Environment

For more details, please see Tosoh Report 2019 Key Data and References in Downloads & FAQs. 

Air Pollution

Tosoh and its domestic companies monitor their emissions of air pollutants, such as SOx (sulfur oxide); NOx (nitrogen oxide); dust; and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), in accordance with Japan’s Air Pollution Control Act. 

Water Pollution

Tosoh and its domestic companies monitor their emissions of COD (chemical oxygen demand), nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants in wastewater in accordance with Japan’s Water Pollution Control Act. In fiscal 2019, neither the parent company nor its domestic companies exceeded any legal regulatory or agreed-to values.

Use of Water Resources

Water is an indispensable resource for the Tosoh Group. Each group company uses water as effectively as possible in the interest of sustaining the water resources near its operations. We are also working on the quality of our wastewater.

Biodiversity Preservation

Preserving biodiversity is an important social issue. Tosoh’s chemical products could potentially harm ecosystems if improperly managed throughout their life cycles. Our manufacture of our products, moreover, requires the use of energy, minerals, water, and other resources that could similarly harm ecosystems across the value chain.

Through its Responsible Care (RC) activities, Tosoh is proactively conserving the natural environment. We’ve ascertained the relationships between our business activities and biodiversity and are promoting initiatives that consider the regional characteristics of our operations and their environments to reduce the impact of our operations on various ecosystems. Tosoh is also deepening its employees’ awareness of nurturing biodiversity through internal education.

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Tosoh Group Input and Output

The Tosoh Group is reducing the environmental impact of its products throughout their life cycles. It even manufactures its products in a way that makes the most effective use of limited resources or “inputs”—such as fuel, raw materials, and water resources—and that minimizes waste “outputs” and the extent of the company’s environmental loading on air and water. 

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

In fiscal 2019, Tosoh emitted 1,213 metric tons of VOCs, a reduction of approximately 60% compared with fiscal 2001’s 3,044 metric tons.

Industrial Waste

Tosoh is reducing its landfill waste output by recycling resources to achieve the target set by the Japan Business Federation’s Voluntary Action Plan on the Environment. That plan promotes a recycling-based society and states as its phase IV target to reduce the volume of industrial waste disposed of as landfill by around 70% in comparison with results for fiscal 2001. Tosoh achieved this target in fiscal 2019, with landfill waste at 937 metric tons.  

In our recycling efforts, we promote the proper and eager handling of resources. When outsourcing waste processing to external contractors, for example, we manage the outsourced waste using electronic manifests. We also encourage the recycling of plastic waste collected by local governments using a “local production for local consumption” model. That sees us eagerly accepting external plastic waste and making effective use of it as a raw fuel in cement production. We ensure that waste is managed and disposed of appropriately at our domestic group companies as well.

Disposal of Equipment Containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Tosoh and its domestic group companies are disposing of equipment tainted with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in accordance with Japan’s Act on Special Measures concerning Promotion of Proper Treatment of PCB Wastes.

Tosoh had already disposed of transformers and other equipment containing high concentrations of PCBs by fiscal 2018. Prior to disposing of further highly contaminated equipment, which is scheduled for disposal by fiscal 2021, the company stores that equipment in a specially designated location. Efforts continue, meanwhile, to dispose of equipment contaminated with low concentrations of PCBs. 227 items of this equipment have been disposed of through fiscal 2019, and the remainder is scheduled to be disposed of systematically by fiscal 2027.

Minimizing Emissions of PRTR-Designated Substances

To reduce environmental loading from chemical substances, Tosoh and its domestic companies have established voluntary targets. They are also working to reduce their emissions of PRTR-designated substances in accordance with Japan’s Pollutant Release and Transfer (PRTR) law.* 

*PRTR-designated substances are listed under the law’s Pollutant Release and Transfer Register.

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Response to Climate Change

Climate change is an issue of the greatest concern globally. And the Tosoh Group recognizes that contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is critical, for the planet and for its medium- to long-term growth. It is, therefore, working toward efficient energy usage and technologies to use CO₂. 

CO₂ Reduction Promotion System

Tosoh’s initiatives to combat climate change are driven primarily by the CO₂ Reduction and Effective Use Promotion Committee and the Central Energy Management Committee.

CO₂ Reduction and Effective Use Promotion Committee

The CO₂ Reduction and Effective Use Promotion Committee was established in June 2018 to reduce Tosoh’s CO₂ emissions and determine how to use the CO₂ generated by Tosoh’s thermal power generation facilities. The committee’s activities include identifying issues, formulating policies, conducting investigations and analyses, and managing progress in the reduction of energy-derived greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including shifting to alternative fuels and recovering and using CO₂ by converting it into raw materials. In fiscal 2019, the committee selected priorities for reducing emissions and evaluated technologies for using CO₂.

An example of a CO₂-use technology prioritized by the committee sees Tosoh participating in cutting-edge research by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). That research is examining how to convert the CO₂ emitted by the Tosoh Group into useful chemical products, such as raw materials for producing polyurethane.

Reduction Targets and Fiscal 2019 Results

Tosoh participates in the Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA)’s low-carbon society action plan and works to reduce its energy-derived CO₂ emissions. Motivated by JCIA’s review of emission-reduction targets for the industry, Tosoh has reset its targets for reducing its business-as-usual (BAU) energy-derived CO₂ emissions.* By fiscal 2026, Tosoh seeks a 6% reduction compared with fiscal 2014 levels. Its previous target was to reduce BAU energy-derived CO₂ emissions 3% by fiscal 2031 compared with fiscal 2006 levels.

Tosoh has also set internal carbon prices and is encouraging capital investment that contributes to energy conservation.

Tosoh Group Energy Consumption and Basic Energy Unit Index

In fiscal 2019, the basic energy unit index for Tosoh Corporation alone was 97.9% compared with fiscal 2010, a decrease of 0.9% compared with fiscal 2018. This reflected the impact of problems associated with production equipment stoppages.

Tosoh Group Greenhouse Gas Emissions

GHG emissions for Tosoh Corporation in fiscal 2019 increased over fiscal 2018 levels because of a rise in energy consumption stemming from production equipment stoppages.

(kilotons-CO2e)		FY18	FY19
Tosoh Corporation		7,623	7,718
	Energy-derived CO2 emissions	6,681	6,709
	Non-energy-derived CO2 emissions	709	728
	Other greenhouse gas emissions*	185	197
	CO2  emissions from waste fuel consumption	49	83
Tosoh Group companies		8,143	8,236

Tosoh Group Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Scope

To ascertain greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain, the Tosoh Group calculates the scope of the emissions. 

(kilotons-CO2e)		FY18	FY19
Scope 1		7,705	7,833
Scope 2		438	403
Scope 3		6,051	5,960

Calculated Values for Scope 3 Emissions (kilotons-CO₂e)

Categories		FY18	FY19
Purchased products and services		2,395	2,327
Capital goods		113	165
Fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scopes 1 and 2		1,133	1,071
Transportation and delivery (upstream)		471	473
Waste generated by business activities		17	17
Business trips		7	7
Employee commuting		9	9
Leased assets (upstream)		-	-
Transport and delivery (downstream)		-	-
Processing of products sold		-	-
Use of products sold		18	17
Disposal of products sold		1,886	1,874
Leased assets (downstream)		-	-
Franchises		-	-
Investment		-	-

Scope 1: Direct emissions from fuel combustion and plant operation by Tosoh
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from electricity and heat, etc., supplied by other companies
Scope 3: Other indirect emissions, including emissions from the excavation and transportation of raw fuels and transport in general, the use and disposal of products, and employee commuting and business trips*

*Figures for Scope 3 emissions for fiscal 2018 have been revised following a review of the accounting methods used.

Before revision, Category 1: 2,687 kilotons-CO₂e; Category 3: 1,503 kilotons-CO₂e; Category 11: 8 kilotons-CO₂e; Category 12: 1,870 kilotons-CO₂e, such that the Scope 3 total was 6,550 kilotons-CO₂e
After revision, Category 1: 2,395 kilotons-CO₂e; Category 3: 1,133 kilotons-CO₂e; Category 11: 18 kilotons-CO₂e; Category 12: 1,886 kilotons-CO₂e, such that the Scope 3 total is 6,051 kilotons-CO₂e

Logistics-Related CO₂ Emissions and Basic Energy Unit

The CO₂ emissions from distribution in fiscal 2019 increased 3.4% compared with fiscal 2018 owing to an increase in product transportation volume (in kilotons). The logistics basic energy unit was 18.6, down 0.5 points on fiscal 2018.* This was attributable to the increased volume of transport by ship, measured as transport ton-kilometers.

Tosoh is working to reduce its CO₂ emissions by improving energy efficiency through a modal shift in transport that sees it promoting marine and rail transport and by improving fuel efficiency. In fiscal 2019, we implemented initiatives to improve vessel fuel efficiency and transport efficiency.

*The logistics basic energy unit = energy consumption converted to crude oil (kiloliter) / transport ton-kilometers (one million ton-kilometers).

Reducing CO₂ Emissions by Licensing Energy-Saving Technologies

The Tosoh Group has developed energy-saving technologies for processes in the manufacture of caustic soda and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). We license these technologies to businesses overseas. Their utilization of these technologies contributes to reducing CO₂ emissions from their manufacturing plants in those countries. The cumulative reduction in CO₂ emissions through fiscal 2019 has been 9.08 million metric tons. 

The Installation of Gas Turbines and Increase in Naphtha Cracking Furnace Efficiency at the Yokkaichi Complex

Our capital investments enable the Yokkaichi Complex’s ethylene plant to use its by-product gases as a fuel to generate electricity with gas turbines and to use the high-temperature exhaust gases from the turbines to heat combustion air in the plant’s naphtha cracking furnace. This is one of a series of capital investments with the aim of reducing the amount of fuel used by the furnace.

The gas turbines have been installed and are in operation. This, coupled with the pending completion of energy-efficiency improvements to the cracking furnace and its operational relaunch, leads us to expect an annual CO₂ emission reduction of around 130,000 metric tons.

Reductions in CO₂ Emissions by Division

Each of Tosoh’s divisions is engaged in CO₂ emission-reduction initiatives. These include the use of waste at cement plants and of biofuels in manufacturing activities.