Walkway clean-up activity
The plant, which produces special hardware and tools for the processing of automobile engines and other applications, is located in an industrial park in Ujitawara, a town in Kyoto Prefecture renowned for the production of Uji Tea. Since 2017, the company has taken part in monthly town clean-up activities together with the members of the local clean-up activity group "Takebouki-kai."
Partly because we were the first company in the area to take part and partly because the activities were covered by the local newspaper several times, we have become well known among residents and people from the local government, who come and talk with us from time to time. This has really underscored the value of the activities for us. We intend to continue and deepen our engagement with the people of the area as a company with strong roots in the community.
Making colorful artificial salmon roe from brine
Established in 1955, Diasalt delivers safe and secure Japanese-made salt to customers around Japan from its plant situated on an island in the town of Sakito in Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture. The water produced as a by-product from producing salt is also supplied to the town of Sakito as drinking water.
"Science World IN Saikai" is an educational event for elementary school students organized by the Saikai Board of Education and Nagasaki University where university students, school teachers and local companies serve as instructors.
Diasalt takes part to contribute to local educational activities as well as to promote the fact that "there is a company near where people live that is producing salt."
Designing experiments that will capture children's attention while properly considering their safety is difficult, but is a challenge Diasalt tackles using ingenuity.
Explanation of the renewable energy business
In December 2019, second year students from Ageo City Higashi Junior High School in Saitama Prefecture visited our head office for out-of-school learning. The school has established a "Global Citizenship" course in which it sets themes based on various social issues such as the SDGs and has students investigate and learn how to solve them. These activities include visiting related companies, universities and other organizations to hear from them directly and deepen their understanding.
The students who visited investigated renewable energies and environmental issues as a group and wanted to hear from Mitsubishi Materials about geothermal power generation. The questions from the students were all very pointed. This was a precious encounter that reinforced the idea that we must properly develop our current business operations and connect it with future generations so that we leave an even better society for these students when they grow up.
| Recipient | Awarding body or organization | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Materials Corporation Metalworking Solutions Company Central Research Institute |
Japan Society of Powder and Powder Metallurgy | 38th JSPM Awards for Technological Advancements | Development and practical application of high Al-content FCC-AlTiN coating for cutting tools |
| Diamet Corporation | Japan Society of Powder and Powder Metallurgy | 2019 JSPM Award for New Technology & New Products | - Development of components for a variable capacity oil pump - Development of sintered oil bearings for electric parking brakes (EPB) |
| Mitsubishi Materials Corporation Tsukuba Plant | Japan Cutting & Wear-resistant Tool Association | 2019 Japan Cutting & Wear-resistant Tool Association (JTA) Award: Technology Encouragement Award | Development of GW series cutting off & grooving system |
| Mitsubishi Materials | MONODZUKURI Nippon Conference Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun |
2019 Cho Monodzukuri Grand Award for Parts, Machinery and Robotic Parts Award | WJX series of double-sided insert type high feed radius milling cutters |
| Mitsubishi Hitachi Tool Engineering | EB4HR taper ball end mill for high accuracy rib slotting | ||
| PT Smelting | Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources | Award of Reporting & Commitment in Applying Management Energy on 2019 | Energy Management Initiatives in accordance with Government Regulation No. 70 year 2009 regarding Energy Conservation |
We purchase copper concentrate from around the world and supply it to smelting plants in Japan and overseas.
To ensure stable access to raw materials in the long term, we have also invested in four overseas mines. These mines we have invested in are used to procure raw materials for domestic smelting plants.
Mines represent the uppermost stream connected to our business activities, and although we currently do not directly participate in mine management in a leadership capacity, from the perspective of CSR procurement, we check the attainment status of environmental regulatory values, verify that the necessary environmental permits and licenses have been obtained and monitor the working conditions of mine workers. In these ways, we provide support from the standpoint of a shareholder to ensure that sustainable mine management that considers the environment and local communities is practiced.
The International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM), of which the Company is a member, is an international consultation body dealing with CSR in the mining and smelting industries. ICMM is made up of major mining and smelting companies from around the world and promotes a range of activities including environmental preservation, health and safety, employment and labor issues, and human rights. As an industry that procures raw materials on a global scale and has a significant impact on the environment and society, ICMM advocates 10 Principles for Sustainable Development. Its member companies, including Mitsubishi Materials, seek to boost the overall performance of the industry by engaging in business activities that adhere to these principles while sharing best practices. We also report activities based on the ten principles in our CSR report, which complies with GRI Guidelines.
By obtaining membership in these international bodies and undertaking CSR activities together with mine operators, we are working to develop systems responsive to the CSR procurement that society expects, and going forward we hope to engage in even more responsible business activities as a company that procures and smelts raw materials.
The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), of which Mitsubishi Materials is a member, seeks to achieve industry-wide CSR improvements to solve issues related to the environment, safety, labor, and human rights in the interests of sustainable development. The ICMM makes use of dialogue with member companies to formulate policy, and in June 2017 ICMM CEO Tom Butler came to Japan and visited Japanese member companies as part of his itinerary. Mr. Butler met with then Vice President Osamu Iida and then Senior Managing Executive Officer Yasunobu Suzuki and engaged in a productive exchange of views. A press conference was also held at the Japan Mining Industry Association to disseminate information on the wide-ranging activities of the ICMM and the important pioneering initiatives being pursued by its Japanese member companies.
The ICMM has also taken an interest in efforts by Japanese member companies to manage mines throughout the lifecycle from participation in mine development through to closure, as well as metal recycling efforts. To this end, Mr. Butler toured Hosokura Metal Mining Co., Ltd., a member of the MMC Group. Mr. Butler commented that “management of suspended or closed mines in particular is excellent.”
Press conference with CEO Tom Butler, ICMM
*The title and position are as of the publication date of this article.
ICMM tour of Hosokura Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is running the "Create from Urban Mines! Everybody's Metal Project" to produce the medals used in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo from materials such as used mobile phones and compact home appliances. Hoping to leave a legacy contributing to the development of sustainable society, the committee is actively promoting the initiative in conjunction with NTT Docomo Inc., the Japan Environmental Sanitation Center, the Ministry of the Environment and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
As a business operator associated with a recycling business plan under Japan's Small Home Appliance Recycling Act, we support this project through the Japan Environmental Sanitation Center.
We have been carrying out commercial studies in the western area of Appi Highlands in Hachimantai (Iwate Prefecture) since fiscal 2005, conducting assessments in areas such as geothermal resources and economic viability. Having carried out studies in conjunction with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, in October 2015 we joined forces to establish Appi Geothermal Energy Corporation.
Appi Geothermal Energy Corporation plans to commence operations of a geothermal plant with a capacity of 14,900 kilowatts in 2023, and began the steps to conduct an environmental impact assessment on October 28, 2015.
The company also studied, predicted and assessed the impact of the construction of the Appi Geothermal Power Plant (provisional name) on the surrounding environment. On January 15, 2018, the final environmental impact statement was submitted to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and sent to the governor of Iwate Prefecture and mayor of Hachimantai. On January 24, 2018, the company received notification of approval from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and began construction of the plant in August 2019.
To promote a deeper understanding of the construction work among the local community, we regularly conduct briefing sessions on the construction plan and offer site tours.