Environmental Management System (EMS)
Our environmental management policy declares an active commitment to environmental challenges facing society, including not only preventing environmental pollution but also building circular economies, delivering carbon neutrality, reducing environmental impacts, protecting water resources and conserving biodiversity as key management challenges. Under this policy we are striving to improve our environmental performance.
Environmental Management Policy
In January 2006 we formulated our Environmental Management Policy, reflecting the fact that we consider an active commitment to the environmental challenges facing society to be key management challenges. We will focus on the following six items in all business operations, whilst also communicating with a wide range of stakeholders, both internationally and locally. As a member of the GCCA and the UNGC, we will pursue a sustainable cement industry.
Formulated in January 2006
Revised in April 2024
- Pursuing Environmentally Conscious Business Activities
We will work to reduce our environmental impact by appropriately assessing the environmental impact of our business activities and developing and adopting eco-conscious products and technologies. As a member of the local community, we will also engage in environmental conservation activities. - Compliance with Environmental Laws and Regulations
We will ensure compliance with all environmental laws and regulations applicable to our business activities, as well as other agreed requirements. - Contribution to the creation of Circular Economies
We will contribute to the establishment of circular economies that aim to reduce our environmental impact and achieve economic growth by utilizing the characteristics of the cement industry and advancing the sophistication of recycled resource utilization technologies. - Initiatives to deliver Carbon Neutrality
We will work to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the supply chain as a company by maximizing the use of existing technologies and developing and sequentially deploying innovative technologies. - Promoting Global Technology Transfer
Through the worldwide transfer and deployment of our technology, we aid the development of greater energy conservation, environmental preservation and utilization of waste materials. - Nature Conservation
By providing products and technologies that contribute to coexistence with nature, we will contribute to the conservation and recovery of water resources, biodiversity, etc., and aim to achieve a nature-positive society.
We have established an Environmental Management Committee chaired by the officer in charge of the Production Department to promote environmentally-conscious management and implement the Environmental Management System (EMS).
In June 1997 we initiated ISO 14001 certification of each of our plants and attained certification of all six of our directly operated plants by 1999.
In 2009, we established a companywide Environmental Management System (EMS) that extends to our headquarters, branches, and the Central Research Laboratory, and in February 2024, we underwent our fifth renewal audit as a company by the Japan Testing Center for Construction Materials, and continue to maintain our certification. The ISO 14001 certification acquisition rate for cement plants, including Group companies, is 100%. Furthermore, all of our overseas cement plants in countries that adopt ISO have obtained ISO 14001 certification and are actively committed to environmental conservation. Cement plants in countries where ISO is not adopted as the mainstream standard operate their own EMS.
Risk Management
- Environmental risk reduction
We are taking necessary measures as appropriate based on past cases to prevent major environmental accidents. - Response to natural disasters
In recent years, the intensification of natural disasters due to abnormal weather has become a challenge. We plan to identify the risk of flooding in our plants due to heavy rain, confirm drainage routes and treatment capacity, and then invest in the necessary construction as required. - Compliance with environmental laws
To ensure compliance with environmental laws throughout the Taiheiyo Cement Group, we regularly conduct environmental patrols at our group companies to confirm their compliance status.
We will carry out continuous improvement activities through the reliable operation of our EMS, and will steadily work on the following points:
- Zero serious environmental accidents and complaints
Unfortunately, in FY2025, one serious environmental complaint occurred due to dust emissions at a directly operated plant. We deeply regret causing significant trouble to the residents near the plant. Corrective and preventive measures were implemented to address the identified challenges and problems in order to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents or complaints. - Creating plants that are resilient to emergencies (earthquakes, tsunamis, oil spills, torrential rains, fires, dust emissions)
By reviewing the emergency manuals for each situation as necessary and conducting training and drills regularly, we will develop human resources with on-site capabilities to respond to any emergency. We aim to create plants that are resilient to emergencies by identifying environmental risks and planning and implementing countermeasures. Furthermore, in collaboration with local governments, we maintain systems prepared during normal times to promptly and smoothly process disaster waste during large-scale disasters. - Establishing a system for compliance with environmental laws throughout the Group
For group companies, we use an environmental law checklist to confirm and follow up on changes to environmental laws and regulations, allowing us to respond appropriately to such changes. We also confirm that compliance with environmental laws and regulations is securely maintained through regular environmental patrols.
Oil spill drill (Kumagaya Plant)
Internal Environmental Audits
We conducted internal environmental audits at all our sites in FY2025. This fiscal year's priority audit observation items included: confirmation of compliance evaluation regarding environmental laws and other requirements, identification of PCB-containing equipment, confirmation of external communications, corrective actions for unmet targets, follow-up status of corrective and preventive actions for environmental non-conformities as a matter for plants, identification of equipment flooding risks due to natural disasters and formulation of countermeasures as a matter for plants, and confirmation of emergency response at service stations as a matter for branches.
| Total number of identified issues | Number of requests for improvement | Number of corrective actions taken | |
| FY2023 | 29 | 3 | 3 |
| FY2024 | 26 | 5 | 5 |
| FY2025 | 27 | 8 | 8 |
Reducing Environmental Impact
Based on our environmental management policy, we comply with environmental laws and regulations and engage in business activities that consider the environment.
Our plants have prepared response procedure manuals as measures against earthquakes and tsunamis. In the event of an emergency, we verify the effectiveness of our procedure manuals to ensure safe shutdown of equipment and rapid evacuation. We are also working with government agencies to share information and minimize damage.
In order to process the diversifying waste and by-products stably with minimal environmental impact, capital investment and the development of new technologies are required. We are systematically proceeding with the construction and expansion of indoor storage facilities and enclosed receiving facilities.
We will continue to carry out our business activities in harmony with local residents. On receiving an environmental complaint, whenever possible we quickly travel to the site in question to check the situation, investigate the cause and provide an explanation. If we find that our activities are the cause we implement improvements.
Water Contamination Prevention
Most of the industrial water discharged from our plants to public waters is cooling water and not polluted as defined in the Water Pollution Control Act. At our cement plants all water resources are reused as circulation water to minimize industrial water discharge into public waters. Moreover, we are taking measures to prevent the leakage of contaminants by installing dikes around oil tanks and acid/alkali tanks, as well as installing sedimentation tanks, water-oil separation tanks, oil film detectors, pH meters and suspended solid sensors on water discharge routes that connect to public waters.
Air Pollution
Air pollutants generated from cement production are primarily NOx, SOx and dust in combustion gases emitted from cement kilns. To ensure the proper management of these substances we strive to reduce air pollutant emissions through measures such as installing equipment to continuously monitor emission concentrations, improving NOx reduction systems and installing bag filter equipment to capture dust emissions. Our target is to maintain our FY2011 emissions levels.
Soil Contamination Prevention
Across FY2008 and FY2009, we evaluated the risks associated with cement plants that may be sited on contaminated ground by appointing an expert consultant to undertake a land history survey, conducted drilling surveys, and verified whether or not the soil is contaminated. Actions have been taken as necessary based on the findings, such as the installation of observation wells to monitor ground water contamination and the removal of contaminated soil. Furthermore, as measures to prevent seepage of leaked liquids from oil, acid, and alkali tanks, as well as piping, we are striving to prevent soil contamination by implementing work such as replacing buried pipes with overhead pipes and introducing hazardous substance leak detection systems.
Management of PCB Waste
We properly store and dispose of high and low concentrations of PCB waste in accordance with the Amendment to the Law concerning Special Measures for Promotion of Proper Treatment of PCB Wastes (hereinafter referred to as the PCB Special Measures Law).
Regarding high-concentration PCB waste, which has an early disposal deadline stipulated by the PCB Special Measures Law, we have prioritized its processing. However, based on cases discovered after the disposal deadline, we are conducting internal re-investigations. As a result, 349 units were in storage as of the end of FY2025, and we are proceeding with disposal in compliance with laws during FY2026. We will continue to respond appropriately in accordance with laws and regulations.
(No. of units)
| Waste | Stored in FY2024 | New Targets for FY2025 | FY2025 processing results | Stored in FY2025 | Treatment Scheduled for FY2026 |
| Capacitors | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Transformers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical ballasts | 2 | 445 | 99 | 348 | 348 |
| Total | 2 | 446 | 99 | 349 | 349 |
Environmentally Friendly Powder Accelerator "Visco Shot"
Shotcrete is used as a material to prevent the collapse of excavated areas by directly spraying it onto freshly exposed surfaces after tunnel excavation. Since it is required to set instantly and develop strength, an accelerator is added to the fresh concrete before use. With conventional shotcrete, about 20-30% falls off without adhering to the surface due to rebound and sagging during spraying. Minimizing this has been a challenge.
Visco Shot, developed by Taiheiyo Materials Corporation and Kao Corporation, is an environmentally friendly powder accelerator that reduces rebound during application by imparting a special thickening function. By mixing the rapid-setting component from Taiheiyo Materials Corporation with the special thickener from Kao Corporation, we achieved a material design that maintains a free-flowing state that is easy to pump to the tip of the spray nozzle, while instantly becoming viscous after spraying for easy adhesion to the excavated surface. Since 2022, we have been conducting demonstration construction in mock tunnels at the Onoda Plant of Taiheiyo Materials Corporation and actual tunnels, and have confirmed a rebound reduction effect of about 30%.
