Home > About Us > Corporate Social Responsibility > Sustainability Report > Sustainability Report 2008 > 5. Cooperation with the Local Community

5. Cooperation with the Local Community

The Kobe Steel Group takes a cooperative approach on environmental issues with the local community. We support environmental activities, maintain communications, add greenery where possible inside and around our plants, and run activities to enhance local neighborhoods and keep them clean. We also accept overseas trainees and work in other ways to promote international cooperation.

Supporting Environmental Activities

The Kobelco Natural Environment Conservation Charitable Trust Fund and the Kobelco Environment Creation Fund were set up in 2001 to support people and groups involved in environmental conservation activities. These funds are directed beyond the Kobe Steel Group of companies, and provide support for a wide range of conservation efforts at community level. The Kobelco Natural Environment Conservation Charitable Trust Fund is for the support of environmental conservation activities undertaken in Hyogo Prefecture. In 2007 it assisted a total of 45 different projects, including conservation of rural landscapes, environmental studies, encounters with nature, and forestry volunteering. The Kobelco Environment Creation Fund was set up to support relatively large-scale environmental conservation activities with greater future vision. In 2007 it was used to fund international cooperation efforts in forestry regeneration in Mongolia, which were undertaken by the Hyogo Environmental Advancement Association, a private foundation.

	Main Activities Assisted by Kobelco Natural Environment Conservation Charitable Trust Fund in 2007

Organization assisted Outline of activities in Hyogo Prefecture West Harima Nature Classroom Wildlife observation, mushroom cultivation, handicrafts, and environmental surveys and studies for elementary and junior high school children and their parents Amagasaki Minami Green Works Organizing greenery forums for small plant managers, employees and local residents. Daiichi no Wa Network Planting, nurturing and surveying growth of young hardwood trees in Asago City Kishin Line Community Rape Flower Project Nature conservation education activities; promoting cultivation of rape on unused fields Kebi no Mori Club Conserving the rural landscape by thinning and planting hardwood and cedar forest; organizing forest-related events Association for Protection of Toga River River clean-up activities; environmental conservation education activities such as releasing trout with local school children Environment 21 Club Researching cleaning of indoor air pollution by using charcoal in the home; conserving rural landscapes on slopes of Myojinyama, Yumesakicho Mt Rokko Nature Conservation Center Association Building and using nature walk routes on Mt Rokko.

Boosting Greenery at All Plants and Works

At plants and works we are promoting green spaces and planting trees on site, to help make improvements to the surrounding environment.

Cooperation with the Local Community

Shinko Kobe Power Inc. in Kobe supplies steam heat from its power generation plant to three sake breweries in the Nishigo area. Nishigo is one of the five areas renowned for sake brewing in Kobe and Nishinomiya. Supplying steam from power generation to replace the breweries' individual boilers helps save energy in the local community.

Steam generator

International Cooperation

Utilizing its broad experience in the environmental and energy fields, the Kobe Steel Group promotes international cooperation by providing technical training to overseas trainees.

Cooperation Activities Country Sponsoring Organization Analysis technology and risk assessment of chemical substances posing environmental burden Brazil China Iran Cuba Philippines Kazakhstan Thailand Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Facility visits (Shinko Kobe Power Station) Indonesia Vietnam Japan Coal Energy Center Indonesia Association of Overseas Technical Scholarship