Our Environmental Business Plan is our own unique initiative that applies business management principles to environmental conservation. In 2021, we launched initiatives related to energy that supplement our existing focus on waste and water since 2000. Through these efforts, we are demonstrating our commitment to reducing our environmental impact while adopting measures to address the issue of global warming.

We separate waste into two categories: “normal waste,” which comprises waste generated by our normal production activities, and “bulky construction waste,” which is waste generated by such activities as periodic maintenance of glass melting furnaces. These waste categories are further separated into the four subcategories shown in the accompanying figure, with “Landfill Waste D” being our highest waste reduction priority due to its high environmental impact.

With regard to normal waste requiring landfill disposal (Landfill Waste D), our ongoing efforts since 2009 to minimize and recycle what we generate on a daily basis have reduced the percentage of this waste per total weight of products sold to 0.1% or less. On the other hand, however, as a result of glass fiber business acquisitions in the U.K., Netherlands, and U.S.A. in 2016 and 2017, the amount of normal waste that the Group produces has increased dramatically. Moving forward, we will continue to promote our efforts overseas to reduce the amount of normal waste we generate.

With regard to bulky construction waste requiring landfill disposal (Landfill Waste D), the majority of this waste is generated from glass melting furnace repairs and comprises unrecyclable waste brick. In 2017, we put in place a mechanism for shifting this waste to Social Recycling B by having a refractory manufacturer use waste chromium (Cr) bricks and zirconium (Zr) bricks as raw materials. This has also contributed to a significant reduction in landfill waste disposal associated with Cr bricks, which are classified as specially controlled industrial waste.

We believe that our level of manufacturing refinement is represented in the way water is used. Consequently, by managing our water usage we are increasing our understanding of the entire glass manufacturing process, including melting, forming, and processing, while further improving our process technology and equipment. The graph on the next page shows the change overtime in water intake and waste water per total weight of products sold. Although intensity increased after fiscal 2004 due to the rapid switchover from CRTs to LCDs, our intensity has declined as a result of management efforts to improve utilization efficiency within the LCD business since fiscal 2014.

To reduce the intake volume of valuable water resources, we are promoting the reuse of water used in high volumes for cooling in the melting and forming stages and for cleaning at the processing stage. We are also reducing water intake and water out even for other uses through cascading (downcycling), depending on the purpose of the water use or required grade, as well as recycling water through purification.