To realize our Group philosophy "Good Chemistry for Tomorrow - Creating better relationships among people, society, and our planet" and to tackle global warming and other issues facing humankind, along with its Group companies, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC) has promoted the MCHC Group KAITEKI Project since July 2008.
Aiming to address various issues, such as depletion of resources, climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, more serious food and water crises, and health problems, MCHC has defined three decision criteria for our corporate activities: Sustainability, Health, Comfort.
[ The MCHC Group Seeks Strategic Management for Sustainability ]
Moreover, we appointed a Chief Sustainability Officer and launched the MCHC Group KAITEKI Project in July 2008. The MCHC Group is moving toward an aggressive and strategic environmental management style based on the company we should be in the future, and will make KAITEKI a reality.
[ MCHC Group Greenhouse Gas (CO2 Conversion) Reduction Targets ]
The MCHC Group believes life in the 21st century will require more than simply pursuing an improved quality of life, given the problems presented by climate change, resource depletion, water and food crises and health issues. To resolve the problems threatening the Earth and humankind, we must combine the wisdom, technology and ideas of the people of the world to create innovative new technologies and materials necessitated by good chemistry that are not in conflict with sustainability. The MCHC Group refers to the comfort and abundance created by the realization of these new technologies and materials as KAITEKI.
At present, The MCHC Group KAITEKI Project comprises six working groups that each promotes initiatives to realize a KAITEKI planet.
[ Positioning of Working Groups (WG) ]
Support for the Manufacturing Industry, the WEF, WBCSD and Other International CommunitiesIn addition to gathering information and expressing of opinions at influential gatherings such as World Economic Forum (WEF) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) meetings, WG1 promotes communications among industrial groups and other companies in the industry. WG1 is in charge of industrial international cooperation under the three themes of insuring and improving chemical substance safety, preventing global warming and preserving the ecosystem.
Support for the Reduction of MCHC Group CO2 EmissionsThe MCHC Group engages in initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions at all its factories and production sites around the world. We will steadily advance the following measures from the perspective of the increasingly urgent global warming situation.
Promotion of Business InnovationMCHC aims to quickly achieve profitable operations for the six business themes of environmental contribution, such as white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and lithium-ion battery materials for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), included in the seven next-generation growth businesses as set forth in APTSIS 10. Furthermore, we are proposing new growth businesses that consider contribution to environmental resources.
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) ProjectAn increasing number of electrical equipment and auto manufacturers are aggressively introducing life cycle assessments (LCAs) of environmental impact under the overall product lifecycle from resource procurement, to production, use and disposal. Providing these manufacturers with a wide range of materials solutions, MCHC has always disclosed information under (1)-(3) to individual customers, and from now on we will disclose information regarding the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and toxic resource consumption, effects on the ecosystem and other environmental impacts under (1)-(6) at all stages of production with the fiscal 2009 launch of the LCA Project to establish carbon footprint calculation.
The KAITEKI InstituteThe KAITEKI Institute was established from the long-term perspective of what the MCHC Group can do for global society in the next 20 to 50 years, and functions as a think tank to discuss the concept of KAITEKI realization with people from various areas around the world, as well as a new research mechanism that brings researchers from around the world together and promotes research.
Human InnovationTo achieve the targets1 set forth in the Kyoto Protocol, an effort by the industrial sector, as well as the efforts of citizens at home, work and at commercial facilities, are essential. To this end, MCHC established Team Minus 20% to advocate human innovation to drive lifestyle innovation among its 41,000 employees. Under the watchwords "One step closer to a KAITEKI future," we attempt to draw out people’s ideas at the home and office while engaging in initiatives to reduce the use of electricity, printing paper and garbage.
1 Kyoto Protocol targets set forth a reduction of the total emission of six greenhouse gases by 5% or more between 2008 and 2012 compared to 1990 levels.
