Environmental Report 2012
Compliance with Environmental Regulations
Environmental issues are advancing on a global scale, and regulations concerning the environment are expanding each year, both in Japan and overseas.Society is viewing regulatory violations increasingly harshly year by year, and there is a strong demand for companies to conduct their business in good faith. In short it must be fair, ethical, and in compliance with the law.
Regulatory compliance has long been a top priority for the JAE Group, which has established a management structure tasked with overseeing corporate ethics and providing internal education and training on the importance of total compliance. The JAE Group continually monitors changing trends in environmental regulations and implements risk prevention initiatives to avoid exceeding regulatory values and prevent failures to meet regulatory obligations. It also conducts drills to prepare employees to minimize environmental damage in the event of an accident.
●Compliance with Environmental Regulations
The JAE Group has some 50 environmentally related regulations on record for which compliance status must be constantly ascertained.
The group periodically checks public bulletins from local and national government for revisions to the regulations it has on record and updates its regulation register as necessary. And at least once a year, it conducts a study on the compliance status for mandatory notifications and reports.
●Complying with Stricter Voluntary Standards for Air and Water Quality
| Air Pollution Control Water Pollution Sewerage Law Municipal ordinances |
The JAE Group has set its own voluntary standards for air and water quality. Its target values are about 20% below the maximum values allowed by the Japanese laws and regulations listed to the left. |
The JAE Group employs an automatic continuous measurement system to monitor wastewater for the highly toxic chemicals cyanide and hexavalent chromium. (JAE Akishima Plant)
●Measurement of Fluorine Concentration in Groundwater (JAE)
As part of the response to the leakage and under-seepage of effluent containing fluorine that occurred at the Akishima Plant in February 2006, observation wells were dug in the grounds and the groundwater has been tested periodically. The fluorine concentration in the groundwater for the last five years or so until September 2011 varied irregularly between less than the quantitative lower limit value (less than 0.08mg/l) and 0.22 mg/l, substantially lower than the environmental quality standard, and the standard value for municipal drinking water of 0.8 mg/l. As a result, we concluded that the incident has had no effect on the groundwater and have terminated periodic measurements. The company will test the groundwater in future as necessary.
●Response to Amendment of the Water Quality Pollution Control Act (Prevention of Ground Water Contamination)
In June 2011, a law partly amending the Water Quality Pollution Control Act was promulgated, establishing the following measures for preventing contamination of ground water.
• Enlargement of the scope of facilities requiring advance notification (designated facilities for the storage of harmful substances)
• Obligation to comply with structural standards for preventing contamination of ground water
• Obligation to implement periodic inspection and to keep records
In FY 2011, the JAE Group assessed the amendments and conducted checks of the relevant facilities. The following measures were taken.
| Notification of designated facilities for the storage of harmful substances | Completed notification for two facilities at JAE and two facilities at HAE (June 2012) |
| Confirmed compliance with the structural standards | Some piping at JAE required changes (the rest was adequate) |
| Implementation of periodic inspection and record keeping | Already being implemented. Adjusted the content in accordance with legal standards |
●Compliance Record for FY 2011
In FY 2011, the JAE Group received no compliance-related notices or orders from government authorities for exceeding regulatory values in areas such as gas emissions, water discharge, noise and vibration. However, measurements conducted by the company at the Akishima Plant detected BOD values (standard value of less than 300 mg/L) and pH values (standard minimum value of 5.7; maximum value of less than 8.7) exceeding regulatory standards a number of times. The cause was human sewage within the plant, and the company is rectifying the situation by putting countermeasures in place and making improvements. We are reporting our progress to the Akishima city office responsible for sewage treatment.
Symbol of JAE Group's Environmental Policies
Environmental Management
- Significance of the Environmental Report
- JAE Group Environmental Policy
- Implementation Status of the Environmental Management System
- Environmental Audits
- Environmental Education
- Compliance with Environmental Regulations
- Setting Targets and Evaluating Results
- Eco-friendly Products
Environmental Performance
Environmental Accounting
Group Sites