事業所見学会（ユニバーサル製缶㈱結城工場にて）
| Purpose of activities | Activities during fiscal 2022 | Self- assessment |
Targets/plans for activities from fiscal 2023 onwards |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
A |
|
Self-assessment grades A: Target achieved B: Target mostly achieved C: Target not achieved
This “Environmental Policy of the Mitsubishi Materials Group” was established based on the Sustainability Policy and is considered to be the foundation for the business activities of the Mitsubishi Materials Group.
(Last revised date : December 1, 2021)
We have established the Environmental Management Panel to be a dedicated subcommittee under the Sustainable Management Office that formulates and implements group-wide environmental measures. We appoint environmental management supervisors for each business division and manufacturing site. They work to prevent pollution and ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations by collaborating closely with the Head Office environmental management department.
We operate environmental management systems under the ISO 14001 standard and other environmental management systems at our facilities. Under those systems, we engage in continuous activities to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and improve our environmental performance. We implemented environmental training programs to promote the acquisition of knowledge regarding environmental technologies, laws and regulations which are needed by managers who promote the above activities. We are also developing and implementing a checking system for applicable laws and regulations required for day-to-day management.
| Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Environmental management training | Managers | 112 |
| Waste management training | Managers | 25 |
| Supervisors | 199 | |
To handle the environmental issues that arise at our facilities, we have established an office providing the consultation services of staff specialized in environmental issues, at our Head Office. This office provides meticulous support, ensures that information useful in tackling environmental issues is shared between the Head Office and other facilities.
We hold an annual Meeting of Administrative Managers Responsible for Environmental Management for management-level staff at our facilities. At these meetings, we share information about environmental measures and issues. In addition, we give annual facility tours for environmental management supervisors at individual facilities. These tours are hands-on opportunities to learn methods of operating onsite related to environmental management and initiatives for preventing environmental accidents, and to exchange information with supervisors from other facilities.
We keep all our facilities up to date on changes in legislation applied to the Mitsubishi Materials Group by providing information via intranet or email. In the event of major revisions or revisions requiring measures such as equipment upgrades, we hold explanatory meetings to share information on the requisite measures and ensure that all our facilities are prepared to take appropriate action.
Currently applicable laws and regulations are checked periodically at each facility. In addition, the Internal Audit Department checks the status of compliance with environmental laws and regulations, how chemical substances are handled, how equipment is managed and so on. Any noncompliance discovered shall be corrected promptly and its information shall be shared with related facilities as part of our efforts to improve the level of management in the overall Group.
In the event of installation of new facilities, facilities upgrades/changes, or any other projects involving new operations above a certain scale, individual sites determine what notifications they are required to submit by law, and confirmation is also made by the relevant Head Office divisions. In addition, as a support function in the aspect of specialized legal knowledge that is needed at sites, we built a web system and began operating it in April 2021. When a name or the specifications of a facility are entered in this system, it automatically judges whether a notification or a permit application needs to be submitted about the facility in accordance with the law.
With regard to our compliance with environment-related laws and regulations in fiscal 2022, we were not subject to any adverse dispositions (revoked permits, orders to cease operations, orders to stop use of equipment, fines, etc.) by regulatory authorities.
We received 7 complaints regarding noise and dust. For all of these we promptly investigated the causes and implemented the necessary countermeasures.
In accordance with our Environmental Policy, we identify environmental risks to the Mitsubishi Materials Group from a broad perspective and take measures to prevent such risks from materializing.
Pollution of air, bodies of water, soil or groundwater by hazardous substances leak, or inadequate treatment of industrial waste could have a detrimental impact on the environment, as well as a serious impact on our business activities as a group. We carry out risk assessments in line with the nature of our business activities, the substances that we handle, and the locations of individual facilities, and take action as necessary. In addition to preventing inadequate waste treatment at our own facilities, we take steps to ensure that we do not overlook inadequate treatment by contractors by taking measures including on-site confirmation.
At the abandoned mines (non-ferrous metal mines) we own, in order to prevent mining-induced pollution, we continue to maintain tailings dams, mining tunnels and mining water conduit, and to appropriately process acid wastewater containing heavy metals generated from these locations.
Biodiversity is also an important environmental risk for us. At the mines from which we procure raw materials (such as ores), we have established environmental and social standards, including standards for the conservation of biodiversity, and we confirm our compliance with these standards. In addition, we manage the company-owned forests in Japan to ensure a high level of ecosystem services from them. They fulfill a certain standard that has been assured by our acquisition of a forest certification.
To reduce climate change risks, we take multiple approaches for the conservation of energy and the reduction of CO2 emissions. We also study CO2 capture and use, and generate renewable energy. Regarding the risk that a shortage of freshwater resources could impact our business activities, we conduct risk assessments for our major facilities in Japan and overseas and take measures including the effective utilization of seawater, water conservation through the improvement of the efficiency of the production process, water recycling, and ensuring that wastewater is treated and purified.
In fiscal 2022, we invested approximately ¥4.9 billion in areas including renewal of equipment at cement plants and copper smelting and refining facilities, with the goal of preventing air pollution and water pollution. Costs associated with environmental preservation came to around ¥7.3 billion, including environmental measures, and maintenance and management of equipment to prevent pollution.
| Category | Investment Amount | Expense Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business area costs | Business area costs | 4,848 | 6,821 |
| Pollution prevention costs | 4,089 | 3,426 | |
| Global environmental conservation costs | 641 | 450 | |
| Resource recycling costs | 118 | 2,946 | |
| Upstream/downstream costs | 0 | 0 | |
| Administration costs | 46 | 272 | |
| R&D costs | 2 | 32 | |
| Social activity costs | 0 | 13 | |
| Environmental remediation costs | 15 | 144 | |
| Total | 4,911 | 7,282 | |
Among the following disclosure items, energy input includes data from sites belonging to the cement business and the aluminum business. The other disclosure items include data from facilities belonging to the cement business while they do not include data from sites belonging to the aluminum business.
Total energy input (non-consolidated) in fiscal 2022 decreased by 0.15% (0.1 petajoules: crude oil equivalent of 2 thousand kiloliters) in comparison with fiscal 2021.
While there was an increase in activity levels at other plants and locations despite falling production volume at some cement plants, this was offset by an increase in the use of waste plastic and other alternative thermal energy resources, producing results that were largely on par with FY2021.
* 1PJ＝1015J=1,000TJ
In order to contribute to a material-cycle society, we strive for the recycling and using waste and by-products.
The Company (non-consolidated) used a total of 3.2 million tons of recycled waste and byproducts during fiscal 2022 (roughly the same as in fiscal 2021), which is roughly 18.7% of the total raw material input of 16.9 million tons.
* Natural resources include limestone procured from Group mines
The vast majority of the water we consume is seawater used as cooling water at thermal power generation facilities at our cement plants and copper plants.
The Company (non-consolidated) used a total of 420 million m³ (5% increase from the previous year ) of water at during fiscal 2022. Only 16.8 million m³ (4%) of the total water consumption volume was fresh water.
* Excluding fresh water used in hydroelectric power generation
* Excluding seawater used for cooling
We monitor the amounts of sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and dust contained in waste gases from facilities, as well as attributes such as BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand) and nitrogen content in wastewater.
The volume of water discharged (excluding water drained into the sea) by the Company (non-consolidated) in fiscal 2022 totaled approximately 11.1 million m3, roughly the same as in fiscal 2021. Water drained into the sea by the Company (non-consolidated) was 406 million m3, and the vast majority was seawater that had been used as cooling water.
* Excluding water drained into the sea
The Company’s non-consolidated emissions in fiscal 2022 were 78 tons, roughly the same as in fiscal 2021. The transferred amount was 40 tons, which was decreased by 13% from the previous year.
The volume of industrial waste from the Company (non-consolidated) in fiscal 2022 was approximately 14 thousand tons , which was decreased by 7% from the previous year. The volume of waste sent to landfills by the Company (non-consolidated) in fiscal 2022 was approximately 5.7 thousand tons, which was 21% increased from the previous year.
The total volume of waste for the Group as a whole, including Mitsubishi Materials, came to approximately 120 thousand tons, of which around 80% was recycled.
