Coexistence with the Global Environment

  • Policies and System on Environmental Conservation

    Kansai Paint has formulated Corporate Policies on Environmental Conservation as the framework for its Responsible Care activities. Those policies reflect our commitments in a number of areas, including protection of the safety and health of the customers who use our products and the employees who use the chemical substances from which our products are made, as well as the reduction of environmental loads caused by the use of our products and our business operations.

    Corporate policies on environmental conservation
    1. 1. To supply products after full consideration of their potential impacts on people and the environment.
    2. 2. To undertake proactive countermeasures to cope with the potential effects of products on people and the environment.
    3. 3. To contribute to society while raising awareness about the environment, safety and health.
    4. 4. To disclose and provide information related to the environment, safety and health.
    Responsible care organizational structure

    Based on the above corporate policies on environmental conservation, Kansai Paint sets goals and formulates plans relating to responsible care, and monitors their progress. This includes efforts to reduce product-related environmental loads and promote the uptake of environmentally-friendly products, ensure product safety, disclose information to customers, ensure employee safety and health, and minimize environmental loads generated by our business operations. This work is carried out by the Environmental & Product Safety Committee, the User- and Customer-Related Environmental Safety Committee, and the Environmental Safety & Health Committee. The activity goals and plans of these three committees are approved and reviewed and progress monitored by the RC Committee and the RC Top Management Review Panel, which are the top-level organizations for responsible care.

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    Responsible Care Organizational Structure
  • Responding to global warming

    To provide products to customers, our company consumes fossil fuels, a nonrenewable energy source, in the process emitting carbon dioxide, a cause of global warming.
    Therefore, we are taking steps to save energy on a daily basis and update our facilities to be more energy-efficient in the belief that it is our responsibility as a manufacturer to reduce our energy consumption and CO2 emissions at all stages of production.

    Reduction of CO2 emissions

    As a result of energy conservation activities, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the Production Division decreased by 2.5%. However, CO2 emissions per unit of output were 118kg-CO2/ton, up 1.7% from the FY2018 level.

    Change in CO2 emissions
    Energy conservation

    The amount of energy used by the Production Division decreased by 2.9% from the FY2018 level, resulting in an increase of 1.7% in energy consumption per production unit from the FY2018 level. We will continue working to make more efficient use of energy.

    Change in energy consumption
  • Taking steps to achieve a recycling-oriented society

    Chemical substances with a particularly high toxicity or substances which are discharged in large volumes from manufacturing plants pose a risk to paint users and manufacturers, as well as the environment.
    In order to reduce the impact as much as possible, we are focusing our efforts on setting a target for reduction of the volume and use of such substances alongside our Medium-term Management Plan.

    Change in the amount of hexavalent chromium contained in products sold
    (relative amount with FY2003 taken as 100)

    Anticorrosive pigments that contain hexavalent chromium are mainly used for applications that require long-term durability, protecting steel materials from rust and maintaining the aesthetic qualities of coated materials. We are working to reduce hexavalent chromium by switching to less harmful alternatives.
    In FY2019, we achieved a reduction of 86% compared with FY2003.

    Change in the amount of hexavalent chromium in products sold
    Change in the amount of toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene contained in products sold
    (relative amount with FY2015 taken as 100)

    Toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene have long been used in coatings due to outstanding properties such as excellent coating film finish and rapid drying time. As these three substances are emitted in large quantities into the atmosphere, even as components in coatings, we are controlling the amounts contained in the products we sell as a way of limiting emissions into the atmosphere.
    The amount in FY2019 fell below that of FY2015.

    Change in the amount of toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene in coating and thinner products sold
    Reduction of nonylphenol

    Polyoxyethylene octylphenyl ether and polyoxyethylene nonphenyl ether have long been used as key materials in water-based coatings. However, since it came to light that these substances are harmful to aquatic environments, we have been working to go greener by reducing their use in new products, or by switching to less harmful alternatives.
    In the case of some water-based coatings, we were unable to secure alternatives with sufficient coating performance, and the switchover period is running behind schedule. As such, we were unable to achieve our ECO PLAN 2021 targets in FY2019.

  • Water usage

    In terms of our water usage in FY2019, the amount of underground water we pumped up decreased temporarily in FY2018 with the construction of a deep well at one of our plants. As such, water usage increased by 1.8% compared with FY2018. We will continue finding ways to use water more efficiently, such as by making improvements to equipment cleaning methods.

    Change in water usage
  • Promoting waste management

    Starting in FY2019, we made systematic efforts to reduce waste volumes under the ALES ECO PLAN. As a result, the amount of waste generated decreased by 9.0% compared with FY2018.
    In FY2019, we again achieved a waste recycling ratio of 99% or higher, which has continued since FY1999. We will continue to make efforts to reduce waste volumes through waste recycling and other initiatives.

    Change in the amount of industrial waste generated (Production Division)
  • Materials balance

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    Material balance
  • Management of chemical substances

    Kansai Paint has considered the hazards and harmful effects of chemical substances and designated as “prohibited substances” those whose use in products is prohibited and as “restricted-use substances” those whose use in new designs and applications are restricted. We strive to secure the health and safety of product users and Kansai Paint technical and production personnel and conserve the environment by confirming before the materials registration and product formulation preparation stages whether or not these prohibited substances and restricted-use substances are contained in raw materials blended into products, based on information in SDS and raw materials samples and instructions submitted by raw materials manufacturers. When handling new raw materials or when the method of handling an existing raw material is changed, technical and production personnel conduct risk assessments required under the Industrial Safety and Health Act and devise measures for safer handling of these raw materials.

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    Management of chemical substances