Environment
The Toho Titanium Group aims to realize a sustainable society by enhancing and promoting environmental conservation activities in response to various environmental issues surrounding the earth.
Initiatives toward environmental management
Our corporate group has built an environmental management system centered on ISO 14001 and continues to make maximum efforts to preserve the environment and ensure regional safety.
Titanium metal, which is the main product of our corporate group, has a relatively low life cycle cost (LCC) (a comprehensive evaluation of all costs over the lifetime of products, etc.) and is also recyclable.
In addition, from the viewpoint of life cycle assessment (LCA), which is a method that scientifically, quantitatively, and objectively evaluates the environmental impact of a product by taking into account the entire process, including resource extraction for, manufacturing, use, disposal, and recycling of products, titanium itself is an environmentally friendly material.
Our corporate group actively engages in titanium recycling and promotes the effective use of resources.
Basic Environmental Policy
Our company sets this basic environmental policy and follows it, to conserve the global environment and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through business activities.
1. Compliance
We follow not only environmental laws and regulations, but also standards for self-management, and behave with a deep sense of ethics.
2. Efforts for decarbonization
We aim to realize carbon neutrality as soon as possible, by creating environmentally friendly products and pursuing the saving of resources and energy through the improvement and innovation of production technologies.
3. Continuous improvement
We operate our environmental management system and promote the continuous improvement of initiatives for conserving the environment.
4. Development of human resources
We make efforts to develop personnel who have an interest in global environmental and social issues and take action actively with the aim of realizing a sustainable society.
5. Information disclosure
We disclose the situation of our business activities for conserving the environment actively and fairly, to foster trusting relationships with stakeholders.
Yasuji YamaoPresident and Representative Director
Our response related to the environment
“ISO14001” certification, an international standard for environmental management systems
Our corporate group acquired the ISO14001 certification, and commits to improving environmental management. We acquired the ISO14001 certification for all departments in the Chigasaki Plant in 1988 (including affiliated companies), for the Kurobe Plant (catalyst production), and then for the Wakamatsu Plant (production of titanium sponge) in August 2012. All of our plants actively work on conserving the environment of surrounding areas as well as internal environmental management activities. We reinforce this commitment, comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations, set our environmental targets, and conduct evaluation and review on a regular basis.
Moreover, out of all 8 facilities in our corporate group, we implement the Environmental Management System (EMS) at 4 facilities (Chigasaki Plant, Wakamatsu Plant, Kurobe Plant, and Toho Technical Service, which is located in the Chigasaki Plant), and have acquired a unified ISO14001 certification. We also strive to manage environment sustainably in accordance with our EMS at the headquarters, the Hitachi Plant and the Yahata Plant.
Toho Material operates its own EMS, and has acquired an ISO14001 certification.
In 2015: ISO14001
Chigasaki Plant
Kurobe Plant
Toho Technical Service Co., Ltd., Head Office Factory
TATSUTA Environmental Analysis Center, Kanagawa Office
Wakamatsu Plant
[Scope of certification]
Design, development, production and environmental measurement certification of titanium tetrachloride, titanium sponge, high-purity titanium (sponge, ingots, and billets), titanium ingots, high-purity titanium oxide, catalysts for propylene polymerization, ultra-fine nickel powder, magnesium chloride, aqueous solutions of titanium trichloride and titanium tetrachloride, titanium powder, and fabricated titanium product
| Certification number: | JP022906 |
|---|---|
| Initial certification date: | November 21, 2009 |
| Expiration date: | October 15, 2025 |
| Certification organization: | Bureau Veritas Japan |
Response to climate change
As climate change has been accelerating, various impacts and damages have been seen in the natural environment, peoples’ lives, and corporate activities in every part of the world. The Paris Agreement was adopted as an effort to address climate change, and every country has been taking measures to achieve net zero GHG emissions, while the Japanese government has revised its NDC target and decided to raise the GHG reduction target for 2030 from 26% to 46% (from 2013). Under these circumstances, contributions to achieving a carbon-free society through business activities by corporations are being sought.
We recognize that climate change is a risk to our corporate group and a significant corporate challenge that can lead to new revenue earning opportunities for us. We believe that our active and proactive efforts to solve climate change challenges, including reduction of GHG emissions, will lead to enhancement of mid- and long-term corporate value of our company, and thus, we adequately engage with our stakeholders, and strive to bring benefits to not only our company, but also the entire society. Furthermore, we aim to contribute to achieving the SDGs and goals set in the Paris Agreement through our initiatives of GHG emissions reduction in the whole value chain of our company.
Our corporate group supports the Japanese government’s choice to achieve decarbonization, and complies with the Act on Rationalizing Energy Use and the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures, the country’s laws and regulations pertaining to climate change. In addition, our group aims to achieve sustainable growth while mitigating and adapting to climate change as a corporation through our business. Moreover, we will actively work on initiatives to lower carbon emissions through our technology innovations.
Our corporate group recognizes the significance of disclosing climate-related financial information, supports TCFD, and discloses information in accordance with TCFD.
CO2 emissions reduction targets
Our corporate group sets the following reduction targets based on the above policies:
Target for FY 2025: 25% reduction
Target for FY 2030: 40% reduction
Target for FY 2050: Net zero
*Using the amount in FY 2018 as a benchmark
Participation in industrial organizations
Together with multiple corporations including Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., we have established “Carbon Neutral LNG Buyers Alliance.” Carbon neutral city gas utilizes a type of liquid natural gas that offsets GHG generated in the process, from extraction to the burning of natural gas, with a carbon credit (carbon offsetting), and is deemed to be carbon neutral on a global scale even when burned. The target CO2 credit is the CO2 reduction effect shown in environmental conservation projects in every part of the world that are certified by highly reliable inspection agencies.
Measures for the use of resources
Our corporate group recognizes that any resources are finite, aims to reduce the use of resources through the promotion of the saving, reusing, and recycling of resources, and helps develop a sustainable society.
Measures for the effective use of water resources
Our corporate group works on improving operations and recycling of water, makes an effort to identify areas with high water risk, and strives to reduce the amount of water intake. Specifically, we ensure the use of an adequate amount, reusing and recycling of water resources in our business activities. We will continue to promote group-wide initiatives for the effective use of water resources and the reduction of water intake.
Measures for pollution
Our corporate group recognizes that reducing environmental impact by preventing pollution, etc. is a critical issue for a sustainable society. Furthermore, we aim to prevent pollution and reduce waste in terms of management of environmental regulations. In particular, we promote the prevention of pollution by lowering compounds in emission gas and pollutants in wastewater.
Initiatives to reduce environmental impact
Our corporate group continues to thoroughly implement the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) to reduce the generation of environmentally hazardous substances such as CO2 and waste due to the mass consumption of electricity and water associated with our business activities.
Additionally, as a designated energy management factory under the Act on Rationalizing Energy Use, we are working to rationalize the use of all kinds of energy, switch to non-fossil energy, and optimize demand for electricity.
As a company, our corporate group is working on the following in order to minimize our environmental impact and create and provide maximum added value with the minimum amount of resources.
Our initiatives in manufacturing
Proper treatment of industrial wastes
With regard to commissioned treatment of industrial wastes, we carefully check and confirm the permission status of the operators. Furthermore, under the outsourcing agreement signed with appropriate waste management operators, we promote the recycling of industrial wastes and the conversion into valuable resources, and work on reducing waste output as well.
Development of water management plans
Of the 7 major manufacturing plants of the Toho Titanium Group (5 plants of our company, Toho Technical Service and Toho Material), 6 plants (5 plants of our company and Toho Technical Service), which account for 86%, established water management plans and strive to grasp the volume of water intake, wastewater, and recycled water, to recycle water used in the manufacturing process and reduce the amount of water consumption. We have no legal violation against permission standards and regulations for water quality and water volume set in each region.
Initiatives in sales and offices
From a perspective of global warming prevention, our initiatives for saving energy and power are aimed at further energy saving, and promote energy saving measures from a mid- and long-term perspective, for example, by improving energy efficiency in manufacturing stages and installing energy saving equipment.
In addition, we promote our initiatives in logistics stages such as material procurement and product distribution, as well as energy saving measures in our offices.
The Toho Titanium Group believes that it is important for every employee to do what they can do to slow down global warming, and thus, we encourage them to actively participate in our power saving initiatives, by turning off lights during lunch time, by joining My Cup Campaign, and by no idling while driving.
Sorting recyclable used paper and recycling waste materials
Employees of the Toho Titanium Group started recycling activities with their personal items in a stepwise manner.
- To reduce shredded paper by managing and disposing of confidential documents
- To reduce general industrial waste by sorting recyclable paper and converting them into valuable resources
- To reduce the volume of OA paper usage.