Environmental Management Environmental Sustainability Report 2004

Environmental Chronology

Kobe Steel Year Japan World 1967 Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control enacted   1968 Air Pollution Control Law enacted   Firing of the First Blast Furnace at Kakogawa Works 1970 Environmental Pollution Diet 14 laws enacted or amended including the Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control, Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law, and Water Pollution Control Law OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Council at Ministerial Level held OECD Environment Committee formed Environmental Control Section formed in Technology Control Department at the Head Office Pollution Control Rules established 1971 Environment Agency established Environmental Control Department formed 1972 The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm and the Declaration of The United Nations Conference on The Human Environment The United Nations Environment Programme formed The Club of Rome published "The Limits to Growth" OECD adopted the "Polluter Pays" Principle Company-wide Environmental Conservation Conference held 1973 First Oil Crisis Japan Aluminum Can Recycling Association established Environmental Control Regulations established 1974 National Institute for Environmental Studies established OECD Council adopted the Declaration on Environmental Policy, which calls for assessment of the environmental impact on major public and private activities 1977 Industrial Structure Council compiled a report on how wastes should be recycled 1979 Second Oil Crisis OECD Council adopted the recommendation "The Assessment of Projects with Significant Impact on the Environment" The Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) formed Environment and Disaster Control Department established 1987 The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer: The Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer adopted1988 1988 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established Global Warming Study Group formed 1989 Tokyo Conference on the Global Environment: "Environmental Ethics" proposed The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal adopted "Shinko Aluminum Can Back" program launched 1990 Action Program to Arrest Global Warming adopted IPCC First Assessment Report published 1991 Global Environment Charter adopted by Keidanren (the Federation of Economic Organizations) Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Recyclable Resources enacted Environment Control and Energy Department formed Global Environment Committee formed Basic Policies for the Environment established Statement on the Environment approved by International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) 1992 Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law amended The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro: Earth Charter formulated, Agenda 21 adopted and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted (effectuated in March 1994) 1993 Basic Environment Law enacted Environmental Protection and Industrial Location Bureau formed at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)   1994 Basic Environment Plan formulated The German government promulgated the Act for Promoting Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management and Ensuring Environmentally Compatible Waste Disposal Basic Guidelines for Environmental Protection formulated Use of CFCs for cleaning banned 1995 Container and Packaging Recycling Law enacted UNFCCC: The First Conference of the Parties (COP1) held in Berlin IPCC Second Assessment Report published 1996 Keidanren (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations) Voluntary Action Plan on the Environment drawn up for each industry COP2 held in Geneva ISO14001 launched 1997 Environmental Impact Assessment Law enacted Japan's greenhouse gas emission reduction target set at 6% at COP3 Global Warming Prevention Headquarters established COP3 held in Kyoto Greenhouse gas reduction targets for developed countries decided at COP3 Kakogawa and Kobe works received ISO 14001 certification Kobelco Environment Creating Project for the 21st Century launched 1998 Law Concerning the Promotion of the Measures to Cope with Global Warming enacted Electric Household Appliance Recycling Law enacted Law Concerning Rational Use of Energy (Energy Conservation Law) amended COP4 held in Buenos Aires Takasago Works (Casting and Forging Plant and Steel Powder Plant) received ISO 14001 certification Environmental Report issued 1999 PRTR Law enacted Law Concerning Special Measures Against Dioxins enacted COP5 held in Bonn Hatano Plant received ISO 14001 certification 2000 The Basic Law for Establishing the Recycling-based Society enacted Law on Promoting Green Purchasing enacted Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Recyclable Resources amended Various recycling laws enacted Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law amended COP6 held in The Hague Moka, Chofu and Ibaraki plants received ISO 14001 certification Kobelco Ecolife Notebook received Osaka Environmental Award Fujisawa Industrial Operations received Kanagawa Global Environment Award Risk Control Policies established Environmental Solutions Department established 2001 Government reorganized and Ministry of the Environment formed Law Concerning Special Measures Against PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) enacted Law Concerning the Recovery and Destruction of Fluorocarbons enacted COP6 (Part 2) held in Bonn Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Treaty IPCC Third Assessment Report - Climate Change 2001 COP7 held in Morocco Takasago Works (Takasago Equipment Plant and Takasago Machinery Center) received ISO 14001 certification Global Environment Committee reorganized into Environmental Management Committee Harima, Fukuchiyama and Daian plants received ISO 14001 certification Compliauce Committee formed 2002 Energy Conservation Law amended Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law enacted The Kyoto Protocol ratified Law Concerning Recycling Measures for End-of-Life Vehicles enacted Basic Law on Energy Policy enacted Emissions trading markets opened in U.K. and other countries The World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg COP8 held in New Delhi Energy-saving activities of Kakogawa Works received the Energy-saving Excellent Case “Director-General Prize of Agency for Natural Resources and Energy” Environmental Control & Energy Dept. reorganized 2003 Basic plan for Establish the Recycled-Based Society Formulated Law Concerning Enhancing Motivation For Environmental Conservation And Prompting Of Environmental Education enacted. Recycling of home PCs started EU Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS Directive) adopted and used. COP9 held in Milano Nadahama Science Square opened. 2004 POPs Treaty ratified. Revised Chemical Substances Control Law put into force. COP10 held in Argentina