3 | 44.4 | 0.2 | 1,591.1 |
| 309 | Nickel compounds | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 321 | Vanadium compounds | 45.2 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 42.3 |
| 330 | Bis (1-methyl-1-phenylethyl) peroxide | 15.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 337 | 4-Vinyl-1-cyclohexene | 111.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 351 | 1, 3-Butadiene | 564,395.2 | 12.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 355 | Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate | 18.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 366 | Tert-butyl hydroperoxide | 6.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 392 | n-Hexane | 1,191.3 | 301.3 | 0.0 | 121.6 |
| 401 | 1, 2, 4-benzenetricarboxylic 1, 2-anhydride | 3.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 405 | Boron compounds | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 415 | Methacrylic acid | 79.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 417 | 2, 3-Epoxypropyl methacrylate | 7.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 420 | Methyl methacrylate | 4,921.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 436 | α-Methylstyrene | 10,908.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 440 | 1-Methyl-1-phenylethyl hydroperoxide | 123.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 448 | Methylenebis(4,1-phenylene) diisocyanate (also known as MDI) |
1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Total | 858,620.0 | 399.7 | 5.3 | 1,847.1 | |
| Basic unit (t/t) | 1.0 | 0.0 | |||
| 243 | Polychlorinated-dibenzo-p-dioxins*6 | － | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
*4 The handling amount shows the figure after base deduction (1 ton/year per place of business)
*5 The transfer amount is the amount committed to intermediate waste service companies (1,842.2 tons) plus the amount discharged into public sewers (4.9 tons)
*6 Dioxin category unit mg-TEQ
Initiatives for Reducing VOC Emissions into the Atmosphere
JSR has long taken measures to reduce atmospheric releases of chemicals, but the FY2005 amendment to the Air Pollution Control Law expanded application to all volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOC is a general term for organic compounds that easily turn into a gas state when exposed to air. VOCs are believed to be one of the sources of suspended particulate matter and photochemical oxidants, which may have adverse effects on health.
To reduce VOC emissions, five dried-synthetic rubber waste incinerators were installed at three plants between FY2007 and FY2010. In FY2012, VOC emissions fell by approximately 75% from FY2001, enabling us to reach our target levels. We will continue our efforts to reduce VOC emissions.
Preservation of Water Quality
JSR performs rigorous wastewater management at all of its plants and strives to maintain and improve water quality. JSR is in full compliance with the 6th Total Pollutant Load Control that came into effect in April 2009. We will continue to strictly monitor water quality and strive to further reduce our impact on water while paying attention to changes leading up to the 7th Total Pollutant Load Control.
Assessment of Soil and Groundwater Pollution
Groundwater (Environmental Quality Standards for Groundwater Pollution) and soil (major items regulated under environmental standards) at all three of our plants are periodically inspected. As in previous years, no problems were found in FY2012.
Asbestos Measures
In accordance with the Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards due to Asbestos, JSR has conducted checks at all of its facilities (office, manufacturing, R&D and employee amenity areas), including those of all Group companies, where asbestos containing materials have been sprayed. As a result, in FY2007, removal and enclosure projects were completed at locations in plants where asbestos was found. In addition, we are investigating the replacement of asbestos containing gaskets with non-asbestos containing types and are progressively carrying out replacements when the safety of their use in production has been confirmed.
In order to accommodate requests from the Labour Standards Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to thoroughly inform our employees of various systems, including the issuance of the asbestos-related health care handbook and the provision of special benefits as industrial workers' compensation for bereaved families, we introduced, on our website, the relevant leaflet released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
PCB Management
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) is a highly toxic chemical that does not readily break down and is commonly used in transformers, capacitors, and other devices. JSR has stopped using PCB in 92% of its electrical equipment and strictly stocks and manages PCB in accordance with applicable laws. We also intend to incrementally replace equipment that currently contains PCB in accordance with a replacement plan. Under the Law concerning Special Measures for Promotion of Proper Treatment of PCB Wastes, JSR is obligated to complete the processing of all PCB by 2016, and JSR and its Group companies have already completed registration of electrical equipment containing PCB with PCB waste processing facilities. In FY2012 we transported 19 units of equipment to processing facilities.
| FY2012 | Number of devices | Oil containing PCB (litter) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical devices | Devices in storage (not in use) | 171 | 146,510 |
| Devices in operation | 7 | 6,660 | |
| Total | 178 | 153,170 | |
Measurement of Ozone-depleting Substances
In 1994, JSR eliminated all use of carbon tetrachloride. By FY2011, at our manufacturing facilities, we had replaced all the large-scale designated equipment that contained chlorofluorocarbons with that employing chlorofluorocarbon substitutes.
Summer Power Saving Measures to Cut Power Consumption at the Head Office Building
To accommodate a request from Tokyo Electric Power Company to cooperate in dealing with power shortages in the summer of 2011, we set a target at the JSR head office building to reduce our power consumption by 15% from our maximum power consumption in FY2011, and implemented the following measures. As a result, we attained our power saving target for the summer (June to August), and realized a 27% cut from FY2011.
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Major Efforts
- Maintained an air-conditioned room temperature of 28°C.
- Reduced the number of lights and office appliances, such as printers.
- Visualized our power saving situation, and made our employees become more aware of turning off the power for unused machines and rooms.
- Implemented the so-called "Super Cool Biz."
- Changed our employees' working schedule to have them begin work and return home earlier than usual on two days per week in July and August.