CSR activities in FY2020
Environmental Management System
Environment Policy
Environmental management framework
The NTN Group has acquired third-party certification globally for ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems. Our environmental management organization is structured to promote the compliance with environmental laws and regulations of each country and continually improve environmental performance. For business sites in Japan, multi-site certification is acquired, and all business sites work together to achieve environmental targets under the top management led by directors in charge.
■Environmental management framework chart
Environmental education
The NTN Group conducts rank-based and function-based environmental education of various kinds. For example, our rank-based education programs include basic education at new employee induction training; practical education after workplace assignment; and education for newly appointed managers upon promotion in order to work on environmental issues at each workplace from the perspective of risk-benefit management. Our function-based education programs include education for sales divisions and distributors, who serve as our point of contact with customers for the survey regarding environmentally hazardous substances that may be contained in our products. This program allows participants to learn about how to carry out the survey of customers as well as about relevant laws and regulations. Another such program is a training session to develop internal auditors for the environmental management system. Moreover, during Environment Month every year in June, we rigorously train all employees on important environmental measures of the year, and provide education for raising their environmental awareness. As a social distancing measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also emphasizing online training for environmental education, instead of conventional group training.
Raising environmental awareness (Japan)
In order to raise environmental awareness, NTN Group companies in Japan have distributed an
"Environmental Policy Card" for all employees (including those stationed at business sites such
as temporary staff, subcontractors, and permanently assigned contractors). Moreover, every year
in June, which is set as Environment Month in Japan, we identify and implement the following
priority initiatives for each business site: (i) environmental education; (ii) implementation of
energy- saving patrol; (iii) publication of environmental news; and (iv) displaying of
environmental posters.
In addition, in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, as littering
of disposable masks became a social issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, we published an extra
issue of our environmental newsletter in October with the aim of preventing the littering of
disposable masks.
Environmental Policy Card
The aim of preventing the littering of disposable
masks
Publication of environmental news
Emergency response training (Japan)
The NTN Group conducts emergency response drills at all its business sites every year to minimize damage in the event of hazardous materials or waste leaks. At the NTN Mie Plant, 29 employees were trained to open and close the drainage shut-off gate, which prevents oil from leaking outside the plant in the event of an oil leak. Through this training, a familiarity with the operation method was firmly instilled in the participants. It was also confirmed that there were no problems with the procedures stipulated for emergency response.
■Drainage gate opening and closing drills (Leakage prevention training)
Violation of environmental laws and regulations
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, there were no cases of serious penalties and sanctions under environmental laws and regulations.
Response to serious leak accidents
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, the NTN Group had one major accident involving an oil leak into an irrigation channel at the NTN Akaiwa Works. As an emergency response, we immediately carried out work to remove the leaked oil, and then had the local government conduct a site survey to confirm that there was no impact on the quality of irrigation water, groundwater or on nearby agriculture. The results of the analysis of the cause of the leak and the permanent countermeasures were horizontally deployed to all NTN global bases.
Company environmental performance and targets
Company-wide environmental performance for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021
Target achieved in 13 of 18 items
- Achieved
- Not achieved
Environment Policy | Environmental Targets | Results | Self-evaluation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developing technology that contributes to the prevention of global warming | Developing and releasing new technologies and products that help save and create energy | Currently being promoted by the Technology and Research Division | ||||||
Observance of laws and regulations | Ongoing rigorous management of hazardous materials | Thorough inventory control and monthly self-audits | ||||||
Reducing the environmental impacts of our business operations | Reducing CO2 emissions | Reducing CO2 emissions | Japan | 209,000 tons/year or less* | 237,000 tons/year | |||
Overseas | 341,000 tons/year or less | 318,000 tons/year | ||||||
Reducing CO2 emissions intensity | Japan | 23.0% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 1998* | 16.0% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 1998 | |||||
Overseas | 0.8% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 | 9.4% increase compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 | ||||||
Promote awareness of and ensure compliance with the revised version of the Green Procurement Standards | Japan | Compliance at each business site | Currently being implemented at each business site | |||||
Utilizing resources sustainably | Reducing water consumption | Reducing water consumption intensity | Japan | 17.0% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 | 17.5% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 | |||
Overseas | 21.7% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 | 22.3% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 | ||||||
Reducing waste, maintaining high recycling rates | Raising recycling rates | Japan | 97.2% or more | 98.1% | ||||
Overseas | 97.2% or more | 96.1% | ||||||
Reducing waste intensity | Japan | 3.7% increase compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 | 4.8% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 | |||||
Reducing paper and Styrofoam | Reducing paper purchase intensity | Japan | 21.3% increase compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 | 6.1% increase compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 | ||||
Reducing Styrofoam | Japan | Maintaining 99% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2000 | 99% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2000 | |||||
Stringently controlling environmentally hazardous substances | Managing and reducing PRTR substances | PRTR substance intensity | Japan | 1% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 | 2.7% increase compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 | |||
Preventing phthalate ester contamination and rigorously managing old stock (#Z) products | Japan | Strict control at each site | Currently being implemented at each site | |||||
Conserving biodiversity | Promoting activities to protect biodiversity, such as "corporate forests" | Japan | Participation of each site | Currently being implemented at each site | ||||
Overseas | Participation of each site | Currently being implemented at each site | ||||||
Continually improving environmental management system | ISO 14001 (2015 version) update | 7 sites had been updated in fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 |
* Calculated using a fixed CO2 emissions factor of 0.381 kg-CO2/kWh for electricity.
Company-wide environmental targets for the fiscal year ending March 2022
Environment Policy | Environmental Targets | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Developing technology that contributes to the prevention of global warming | Developing and releasing new technologies and products that help save and create energy / Expanding the scope of calculation for environment contributing products | |||
Observance of laws and regulations | Ongoing rigorous management of hazardous materials | |||
Reducing environmental impact from business activities | Reducing CO2 emissions | Reducing CO2 emissions intensity | Japan | 262,000 tons/year or less* |
Overseas | 369,000 tons/year or less | |||
Reducing CO2 emissions intensity | Japan | 23.9% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 1998* | ||
Overseas | 3.9% increase compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 | |||
Promote awareness of and ensure compliance with the revised version of the Green Procurement Standards | Japan | Implemented at each business site | ||
Utilizing resources sustainably | Reducing water consumption | Reducing water consumption intensity | Japan | 24.7% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 |
Overseas | 19.5% reduction compared to the year ended March 31, 2015 | |||
Reducing waste, maintaining high recycling rates | Improving recycling rates | Japan | 98.6% or more | |
Overseas | 97.5% or more | |||
Reduction of generated waste intensity | Japan | 5.8% reduction compared to the year ended March 31, 2011 | ||
Reduction of paper and Styrofoam consumption | Reducing paper purchase intensity | Japan | +3.6% increase compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 | |
Reducing Styrofoam consumption | Japan | Complete elimination | ||
Stringently controlling environmentally hazardous substances | Managing and reducing PRTR substances | Managing and reducing PRTR substances | Japan | 1% reduction compared to fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 |
Conserving biodiversity | Promoting activities to conserve biodiversity, such as "corporate forests" | Increasing the number of participating business sites |
* Calculated using a fixed CO2 emissions factor of 0.381 kg-CO2/kWh for electricity.
Conserving biodiversity
In collaboration with local residents and NPOs, we engage in activities to conserve biodiversity, such as tree planting through corporate forestation activities, protecting endangered species in the surrounding areas of business sites, and developing natural parks. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, activities were restricted due to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we reviewed the nature of our activities and the total number of participants in our activities increased to 1,742 employees/year, up from 1,428 employees/year in the previous fiscal year. We will continue to actively engage in these activities.
■Conserving biodiversity (fiscal year ended March 31, 2021)
Activities | Regional businesses (number of participating sites) | Number of participants |
---|---|---|
Planting of local native species | Japan(1), U.S.A(3), Mexico(1), Brazil(1), India(1) | 201 |
Forest management through corporate forest activities | Japan(4), Canada(1), Thailand(1) | 227 |
Protection of endangered species | Japan(2), Mexico(1) | 6 |
Protection of wild birds | Germany(1) | 2 |
Cleaning the waterfront | Japan(2) | 30 |
Maintenance of natural parks, etc. | Japan(11), U.S.A.(1), Mexico(1), India(1), China(1) | 1,276 |
Total | 1,742 |
Nagano Works (Japan)
Protecting the Reverdin's Blue butterfly, an
endangered species
Nagano Works, which has concluded a biodiversity partnership agreement with Nagano Prefecture, is engaged in activities to protect the Reverdin's Blue butterfly, which is designated as a Class IB endangered species in the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment. Reverdin's Blue is a small butterfly that grows to about two to three centimeters as an adult. Its larva feeds on the deciduous shrub indigofera pseudotinctoria. Nagano Works has planted this shrub on site and successfully conducted the first egg-laying test of the Reverdin's Blue butterflies in 2019. In the fiscal year ended March 2021, the Nagano Works worked to expand the planting area of indigofera pseudotinctoria with the aim of further expanding the breeding area for the butterflies.
Reverdin's Blue butterfly (adult insect)
Newly expanded planting areas for indigofera pseudotinctoria
ISO14001 certification
As a general rule, environmental management system (ISO14001) certification is to be obtained within three years of operation, and all existing business sites globally (that have been in operation for more than three years) have already obtained certification. We will continue to acquire certification for new business sites in accordance with the above principle. In Japan, we have acquired certification using the multi-site method, and have completed on-site audits of all multi-site business sites in the three years up to the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, and have completed renewal audits to the latest 2015 version. Overseas, each business site has acquired certification, and NTN DRIVESHAFT ANDERSON, INC. (U.S.A.) is scheduled to acquire new certification in the fiscal year ending March 2022.