Management of substances subject to the PRTR Act

For substances subject to PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) Act , we properly manage the quantities of those substances we release^*1 or transfer^*2. Most of the PRTR substances we release are volatile organic compounds (VOC) contained in paintings, solvents, etc., which we are replacing with substances containing less VOCs by setting VOC emission reduction target to reduce the emissions of such substances.

*1 Substances released : total amount of substances released into the air, public water and into soil at, or buried in the premises
*2Substances transferred: total amount of substances moved to drainage and outside of the premise

The amount of substances subject to the PRTR Act we used in fiscal 2008 was 1,260t, which was a reduction of 457t (27%) compared to fiscal 2007. This reduction was because of cuts in production due to the economic crisis and the implementation of a wide range of measures such as increasing the use of powder paint, which does not contain organic solvents. The amount we released or transferred was 871t, which was down by 347t (28%) compared to fiscal 2007.

In fiscal 2009, we will obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which contains information of the noxiousness of chemical substances, for the substances which have become subject to management subsequent to the revision of the list of substances subject to the act. Then, we will determine the state of use of these substances and conduct diligent management accordingly. We will also continue to strive to reduce the use of VOCs.

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