Emission Data of Production Facilities

Comments from general manager/environmental officer

As well as continuing with our ongoing environmental preservation activities, we are taking steps to improve management standards and instill the importance of such activities into all of our employees. We are committed to reducing the environmental impact still further, by quickly adapting to changes in the social and business environments and by promoting independent, ambitious activities in each workplace, including saving energy and reducing waste.

As an urban steelworks born and bred in Kobe, we make every effort to preserve the environment and stay in close communication with members of the local community. We are also working to reinforce safety, environmental friendliness and disaster prevention, as the cornerstones of production, in an effort to become the world’s number one steelworks for specialty steel.

We contribute to society through the provision of distinctive "Only One" products across a wide range of fields, from steel castings and forgings, titanium and steel powder to industrial machinery and equipment for the energy and nuclear sectors. We also make every effort to reduce environmental impact, to ensure that we continue to function in harmony with the local community.

We have been implementing environmental activities in the Mukogawa area ever since obtaining Eco-Action 21 certification in 2008, including shifting to alternative modes of transport. In fiscal 2012, we expanded environmental activities to all of our branches and stepped up our efforts to contribute to society from an environmental standpoint.

We have been engaging in activities on a companywide basis for five years now, since obtaining Eco-Action 21 certification in 2007. We have continued to set targets for reducing CO₂ emissions and levels of waste and wastewater. We have carried out monthly follow-up activities and have achieved noticeable results. As part of our efforts to raise environmental awareness on an individual and family level, we – from the president to the employees – are actively involved in the Kobe Steel Group’s Eco-Life Notes scheme.

Our environmental improvement activities revolve primarily around saving energy and resources. As well as increasingly yield and quality, we focused on implementing the 3Ss throughout the works in fiscal 2011 in an effort to reduce environmental impact. We intend to step up our activities even further in fiscal 2012, as we strive to become a works that actively helps to preserve the environment.

Our ongoing commitment to saving energy had a significant impact in fiscal 2011, in terms of reducing consumption of power and city gas. We will continue to work toward reducing environmental impact in the future, in the interests of sustainable development.

Despite sustaining considerable damage as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake, we remain fully committed to environmental improvement activities. To cope with rolling blackouts, we implemented staggered production, enabling us to exceed our power-saving targets by a considerable margin.

We continue to implement environmental activities based on workplace-specific targets in areas such as saving power, reducing waste and conserving water. We have been actively working to save power and reduce peak power consumption in particular since the Great East Japan Earthquake, in line with power saving guidelines. We will continue to make improvements in the future, in order to preserve the environment for the local community.

We have firmly established Eco-Action 21 activities and in fiscal 2011 achieved concrete results in terms of saving energy and reducing usage of harmful chemicals. We are committed to reducing the environmental impact still further in the future, to secure our place in the affections of the local community.

As our plant is located next to the beach, we take the utmost care to control the quality of our wastewater. In fiscal 2011, we adapted operations at the plant in line with power-saving guidelines issued by Kansai Electric Power and did our best to reduce power consumption. We will continue to cooperate in saving power this year, as we strive to become a plant that makes a difference to the local community.

We implement priority initiatives with the aim of reducing industrial wastewater-related environmental risks, to protect and improve the natural environment that surrounds our works. As part of our commitment to coexisting and working in harmony with the local community, we also make every effort to improve communication through activities such as organizing tours for local organizations and participating in local environmental improvement campaigns.

All employees at our Kakogawa Plant work together to reduce environmental impact, through activities such as reusing waste products and saving energy, as well as preventing air and water pollution. We are committed to working in harmony with the local community.

Our goal is to earn public trust in our power station through the stable supply of energy. As an urban coal-fired power station situated in the beautiful city of Kobe, all of our employees are dedicated to preserving the environment and ensuring that our facilities operate reliably.

Our General Administration Section and Manufacturing Section were moved to the Fujisawa Plant on April 1, 2012, as a result of an organizational restructuring. Environmental management and other administrative aspects of our environmental activities will still be overseen by the Manufacturing Section. We wille continue to focus on priority areas such as saving energy, reducing waste sent to landfill, and ensuring appropriate management of chemical substances.

We implement a range of ongoing environmental measures aimed at minimizing and recycling waste, and reducing levels of dust. In fiscal 2012, we intend to step up efforts to improve local ventilation systems, to enhance the working environment inside the plant. We are also focusing on a number of energy saving measures in an effort to save power.

We promote environmental management in line with Eco-Action 21 in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of our business activities at the Saijo Plant. We intend to enhance our environmental management capabilities even further in fiscal 2012, by carefully examining the effectiveness of environmental preservation activities and preventive measures.

We are always working to reduce levels of waste generated by the plant and to recycle waste products. We provide training in material safety data sheets (MSDS) for chemical substances and waste-related training in order to improve levels of understanding. We are committed to working as a team to reduce environmental risks even further in the future.

Allof our employees are committed to reducing CO₂ emissions, water use and waste in line with Eco-Action 21. We will continue to improve production activities in the future (maintaining and improving quality, productivity and yield) and intend to develop activities with an even greater emphasis on contributing to the environment.

We deal exclusively in powdered substances, from purchasing raw materials to supplying finished products. That is why we implement measures designed to control dust sources, improve the working environment and reduce waste. In fact, we are working on a companywide Zero Waste Campaign, aimed at eliminating waste by the end of fiscal 2015.

Thanks to ongoing environmental activities throughout the plant, we managed to achieve concrete results during fiscal 2011. These included reducing CO₂ emissions by switching to alternative energy sources and increasing the percentage of industrial waste that we recycle. We regard coexisting and working in harmony with the environment as a key part of our services and will continue to do our bit to contribute to society.

Having obtained certification under Yamaguchi Prefectural Government’s Eco-Factory scheme, we implement environmental impact initiatives in accordance with ISO 14001 and are committed to coexisting and working in harmony with the local community. This year, we have been focusing in particular on energy-saving activities, due in part to recent power restrictions.

Our approach to manufacturing products at the Daian Plant is based on "conscientious manufacturing." We are determined to earn greater trust from our customers as we continue to develop as a plant. Another of our basic philosophies is that of "harmony with the environment." As such, we are committed to improving our environmental strengths and enhancing our corporate value, through environmentally friendly production activities, operations in accordance with ISO 14001 and rigorous legal compliance.

Despite being forced to alter our operations in fiscal 2011, due to factors such as power restrictions and a sharp decline in demand, we nonetheless continued to carry out effective energy saving activities. In fiscal 2012, we will continue to implement the PDCA cycle, based on ISO 14001, and put our corporate philosophy of "caring for the environment and contributing to society" into practice.

Having focused on reducing waste in fiscal 2011, we increased the amount of wooden crates that we reuse and managed to recycle used paper and waste oil. In light of current power restrictions, we intend to set aside more days for adjusted operations in fiscal 2012, in order to reduce peak power consumption during the summer months. We also intend to use more rainwater.

We passed our first environmental management system renewal inspection in December 2011. In addition to our ongoing efforts to reduce and generate revenue from industrial waste, this is set to be an important year in terms of planned noise control measures, to protect the increasing number of residential areas around our plant. We are determined to establish ourselves as a business that local residents can trust.

We have been implementing environmental improvement activities on a proactive and continual basis since 2011 (1) saving energy, 2) conserving resources, 3) harnessing human resources, 4) increasing quality and yield, 5) reducing inventory), and are now starting to see results. Our efforts to halve power consumption in particular won an outstanding achievement award at a Kobe Steel Group event showcasing environmental improvement initiatives, providing us with even more encouragement.

We work as a team to implement environmental impact activities, in areas such as saving energy, conserving resources and minimizing industrial waste, in an effort to earn the trust of our customers and the local community. In fiscal 2012, we will be focusing our priorities on recycling coating wastewater (effluent).

We effectively implement environmental management in accordance with ISO 14001 and a range of improvement activities, focusing particularly on saving energy. We are also working to achieve further reductions in waste, including paint waste and sewage sludge, and continue to carry out activities that will make a difference to the local community, by manufacturing products in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

As a leading company in the copper tube industry, we develop and manufacture high performance, lightweight heat transfer tubes for air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. We are also reducing industrial waste and saving energy as part of our production activities. Our aim is to contribute to society through "manufacturing that is kind to people and the environment."

We regard environmental activities as one of our top priorities, including alleviating global warming and helping to create a recycling-oriented society. In addition to production activities, we take the environment into consideration when developing products and providing services. We are also committed to coexisting and working in harmony with society, as we strive to enhance our corporate value and contribute to the community.

As well as providing products, technologies and services that help reduce environmental impact and CO₂ emissions, we contribute to society through monozukuri or manufacturing, as a global company working in partnership with people, the environment and the world.

In the five years since we obtained Eco-Action 21 certification in 2008, we have firmly established activities aimed at regulating power and water consumption, controlling waste emissions and reducing environmental impact. We also make the most of management tools to ensure compliance with environmental legislation. We will continue to contribute to society here at Kobe Corporate Research Laboratories, through the research and development of new environmentally friendly products and technologies that help save energy and resources.

Here at the Sputtering Target Division, we produce materials for flat panel displays and optical recording media. We’re working to develop and manufacture materials for thin-film secondary batteries and solar cells. Not only are we committed to environmentally friendly manufacturing, but we are also determined to provide society with products that improve the environment.

In 2011, we developed, marketed and commenced production of new models that use fuel efficient, low-noise and lightweight technologies to limit emissions and save energy. We will continue to develop cranes that are designed to help save energy in the future. Efficient production is helping to reduce power and fuel consumption while improving productivity. We are also reducing the amount of waste. In these ways, we’re working to reduce environmental impact.

Having completed the move to our new factory in May 2012, we remain as focused as ever on initiatives such as improving productivity, increasing efficiency as part of our logistics operations and reducing the usage of organic solvents. In terms of products, we are concentrating particularly on hybrid technology and are committed to supplying products for the recycling sector.

As well as actively implementing production improvement activities and improving productivity to reduce power consumption and CO₂ emissions, we also make every effort to preserve the environment and prevent pollution, getting all of our employees involved so that we can work in harmony with the local community based on mutual trust.

The superconducting wire rod that we manufacture helps to save energy through new energy creation projects and as part of applied magnetic field systems. We also work as a team to make ongoing improvements in terms of wire rod production too, in order to reduce environmental impact.

Having taken over the reins as General Manager of the Harima Plant in fiscal 2012, I am determined to continue creating a safe, pleasant working environment. We will also continue to promote energy saving activities, based on improving productivity so as to make more effective use of power, fuel and other resources.

During fiscal 2011 we successfully reduced power consumption at our Technical Research Center by 11.4% and increased the percentage of waste products recycled by 26.6% year on year. We also organized initiatives such as an emergency drill to ensure that wastewater is appropriately managed and that all employees comply with wastewater standards. As an environmentally oriented company, we take preserving the local environment into consideration in all of our operations.

Located between the sea and the mountains, Shinko Industrial is determined to operate in harmony with the natural environment in Kurayoshi. We pay special attention to wastewater and always try to take nearby residents in the local community into consideration. We are also working to reduce CO₂ emissions and in fiscal 2011 switched our boilers to an alternative fuel source.