Sustainability

By participating in the “Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Associations of Japan: Low Carbon Society Action Plan” for the realization of a decarbonized society, the Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Group reviewed its CO₂ emission reduction target in December 2021 and aims to reduce it by 46% compared to FY2013 by FY2030 (Scopes 1 and 2) and to achieve Carbon Neutrality by FY2050. In order to ensure consistency with the position of industry associations in our Climate Change Strategy, we participate in government-sponsored seminars on climate change, including those organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, as well as those organized by industry associations, to gather information and share it with our employees. Furthermore, the contents are checked to ensure that they are in line with the Company’s position and approach, and for any discrepancies, the environmental management division of the Company discusses them and then coordinate them through Sustainability Promotion Committee, which is chaired by the Sustainability Promotion officer. Through this process, the Company aligns its Climate Change Strategy with activities carried out by industry associations.

Social issues related to climate change is increasingly becoming important every year. Hisamitsu Group assesses the environmental impact of the processes of R&D, production and sales, and takes appropriate actions in all the areas of Scope 1, 2, and 3, including the reduction of such impact in our value chain to help realize a rich global environment.For Scopes 1 and 2 to be managed within our Group, we develop a specific plan from a mid-term perspective and introduce measures for it, as well as reviewing the progress every fiscal year and exploring new risks and opportunities to update the plan on an ongoing basis.For the production sites, we develop an investment plan based on a common management tool so that we can promote management as the Group and implement it after deliberation and approval of the Board of Directors.

Examples of specific activities in FY2023

In FY2023, we introduced renewed equipment in air conditioning, lighting and thermal systems.At the Utsunomiya Factory, a centrifugal chiller, which uses electricity, and an absorption chiller, which uses steam, are installed as a heat source for chilled water production. Generally, the centrifugal chiller is mainly used, but it is switched to the steam absorption chiller during times of day when the steam supply capacity is available, mainly in summer to reduce power usage.As for the installation of the NAS battery system at the Tosu Factory, it needed renewal. Examining the reduction of CO₂ emissions, we removed it. The removal led to reducing power usage without undermining the leveling of electrical energy use in connection with the current electricity supply system, resulting in reduction of power purchase by 889 Mwh, which is converted to CO₂ reduction of 361.8 t-CO₂.

Based on the “Act on Rational Use and Appropriate Management of Fluorocarbons” (abbreviated as “CFC Discharge Control Act”), we implement measures such as management of target equipment based on a ledger, simple inspection/periodic inspection, preparation of records, and calculation of leakage amount. At the time of equipment renewal, we are promoting the use of equipment using non-CFC and low global warming potential refrigerants. We will continue to implement measures to prevent leakage and global warming.

Although most of our products are transported by truck, we are working on a modal shift to reduce environmental impact on major routes with a high volume of transport, which will reduce the impact on the environment. In FY2023, we used ship and rail transportation, reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 504 t compared to truck-only transportation. We will continue to strive to further reduce CO₂ emissions by actively incorporating ship and rail transportation while working to increase our loading efficiency and leveraging a joint delivery system.

We are working to reduce the environmental impact of corporate sales vehicles. For sales vehicles, we are gradually replacing our existing vehicles with hybrid models to reduce CO₂ emissions and conserve resources. As of February 2024, 98.8% of our sales vehicles are hybrid models. We plan to replace all of our vehicles with hybrid models by 2025. Moreover, at the Kyushu Head Office, two electric vehicles have been introduced since July 2022.

Completed in February 2019 and certified as a ZEB (Zero Energy Building),* the Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Museum (housed in the Kyushu Head Office) continued its energy-saving operation in FY2023 in accordance with the ZEB certification standards.
*Zero Energy Building (ZEB): Highest rank in the Building Energy-Efficiency Labeling System