Water Pollution Prevention
The IHI Group strictly complies with wastewater standards and establishes and manages voluntary wastewater standards that exceed public standards set in laws and regulations, such as the Water Pollution Prevention Act, and ordinances adopted by local governments to preserve the quality of public bodies of water including oceans and rivers into which the Group discharges water.
To confirm the status of achievement of standard values, the Group carries out regular voluntary water sampling, analysis, and monitoring and daily patrol inspections of discharge outlets. For maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities, the Group performs systematic updates of aging equipment, measuring devices, and buried pipes.
Soil Contamination Prevention
To prevent soil contamination, the IHI Group identified specific areas that use hazardous substances designated by the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act and strives to prevent leaks of chemical substances by establishing operational procedures and performing periodic patrols.
In areas where hazardous substances are used, the Group makes capital investments to prepare for leaks, such as by establishing liquid containment embankments with durable, highly chemical resistant interior coatings. At hazardous waste storage sites in particular, in principle, waste is stored indoors and the Group strives to prevent leaks caused by bad weather.
Prevention of Pollution by Chemical Substances
The IHI Group uses chemical substances while minimizing their impact on human health and the environment throughout the life cycle of IHI products from manufacture to disposal.
To achieve this, the Group broadly divides chemical substances into those used at offices and plants and those contained in products and it performs management appropriate for each.
Chemical Substance Management at Offices and Plants
The IHI Group complies with laws and regulations relating to chemical substance management and gains accurate grasp and understanding of the properties and hazard information of chemical substances used to ensure worker safety and prevent environmental pollution.
In accordance with the Act on Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR Act) administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Group appropriately determines the amount of emissions of specified chemical substances into the air, public waters, and soil and amounts discharged to sewers and waste and provides proper notifications to the national government via prefectural governments. In addition, the Group determines and properly complies with laws and regulations relating to chemical substances including the Air Pollution Control Act and local ordinances where its offices and plants are located.
To ensure worker safety at offices and plants, the IHI Group obtains and maintains Safety Data Sheets (SDS), determines hazard information and optimal handling, and manages chemical substances appropriately according to their properties. In addition, the Group prepared an operational management manual that covers the series of processes from purchasing and receiving to use, storage, and disposal to prevent soil, water, and atmospheric pollution caused by leaks of chemical substances (environmental accidents). The Group also conducts emergency response training and makes periodic capital investment to update aging facilities.
In parallel with these measures, the Group also participates in follow-ups to voluntary efforts to reduce VOC emissions as a member company of the Japan Society of Industrial Machinery Manufacturers. The Group is also working to reduce atmospheric emissions by determining the amounts handled and released of substances subject to voluntary control other than those covered by the PRTR Act and by investigating and implementing measures such as switching to paint with low VOC content and improving paint management methods during painting processes.
Management of Chemical Substances Contained in Products
The IHI Group established the Basic Policy on Chemical Information Management and manages chemical substances contained in products.
To minimize the impact of Group products and services on human health and the environment, the Group obtains information about the chemical substances contained in materials, parts, etc. throughout the supply chain and confirms whether any chemicals are prohibited or exceed acceptable levels.
Toxic Waste (Waste Containing PCB)
The IHI Group is furthering its response to properly dispose of hazardous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) waste by organizing a specialized team led by the head office.
As of March 31, 2024, the Group has successfully disposed of 100% of electrical equipment containing high-concentration PCBs and 94.9% of electrical equipment containing low-concentration PCBs. For fluorescent lamp, 83.7% processing has been completed.
Environmental Risk Monitoring
IHI Group Head Office personnel visit offices and plants and perform environmental risk monitoring to check whether on-site measures are being implemented to prevent water, soil, and air pollution and whether management systems for chemical substances, waste, and so on have been established.
In fiscal 2023, audits were conducted at nine sites. The audits did not identify any major problems, but minor issues were found and promptly corrected, and the Group has confirmed that there are currently no problems with environmental management systems.
