Waste
The IHI Group strives to reduce waste emissions by improving the yield of raw materials in plant production and improving recycling rates through careful separation. The Group is also working to promote the transition to a circular economy. To this end, the Group is working, through its lifecycle businesses, to develop designs that take into consideration the effective use of social capital in the raw material procurement, plant production, and product use processes, and to expand services that allow products to continue to be used for a long time and which minimize the amount of waste generated.
Additionally, to ensure that all waste is disposed of properly, the Group reviews collection, transportation, and waste disposal contracts, verifies final disposal through digital manifests, and confirms circumstances on-site at intermediate and final waste disposal sites.
In order to continue these efforts effectively over the long term, the Group is implementing waste auditing using the ISO 14001 framework.
Cooperation with Third Parties to Reduce Waste Emissions
The IHI Group works with expert consultants to operate a waste management system to reduce waste emissions at its plants and offices and ensure compliance with laws and regulations. By monitoring the amounts of each type of waste generated at each site, and the main sources of waste, the Group is striving to reduce the overall quantity of waste generated. Furthermore, the Group ensures compliance with laws and regulations and reduces waste emissions by checking intermediate disposal contracts and contract periods.
Similarly, the Group regularly entrusts specialized consultants with group training for waste management personnel at offices, plants, and affiliated companies, where they learn about legal and regulatory requirements and case studies of legal and regulatory violations.
Water Resources
The IHI Group primarily uses public and industrial water as water resources. In regions with abundant underground and river water resources, the Group uses these resources in combination with public water carefully to reduce its risk of obstruction to stable water withdrawal. Therefore, each office and plant considers the water quality and quantity necessary for its use and chooses the best resource to withdrawal water.
In some plants where river water is available in abundance, river water is used instead of tap water as cooling water for heat treatment furnaces, etc. When draining water, heat exchangers are used to avoid pollution risks during water discharge.
Also, the Group is also working with local governments to consider products and services that contribute to the effective use of agricultural water and other water resources.
Water Risks Survey
The IHI Group conducted a survey of water-stressed regions using the World Resource Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, a global water risk map, targeting consolidated affiliate companies that collect environmental information.
Of the 71 locations surveyed, 4 locations (5.6%) were in areas classified as High Risk or higher. Based on the survey results, the Group will consider measures at sites classified as High Risk or higher and implement water risk management.
Specific Activities to Reduce Water Consumption
In order to reduce water consumption, the IHI Group reuses tertiary treated water instead of city water for sprinklers on its grounds to the extent possible, and reuses wastewater in painting and cleaning processes. At the head office building, gray water made from recycled kitchen wastewater and other gray water is used to flush the toilets.
In addition, as a Group-wide environmental activity goal, the Group has set a 1% reduction in water withdrawal at each site compared to the previous fiscal year, and the Group is managing the monthly water withdrawal at each environmental management center by graphing it and comparing it over time. Monitoring the monthly changes in water withdrawal leads to early detection of any leakage.
