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Environmental Conservation Efforts
Basic Corporate Policy
Kansai Paint and its Group companies recognize that their responsibility as a social entity and the basic mission of paint are the same, namely to provide a rewarding, colorful environment and to protect resources. Thus we work for environmental conservation and ensure health and safety in accordance with the principle of sustainable growth and the fundamental rule of Responsible Care. To maintain public confidence, we adopted the following basic policies.
- To supply products only after consideration of their potential impacts on people and the environment.
- To undertake countermeasures in advance of the potential impacts of products on people and the environment.
- To cooperate with external organizations to enhance awareness concerning the environment, safety, and health.
- To disclose and provide information related to the environment, safety, and health.
Progress to Date
Kansai Paint is a founding member of the Japan Responsible Care Council, which was established in 1995 by the Japan Chemical Industry Association. As part of this role, the Company has declared its willingness to undertake Responsible Care activities. Since then, we have worked to ensure that all employees are fully aware of this action program. The main activities undertaken under the program are stated in our Environmental Report, which the reader may view on our website. Following are the main activities carried out during the fiscal term under review.
| (1)Environmental Accounting |
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The Company introduced environmental accounting in 1999 in an effort to reconcile environmental protection-related expenses and the benefits of environmental protection with business activities. During the term under review, the Company's environmental protection-related expenditures totaled \2,852 million , with investment in plant and equipment amounting to \397 million and overhead expenses amounting to \2,455 million. Please refer to the page entitled "Environmental Accounting" in Environmental Report 2003 for the details of environmental accounting in the term under review.
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(2)Acquisition of ISO 14001 Certification
and Maintenance Activities |
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The Company's EMS (Environmental Management System) was established upon the acquisition of ISO 14001 certification by Kansai Paint's Head Office in Osaka, Tokyo Technical & Buisiness Office, and R&D Center in Hiratsuka on September 19, 2001. This completed the acquisition of certification.
Taiwan Kansai Paint Co., Ltd., Kansai Resin (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Thai Kansai Paint Co., Ltd., and Chongqing Kansai Paint Co., Ltd. have been the leaders in securing certification among our overseas subsidiaries and affiliates. GNP's Lote Plant in India and KANPE HAPIO in Japan acquired certification in September 2002, and GNP's Kanpur Plant in India acquired certification in February 2003. ISO 14001 maintenance activities will contribute to future expansion of the Group and reinforce change in the Company's environmental awareness.
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| (3)Safe Management of Chemicals |
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Earnest discussions are taking place throughout the world about hazardous chemicals and the proper ways to handle them. Besides chemicals already regulated by law, the Company has voluntarily set limits on the use of certain materials, prescribing official internal rules on their handling. In addition, the Company is conducting a campaign to prescribe reduction targets for toxic substances such as Pb, Cr compounds, toluene, and xylene.
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| (4)Reduction of Waste |
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| The Company is beefing up its initiatives to reduce waste centered on the slogan "waste is actually a resource." The goal is to achieve zero emissions in all facilities by the end of 2005. (Some facilities had already achieved zero emissions in FY 2002.) The waste paint recycling system of Eco Systems Co., Ltd., a joint venture with Nippon Paint Co., Ltd., has gone into full-scale operation at Amagasaki Plant. The quantity of waste in the current fiscal year has been greatly reduced (19% reduction on a quarter-on-quarter basis) thanks to this system, which collects and recycles waste paint and solvent with high efficiency. The system will go into operation in the Kanto region starting autumn 2003. |
Social Contributions
Kansai Paint and its Group companies are aware of their corporate responsibility to society and have scored steady progress ever since beginning their initiatives to benefit society. The scope of activities has been expanded in cooperation with the Company and Group members, and we are pleased to have gained recognition for our initiatives. During the term under review, we undertook the following activities to provide support and assistance as part of our social contributions.
- The Kansai Paint Scholarship, which was launched in 1999 to aid foreign exchange students from Asia, has since provided assistance to students from a broad array of Asian countries. In recognition of its contribution to society, the Japanese government awarded a Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon to this program in September 2000. During the fiscal term under review, scholarship support was provided to nine students for a total of 19.
- During the fiscal term under review, we undertook a variety of volunteer activities including the supply of paint and the dispatch of paint instructors to help with wall-painting as part of greenification and other campaigns to beautify cities and to re-paint welfare institutions.
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