Biodiversity
The Taiheiyo Cement Group believes that it is important to balance the conservation of the local ecosystem with the promotion of local communities when developing and operating limestone quarries, which have the greatest impact on biodiversity among our business activities. We aim to realize a nature-positive economy advocated by the Taskforce on Naturerelated Financial Disclosures (TNFD) through collaboration with local communities, from quarry development and operation to the use of post-mining sites. Specifically, we strive to operate our quarries in a way that minimizes environmental impact, including the prevention of mining pollution and the conservation of biodiversity and water resources, while taking into account the opinions of local governments, local communities and academics.
Cement production starts with quarrying limestone, the primary raw material for cement. We also quarry many mineral resource products used as aggregates and industrial raw materials. The Taiheiyo Cement Group recognizes the importance of actively contributing to biodiversity protection as a key management priority and has incorporated natural conservation into our "Environmental Management Policy." In addition to the conservation of rare animals and plants and the greening of mining areas and sites that we have traditionally carried out at our quarries, we will participate in the "30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity" and the "Keidanren Nature Conservation Council" promoted by the Ministry of the Environment from FY2024 to promote more proactive activities.
The main limestone quarries of our group are located near cement plants. Based on the GCCA guidelines, we use the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) provided by BirdLife International to check if any of our group’s limestone quarries are in any of the protected areas defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and conducted a biodiversity assessment. Quarries located in areas considered to have biodiversity value are operated with consideration for the environment under the operating permits from the local governments. During development and operation, we regularly monitor the surrounding environment and report on the environmental impact of development and operation to stakeholders to manage risks. We are also formulating and operating mining plans that include environmental restoration, such as greening after mining is completed.
| Region | Quarries | Site area (ha) | Applicable*1 quarries |
| Japan | 13 | 2,835 | 2 |
| America | 4 | 1,903 | 0 |
| Asia | 2 | 617 | 0 |
| Ratio of quarries with recovery plans (%) | 95 | ||
*1 A protected area whose purpose is to conserve habitat mainly through management activities. Includes IUCN Protected Areas Category IV (habitat or species management area)
The Taiheiyo Cement Group has been promoting greening activities in mining areas and post-mining sites at limestone quarries, which are related to biodiversity. In mining areas, forests are cut down, topsoil is excavated, and limestone is extracted, so bedrock and ground are exposed and there is no vegetation. However, if no quarrying work is expected for some time we strive to green such areas as soon as possible.
In addition, in the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity, we are promoting specific initiatives toward the realization of a naturepositive society.
Furthermore, in the Keidanren Nature Conservation Council, we will cooperate with biodiversity protection through activities such as information sharing and dissemination with companies and organizations.
| KPIs and targets | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
| Develop quarry rehabilitation plans Rate of developing quarry restoration plans: 90% or more |
94% | 94% | 95% |
(from FY1995)
(from FY1981)
Tree planting ceremony (Buko Quarry)
Biodiversity Protection
When environmental impact assessments determine that protection is required at a limestone quarry that we own, we protect rare species via measures such as installing protective equipment, transplanting and restricting development work.
Chichibu Taiheiyo Cement Corporation is actively involved in the conservation of rare plants. At the Kanouyama Quarry located in Kanna Town, Tano District, Gunma Prefecture, 38 rare plants native to the quarry have been transplanted into a botanical garden set up at the quarry with the cooperation of a local nature conservation group. In addition, at the same company’s Miwa Quarry, which is conducting limestone extraction on Mt. Buko, located in Chichibu City and Yokoze Town in Saitama Prefecture, we are preserving and increasing the population of 68 native plant species together with local experts and using the Central Research Laboratory’s biotechnology.
At the Fujiwara Quarry of Mie Taiheiyo Mining Company (formerly Ishizaki Co., Ltd.), we have been engaged in conservation activities since 2012, including transplantation and post-event surveys in cooperation with experts, for a Mie Prefecture-designated rare animal species that is found in the limestone area around Mt. Fujiwara.
Silene keiskei (Kanouyama Quarry)
Iwakinbai (Kanouyama Quarry)
Initiatives in the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity
The Taiheiyo Cement Group joined the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity in FY2024 and is examining the implementation of the participation requirements.
30by30 is a target to conserve at least 30% of land and sea areas as healthy ecosystems by 2030. It was agreed at the 2021 G7 Summit that each country would achieve this goal, and it was further included in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at the 2022 Biodiversity COP15.
Our Mining Department, the group companies that manage our quarries, and the Central Research Laboratory will cooperate to promote initiatives in the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity and contribute to achieving the 30by30 target.
Participation Requirements for the "30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity"
(Work on one of the following)
- Register owned or managed land in the international OECM*2 database
- Expand protected areas or support their expansion
- Support the management of protected areas and areas registered (or expected to be registered) in the international OECM database
- Incorporate the 30by30 target into local government strategies and recommend support for the expansion of protected areas, registration in the international OECM database, and their management
In addition, participants will actively disseminate these initiatives externally.
*2 Abbreviation for Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures: Areas where conservation is carried out through private sector initiatives, or areas where management that is not intended for conservation also contributes to the protection of the natural environment.
Water Source Conservation
As water-related challenges may arise in the future, we strive to ensure the appropriate use of water resources at the Taiheiyo Cement Group's cement plants by analyzing water risks and understanding water usage.
We have positioned proactive efforts toward natural resources capital, such as the conservation and recovery of water resources, as an important management challenge in our environmental management policy, and are aiming to achieve a naturepositive society. In addition, we are conserving water sources in accordance with GCCA guidelines.
At the Taiheiyo Cement Group's quarries, we are also working to conserve water resources such as rivers and springs. From the viewpoint of water resource conservation, spring water and rainwater are discharged after passing through a regulation pond to minimize the impact on the external environment. In some quarries we drill wells for domestic water and supply this water to local communities for everyday use.
An analysis of water risks at the Taiheiyo Cement Group's cement plants using the Water Risk Filter (WRF)* shows an average basin physical risk score of 2.76, weighted by cement production volume across all plants, with the highest score being 3.82 for one particular plant. In addition, from FY2025, we have revised the evaluation accuracy with a focus on water basin physical risks to better understand the impact on the environment. In the analysis of the situation of plants with high evaluation points, no urgent challenges have been found, and we will continue to strive for the appropriate use of water resources.
* A tool developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to assess physical risks and business risks in water resource basins, with the highest evaluation point of 5.0 indicating the greatest risk.
Water Consumption
Most of the water used at our cement plants is for the cooling of equipment, exhaust gas and on-site power generators. Therefore, the water discharged from the plants is mostly cooling water, which is not polluted as defined in the Water Pollution Control Act. All the fresh water used at the plants is circulated and reused, except for the household wastewater, as we strive to reduce our water withdrawal and lessen the impact of wastewater on bodies of water. Seawater is used to cool on-site power generation facilities at our plants near the ocean and then released back into the sea after use.
Our total fresh water use in FY2024 was about 10.38 million m3 and our fresh water used to produce one tonne of cement was 0.4m3. Most of this freshwater is not used as a raw material for products, but is used for cooling equipment and gas and is then evaporated.
(Unit: thousand m3)
| FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | |
| Surface water | 5,626 | 5,355 | 5,527 | 5,346 | 4,374 |
| Ground water | 18,656 | 18,759 | 18,706 | 17,673 | 16,740 |
| Industrial water | 3,325 | 3,078 | 2,108 | 1,630 | 2,289 |
| Total fresh water withdrawal (I) | 27,607 | 27,192 | 26,341 | 24,649 | 23,403 |
| Total seawater withdrawal | 147,372 | 146,232 | 146,894 | 145,476 | 145,758 |
| Total water withdrawal | 174,979 | 173,424 | 173,235 | 170,125 | 169,161 |
| Total fresh water discharge (O) | 13,674 | 13,447 | 13,246 | 12,792 | 13,021 |
| Total seawater discharge | 147,377 | 146,368 | 147,062 | 145,639 | 145,927 |
| Total water discharge | 161,051 | 159,815 | 160,308 | 158,431 | 158,948 |
| Total fresh water used (I-O) | 13,933 | 13,745 | 13,095 | 11,857 | 10,382 |
Appropriate Use of Water Resources
Currently, there are no particular concerns regarding water resources between us and the local community, but we are making efforts to reduce water withdrawal from the viewpoint of water resource conservation. In the future, we will maintain close communication with local communities and contribute to the appropriate use of local water resources.
Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc. supplies tap water to the community from wells dug for factory industrial water. At CalPortland Company’s Rocky Canyon Aggregate Quarry in California, USA, a system for the sustainable use of water has been built to improve the collection and storage of rainwater and spring water at the site. This has enabled us to secure water sources, maintain the supply of water necessary for operations without increasing the number of wells or the amount of groundwater pumped, and minimize off-site wastewater discharge under strict regulations.
Utilization of Waste and By-products in Cement Manufacturing
