Sustainability

We believe that we have a great corporate responsibility to reduce the environmental impact generated through business operations by addressing problems such as the various emissions from production activities and waste from products after use. We will, of course, continue to comply with environment-related laws and regulations, and at the same time, strive to accomplish voluntary targets by making efforts to use resources appropriately and conserve the natural environment.

Environmental Accounting

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical compiles environmental accounting in reference to the Ministry of the Environment's “Environmental Accounting Guidelines” in order to quantitatively understand the investments and expenses related to environmental measures and their impact. In FY2023, for the purpose of reducing CO₂ emissions to prevent global warming and saving energy, we continued to promote new installation of solar panels, conversion of lighting fixtures to LED, the upgrade of air conditioners to energy-saving types, and power saving by improving the production operation ratio. Furthermore, we are increasing items with the smaller size of medicine bags, cases, and cardboard boxes for our products (Eco & Compact) and actively promoting the efficient use of resources.

Water Resources Management

Water resources are essential to business operations. We believe that it is integral to use finite water resources more effectively and reduce our environmental impact. We conserve water resources by properly managing both water usage and drainage volumes.

Response to water risks

In the Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Group, an assessment of water stress, which is an indicator of water scarcity, was conducted on domestic and overseas production sites and R&D sites using WRI Aqueduct*, which is a tool for assessing the water risks around the world. As a result, we verified that there was no site that was evaluated as “High” or “Extremely high” in water stress. (As of August 2024)
There were also no sites where water restrictions or problem caused by water scarcity occured, so we recognize that there is no urgent water shortage risk.We will continue to assess water risks and work on the efficient use of water resources and the reduction of water usage.

*A tool for assessing water risks provided by the World Resources Institute (WRI)
https://www.wri.org/aqueduct (External link)

Evaluation of Water Stress Using WRI Aqueduct

Resource Recycling

We think that we should fully consider the effective use of limited resources in business management. We promote the reduction of resource input, waste recycling, and the use of renewable raw materials as well as striving for pollution alleviation and the proper management of chemicals.

Efforts to Go Paperless within the Company

Emergency Drill

Simulating emergency situations, such as equipment damage and malfunction, operational errrors, and natural disasters, including earthquakes, typhoons, lightning, and flooding, we assess the types, scopes, and the severity levels of the impact that such emergencies are expected to have on the environment. Based on the assessment results, we formulate an action plan for contingencies to be handled with high priority and conduct emergency drills at least once a year. This enables us to prepare for minimizing the impact on the environment and our neighborhood.
By confirming through such drills how to respond in the initial phase and how to prevent the spread of damage, we are striving to improve our emergency response capability.

Checking a hydrogen gas leakage detector

List of Simulated Emergencies

Internal Communication

●Commitments to Raising Employees’ Environmental Awareness

At Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical, we are raising the environmental awareness of employees, especially at the Kyushu Head Office and the Utsunomiya Factory, whose operations have a large environmental impact.While requiring the office and the factory to incorporate environmental training as part of their ISO14001 environmental targets, we also provide a wide variety of environmental training for our overseas business bases. In addition, we share environmental information through our inhouse website at appropriate timing so that the employees of our group companies worldwide will become more aware of environmental issues.

Commitment to Biodiversity

Some raw materials used for our products are derived from natural resources. In terms of sustainable procurement of raw materials, we think the conservation of ecosystems, including biodiversity is important.We are helping to conserve long-tail irises, designated as a 1A threatened species. Since 2015, we have been managing and nurturing this species’ seedlings from Kuboizumi-machi, Saga Prefecture on the premises of the Kyushu Head Office.

Environmental Impact Reduction at Overseas Factories

At our overseas factories, various measures are taken to reduce the use of water and the generation of waste as in the case of our domestic factories. They are working toward reducing environmental impact by raising the awareness of each of their employees of such impact.

Environmental Commitments at Overseas Factories

●Efforts at Overseas Subsidiaries

  -  Noven is continuing its activities under the principles of sustainable improvement, target achievement, and uncompromised growth, while organizing green-activity teams for the purpose of efficient energy use and waste management for resource conservation. In FY2023, Noven replaced 10 air conditioning units at the East Plant and West Plant with high-efficiency ones.
  - Hisamitsu Vietnam is continuing to reduce electricity consumption by regularly applying thermal barrier coatings to factory roofs to reduce air conditioning loads through the suppression of roof temperatures. It is also reducing plastic waste by collaborating with manufacturers to reuse plastic containers for sewage treatment chemicals that were previously discarded, in an effort to reduce its environmental impact.
  - Hisamitsu Indonesia is continuing to reduce waste by decreasing the size of the inner bag, case, and cardboard of ByeBye-FEVER_Ⓡ made by Hisamitsu Indonesia, which was launched in February 2022, and by eliminating the package insert for Salonpas_Ⓡ GEL, Salonpas_Ⓡ Cream, and Salonpas_Ⓡ Cream HOT, which began to be shipped in October 2022.
  - Hisamitsu Brazil is working to reduce its environmental impact in collaboration with companies from Japan that are members of the Japanese-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Amazonas in Manaus. Hisamitsu Brazil is also working to switch from diesel fuel to gas and to use more renewable energy.