Efforts to Achieve a Society Harmonized With Nature

Efforts to Conserve Ecosystem

The Group has set the goal of minimizing impacts on natural capital in our long-term environmental targets.

We classify the emission of greenhouse gases and chemical substances into the atmosphere and the generation of waste materials in the course of our business activities as negative impact activities. Providing products and services that contribute to ecosystem preservation and social contribution activities to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems are categorized as positive impact activities. We are working to minimize the gap between positive and negative impacts by 2050.

The Group has a considerable impact on ecosystems in all value chains, including the procurement of raw materials, the manufacture of products, and the use of energy during transportation.

Therefore, in order to take ecosystems into consideration, we conduct activities at each of our offices based on the Hitachi Group Ecosystem Preservation Activities menu, which outlines the specific activities we will undertake.

Overview of Hitachi Group Ecosystem Preservation Activities menu

Controlling Chemicals Contained in Products

To minimize the impact on natural capital, we are working to control chemicals contained in our products.

Our company formulated the Environment and CSR-Based Monozukuri Standards to control chemical substances contained in materials and parts at each stage of process, starting from the product development and design stage, procurement of materials and parts, and manufacturing of the products. Among these, chemical control in procurement of materials and parts is particularly important, and our management is particularly stringent, in line with the Hitachi Group Green Procurement Guidelines published by Hitachi Group. We work in cooperation with our suppliers to investigate the content of chemicals in the materials and parts built into products, and also the oils used in manufacturing processes, and all other purchased materials used in production. Also, based on J-Moss*1, we disclose information about the inclusion of chemicals in our products to outside parties through the website. *2

*1 A common designation for JIS C 0950 (Marking for the presence of specific chemical substances for electrical and electronic equipment)
*2 For refrigerators, washing machines and clothes dryers, and microwave ovens

Overview of controlling chemicals contained in products

Controlling Chemicals at Manufacturing Sites

To minimize our impact on natural capital, we are committed to the management and reduction of chemical substances such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are one of the causes of urban air pollution.

For chemical substances emitted from our manufacturing sites, we promote activities to reduce atmospheric emissions by setting targets in the Environmental Action Plan for 2024 using the amount of chemical atmospheric emissions per unit*1 as an indicator.

In accordance with Japan's Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Act*2, we monitor the target chemical substances released into the atmosphere or into public waters, removed outside our sites as waste or discharged into sewage systems, and report the results to local governments for each manufacturing site.

Activity results

In FY2022, we achieved a reduction rate of 75.9% toward the target of reducing atmospheric emissions of chemical substances per unit*3 by 76.2% compared with the base year of FY2010.

*1 Quotient of chemical substance emissions into the atmosphere divided by the amount of activities
*2 Act on the Assessment of Releases of Specified Chemical Substances in the Environment and the Promotion of Management Improvement
*3 A value linked closely with the atmospheric emissions of chemical substances (such as the amount of chemical substances handled and their production)

Improvement in chemical atmospheric emissions per unit

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