The Environment (Resource Circulation)
Industrial Waste Initiatives
Since FY2001 (April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001), JSR has been implementing its goal of "zero waste"*1 through activities that include prevention of waste materials, sorting of waste, and searches for recycling locations at all plants. In the period from FY2004 to FY2014, we made ongoing efforts that have enabled us to reach our goals in zero waste activities. About 92% of the total volume of generated waste materials is taken up by surplus sludge resulting from activated sludge treatment of wastewater and by coal ash generated in the coal boilers used for on-site power generation. With regard to this surplus sludge, sludge drying equipment was introduced at the Yokkaichi Plant in December 2012, thus enabling sludge to be processed into a valuable fuel product. Additionally, coal ash is recycled for use as cement materials. We are also promoting the recycling of bottles, cans, drums, paper, fluorescent lamps, dry cell batteries and organic waste, in addition to using waste oils and other materials as fuels. The final landfill volume in FY2014 was zero. In the future, we will strive to implement ongoing zero waste operations by further continuing our search for recycling locations and our other efforts.
*1 Zero waste: When the volume of final off-site waste buried at third-party landfills is less than 0.1% of the volume of waste generated
*2 25% of sludge accounted for as solid waste
Promoting 3R to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Packaging Materials
JSR has always been serious about environmental measures in the distribution and logistics workflow. Therefore, we promote 3R, (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) to effectively utilize waste-free packaging materials and packaging containers.
JSR will actively engage in the following 3R activities for packing materials to promote recycling and effective use of resources.
Reduce: Reducing the weight of steel box pallets used as packing containers for synthetic rubber, eliminating the use of external cardboard boxes due to changes in packing container specifications, and increasing the foaming ratio of polystyrene foam to reduce packaging materials.
Reuse: Preventing the breakage of packaging materials that can be used repeatedly.
Recycle: Promoting a shift from paper bags to polyethylene bags.
Water Consumption
JSR consumed approximately 15,120,000 cubic meters of industrial water, groundwater*3, and tap water as its water resources in FY2014. Of this volume, about 30% was recycled effectively for use in various work processes at each plant.
*3 Groundwater is not used at the Yokkaichi Plant and Chiba Plant.
Water Consumption (breakdown) and Intensity index*4
| FY | 1999 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial water | 15,196 | 13,587 | 14,400 | 14,319 | 14,671 | 14,734 |
| Ground water | 533 | 472 | 475 | 402 | 380 | 234 |
| Tap water | 174 | 153 | 158 | 156 | 149 | 147 |
| Total | 15,903 | 14,212 | 15,033 | 14,877 | 15,200 | 15,115 |
| Intensity index*4 | 100 | 112 | 102 | 107 | 99 | 102 |
| Usage of recovered water | － | 3,456 | 3,790 | 4,144 | 4,377 | 4,496 |
| Effective recycling ratio (%) | － | 25.6 | 25.2 | 27.9 | 28.8 | 29.7 |
| Seawater (coolant) | 60,731 | 54,438 | 63,355 | 55,405 | 62,772 | 59,830 |