1. Basic Philosophy

The JSR Group developed its Environment Safety Management Policy promotion items with reference to management policies based on our responsibility to stakeholders and the Japan Chemical Industry Association's basic policies on the environment and safety. We are formulating specific activity plans for these action items and engaging in the implementation of RC activities.

• "Management Policies - Responsibility to Our Stakeholders"

What is RC?

RC is an acronym for Responsible Care^®. In the chemical industry, each company handling chemical substances is responsible for ensuring that safety, health, and environmental issues are addressed throughout the chemical lifecycle, from development and production to distribution, use and disposal, publishing the results of their activities and maintaining dialogue and communication with society - all voluntarily. This initiative is called "Responsible Care."

Source: Japan Chemical Industry Association pamphlet "Do You Know about Responsible Care?"

2. Environment and Safety Management Policy

(2) International Initiatives

JSR Signs Declaration Supporting RC Global Charter

Declaration of support for RC Global Charter

The Responsible Care (RC) Global Charter is a voluntary activity policy adopted by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and shared by the chemical industry to enhance and reinforce RC activities around the world. JSR subscribes to this activity policy, and signed a declaration supporting the RC Global Charter in October, 2008. JSR has also signed the revised RC Global Charter in March, 2015. By signing the declaration, JSR has committed itself to making even greater contributions to health, safety, and environmental preservation not just in Japan, but around the world.

3. Environment and Safety Advancement Structure

(1) Organization

The Responsible Care Committee is responsible for establishing project plans as well as project implementation and verification.

(2) System

1. Legal Compliance

When environmental and safety laws are adopted, enacted, or amended, the Head Office distributes information to each business site to keep them fully informed. JSR employees and employees stationed at group companies can view environmental and safety information at any time using the group intranet.

2. ISO Certificate Acquisition

In 1999, all JSR plants acquired ISO14001 certification as an Environment Management System to support environmental management with recertification performed every year. In FY2016, all plants qualified for their continuing inspections. Currently, we are preparing to bring ourselves in line with ISO14001 revisions released in September, 2015. We are scheduled to complete this transition by September, 2018.
Tsukuba Research Laboratory is restructuring its environmental safety promotion system in accordance with ISO 14001 standards due to the launch of JSR Life Sciences Corporation and the reorganization of the research laboratory.

3. Audits of Headquarters Environment and Safety

President Koshiba visiting a plant

The JSR Head Office conducts annual audits of its plants and research laboratories with the president acting as head of the auditing team. In FY2016, auditing methods and procedures underwent significant change. Changes included the specific PDCA procedures regarding activities conducted by our offices to prevent workplace and facility accidents, and the dedication of efforts to improve safety awareness. These changes enable us to, as a single entity, more readily verify and have awareness of various challenges. Annual activity plans will be effectively updated in accordance with audit results. For this reason, the audited departments will be expanded in FY2017 in accordance with the auditing methods used in FY2016.
In addition to these headquarters audits, we also annually audit our business sites that have been approved by the government for high-pressure gas operations as well as our approval inspection management department to ensure that both the department and the sites observe government approval requirements.

4. Environmental/Safety Audits in all Group Companies

At JSR, we implement environmental and safety audits at our Group companies in Japan that are involved in production, transportation, and engineering processes in order to achieve integrated Responsible Care activities. In FY2016, audit policies and procedures were changed in the same manner as that for JSR. Efforts were primarily focused on the group companies located near JSR plants. In FY2017, we will continue to implement these audit policies and expand their scope.

5. RC & CSR Explanatory Briefings

Explanatory briefing held at the Kashima Plant

To promote the company's CSR, environmental, and safety activities to all employees, JSR organizes RC & CSR explanatory briefings. Every year, the officers in charge and other managers visit each plant to report the results of RC activities and share upcoming issues.
In FY2016, one the primary focal points of these visits was to report on the status of progress regarding our safety efforts in light of the serious workplace accident that occurred the previous year.

Conducted RC & CSR Explanatory Briefings

These CSR explanatory briefings were also conducted at a few other domestic and overseas group companies. We plan to continue conducting these briefings at other locations.

Conducted CSR Explanatory Briefings

4. Disclosure of Legal and Regulatory Violations

On October 6, 2015, we discovered waste that was being stored by customers was moved before the establishment of the contract to outsource the collection, transport, and disposal of industrial waste. We have reported and consulted with the government on this incident and its resolution once it was discovered that the waste had been moved. This incident has been resolved in accordance with government instructions. To prevent such an incident from reoccurring, we have conducted training to provide employees with a review on waste management. We have also reconfigured internal waste management systems.

5. External Initiatives

Cooperation with the International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer

Training conducted as the Yokkaichi Plant

As part of our international RC efforts, we have provided cooperation and support to the International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer (ICETT), a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation established to assist in the development of environmental and safety engineers from around the world.

6. External Environmental and Safety Evaluations (Major Awards)

JSR Micro Kyushu Co., Ltd. receives Award for Excellent Energy Management Plant from the Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade, and Industry

JSR Micro Kyushu Co., Ltd. received an award from the Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade, and Industry in recognition of their achievements in energy-saving. JSR Micro Kyushu Co., Ltd. has always focused on the rational use of energy as one of their priorities. Reports of actual activities were presented at the awards ceremony held in Fukuoka on February 15, 2016 and at the Rational Energy Use Symposium held on the same day.

Awards Ceremony

Presentation of Actual Activities

7. Environment Distinguished Service Award

To further encourage environmental protection activities, we created the Environment Merit Award for employees who have made important contributions to environmental protection through a range of activities that include environmental product and technology development, environmental impact reduction, and assisting local communities with environment-related issues. Eleven employees received this award for four areas of excellence in FY2016.