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Environmental Management
Environmental Sustainability Report 2005

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: the Declaration of The United Nations Conference on The Human Environment adopted

The United Nations Environment Programme established

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

Law Concerning the Examination and Regulation of Manufacture, Cetc of Chemical Substances enacted
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

Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy
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 adopted
1988 Law Concerning the Protection of the Ozone Layer through the Control of Specified Substances and Others enacted 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 the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Recycled 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
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 the 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, Law on Promoting Green Purchasing, and various recycling laws enacted

Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Recycled Resources and 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
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
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

Compliance Committee formed
2002

Energy Conservation Law amended

New Energy Special Measures Law, Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law, Law Concerning Recycling Measures for End-of-Life Vehicles, and Basic Law on Energy Policy enacted

The Kyoto Protocol ratified

Emissions trading markets opened in U.K. and other countries

The World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg

COP8 held in Delhi
Energy-saving activities of Kakogawa Works were awarded the 2002 Energy-saving Excellent Case "Director-General Prize of Agency for Natural Resources and Energy"
Restructured to Environmental Control and Energy Group established

Kobelco Eco-Solutions Co., Ltd. and Earth Technica Co., Ltd. established
2003 Basic plan for promoting formation of recycling-based society formulated.

Renewable Portfolio Standard introduced

Law for Enhancing Motivation on Environmental Conservation and Promoting of Environmental Education enacted

Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilities of Resources amended for home PC recycling
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

Aluminum and Copper Company received the METI Minister's Award for aluminum dross recycling

Received Kobe City Award for Distinguished Environmental Activities for wide-ranging environmental activities
2004 POPs Treaty ratified

Revised Chemical Substances Control Law came into effect
COP10 held in Buenos Aires
Stopped production of chromate-treated electrogalvanized steel sheet

The Saijo Plant becomes the first plant in Japan to obtain Eco Action 21 certification
2005 End-of-life Vehicle Recycling Law came into effect Kyoto Protocol came into effect (February 16)