Home > About Us > Sustainability Management > Sustainability Report > Sustainability Report 2013 > Appropriate Management of Chemical Substances
Appropriate Management of Chemical Substances
The Kobe Steel Group carries out thorough and appropriate management of chemical substances, in line with domestic and international standards, and endeavors to reduce the use of hazardous substances and replace such substances with safer alternatives.
Thorough Chemical Substance Management
Kobe Steel has established the Kobe Steel Group Policy on Controlling Hazardous Chemical Substances and pursues thorough chemical substance management.
The Kobe Steel Group clarifies the use and management of each substance through Designated Chemical Substance Management Sheets. In addition to tallying transfer and output of substances as required by the PRTR Law1, we also engage in initiatives to limit the use and output of substances such as dichloromethane and lead.
In fiscal 2012, according to reported figures collected under the PRTR Law, The Kobe Steel Group handled 52 substances, with a total output2 of approximately 764 tons, and total transfer3 of approximately 550 tons.
Both within and outside Japan, worldwide regulations on chemical substances are growing stronger.
In Japan, revisions to the Law Concerning the Examination and Regulation of Manufacture, etc. of Chemical Substances4 and PRTR Law began to be implemented from fiscal 2009.
In Europe, the new REACH5 regulations on the "registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction" of chemical substances were enacted, with new regulated substances being added each year.
The Kobe Steel Group responds appropriately to relevant laws and regulations, sharing information and opinions among relevant departments.
- 1 The Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Law.
- 2 Output includes atmospheric and water emissions.
- 3 Transfer includes transfers of substances off of company grounds and drainage.
- 4 Law concerning the examination, manufacture, etc. of chemical substances.
- 5 Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals.
Kobe Steel Group Output/Transfer of Substances (as Reported under PRTR Law)
Examples of Activities to Reduce Chemical Substance Emissions
| Company name | Location | Examples of initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Shinko Kenzai, Ltd. | Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture | Reexamined installed capacity, reducing emissions of VOCs from apertures into the environment |
| Nippon Koshuha Steel Co., Ltd. | Imizu, Toyama Prefecture | Currently implementing measures to reduce use of chlorine-based organic compounds |
