1. Philosophy

In Japan, waste disposal is coming under pressure as a result of waste import regulations in Asian countries. At the same time, demands for a recycling-based society are intensifying globally, as the discharge and emission of plastic waste into the seas are damaging marine ecosystems and environments and becoming a major global environmental issue.
The JSR Group is controlling the amount of waste it produces, sorting waste, and searching for recycling locations with the aim of creating an industry-led recycling-based society.

2. Initiatives to Reduce Industrial Waste

(1) JSR

JSR is taking the following initiatives to create a recycling-based society.

• In the area of generated waste, we set a long-term goal of “reducing waste by 15% in FY2030 compared to the FY2013 level” in FY2018 and are promoting waste reduction and recycling accordingly.
  In FY2020, we successfully reduced our generated waste by 6.5% compared to FY2013. Although production volume decreased, intensity increased as compared to the base year, since the processing volume of sludge increased. We will continue taking steps toward our goal.
• As for promoting waste recycling, we are sorting and collecting complex wastes after putting a new recycling center into operation at the Yokkaichi Plant in FY2018. This is in addition to our promotion of recycling in such ways as converting waste into raw materials for cement.
• For the problem of “marine plastic litter,” which has become a global environmental issue in recent years, we established “The FY2030 Goals: 1) 100% recycling (including heat recovery), and 2) 60% recycling (not including heat recovery)” as long-term targets in FY2019. We took this step to further accelerate our recycling of waste plastics in response to the Japanese government’s Plastic Resource Recycling Strategy.
  We will also strive to make a social contribution by, for example, raising awareness of the plastics problem through in-house seminars and explanatory briefings, promoting “3R”-based activities in daily life, and participating in coastal cleanups.
  Moreover, we became a participant of the Japan Initiative for Marine Environment (JaIME) as a founding member in FY2018.
• And for the amount of waste we send to final off-site landfills, we have set “zero emissions”^*1 as a goal since FY2000 and taken continuous steps to achieve it since FY2003.

  *1 JSR’s definition of “zero emissions”: When the volume of final off-site waste buried at third-party landfills is less than 0.1% of the volume of waste generated

JSR’s Waste Generation and FY2030 Reduction Goals

Industrial Waste Processing Flowchart (FY2020 performance in thousand tons/year)

Industrial Waste Generated—Amount Recycled Off-Site—Amount Sent to Final Off-Site Landfills

Waste plastics recycling by JSR and domestic Group companies (FY2020)

The FY2020 waste plastics recycling rate (including heat recovery) was 95% for JSR and 84% for domestic Group companies. We will continue moving forward with approaches.
At the same time, our recycling rate (not including heat recovery) is low as compared to our target values as of the current point in time, and we will advance activities to further raise our recycling rates in order to achieve our targets.

(2) Logistics: Application of "3R" (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) to Packaging Materials

JSR has always been serious about environmental measures in its logistics. Therefore, we promote "3R" (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) to effectively utilize waste-free packaging materials and packaging containers.

Reduce: Reducing the weight of steel box pallets used as packing containers for synthetic rubber and also reducing the amount of waste generated by reviewing waste standards and the weight of external cardboard boxes (two-tier construction to single-tier).
Reuse: Raising reuse rates by reusing intermediate product containers and preventing the breakage of packaging materials for linked use^* with customers’ cooperation.
Recycle: Promoting a switchover to recyclable materials when selecting packaging materials.

JSR will actively engage in the above 3R activities for packing materials to promote recycling and effective use of resources.

* Packaging materials for linked use: Packaging materials that can be returned by or collected from the customer for reuse

(3) PCB Management

At JSR, electric facilities using high-concentration PCB (converters, capacitors, etc.) completed detoxification treatment. JSR also manages products using high-concentration PCB (stabilizers, contaminants, etc.) and low-concentration PCB waste in an appropriate manner in accordance with the Act on Special Measures concerning Promotion of Proper Treatment of PCB Wastes in Japan. We will also systematically carry out detoxification treatment in accordance with treatment deadlines.

3. Industrial Waste Produced by JSR Group

In FY2020, we generated 67,000 tons of waste globally, an amount that was 4% lower than the previous year, and our recycling rate was 87%. We will promote activities that take a long-term perspective on the global side of our business as well.

JSR Group’s Waste Generation

Industrial Waste Generated—Amount Recycled Off-Site—Amount Sent to Final Off-Site Landfills