Glossary

A project that promotes the disclosure of information related to the environment, such as global warming measures and support for water strategies and forests by corporations, with the approval of institutional investors (preceded by the Carbon Disclosure Project). It is currently one of the sets of data that is most frequently used in the world as a reference for ESG investment.

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a measure used in water quality analysis, indicating the amount of oxygen consumed by potassium permanganate to oxidize organic compounds in water. Overseas, potassium dichromate is often used as an oxidizing agent, and results are different, so we compiled separately in Japan and overseas.

Acronym for Material Flow Cost Accounting, an environmental management and accounting tool for companies to improve cost efficiency and reduce environmental impact at the same time. Our Group utilizes this method as an analysis tool.

Nitrogen Oxide

PRTR: Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. Japan’s PRTR Act requires companies using harmful chemical substances to gather data on the amount of harmful chemical substances released into the environment and other data as a means of promoting autonomous efforts by those companies to improve their management of such substances and preventing the pollution of the environment by such substances.

Sulfur Oxide

Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) An international project that requires companies to disclose the financial risks of climate change with the participation of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), a group of central bank governors from around the world. It requires companies to provide information that investors and financial institutions can use to make decisions, and requires companies to conduct “scenario analyses” of the potential impact of climate change on their future operations.

The 2050 Carbon Neutral initiative showcased by the government is an application of the carbon neutral concept to policy. According to the declaration, the aim is to zero out overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, resulting in carbon neutrality by that year and the realization of a decarbonized society. To zero out overall means that the total of emitted volume minus volumes absorbed and eliminated is to be brought to zero.

Whereas Scope 1 concerns direct emissions due to combustion of fuel etc. and Scope 2 concerns indirect emissions from consumption of purchased electricity or heat, Scope 3 concerns other indirect emissions, both upstream and downstream, of the supply chain of the reporting entity. The international guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol break down Scope 3 into 15 categories.

This refers to solid particulate matter found in smoke including dust and cinders.

A system for producing and issuing SDS multilingually. Introduced in 2020.

Acronym for the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.

Acronym for Safety Data Sheet. This sheet contains the safety information regarding chemical substances, and is attached with products on their delivery to other businesses.

Acronym for World Summit on Sustainable Development.

European Union regulation to protect the health of people and the environment during the handling of chemical substances.

Customer Satisfaction.

Acronym for Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR collectively refers to activities carried out within the scope of a company’s operations not only geared toward generating profits, but also for fulfilling a company’s responsibilities to society and growing together with society while emphasizing the correlation with all stakeholders.

Digital transformation. This refers to the use of digital technologies such as AI, IoT, and Big Data by companies not only to improve workflow and create new business models, but also to break away from legacy systems and transform their corporate culture.

Acronym that stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance; used as an indicator to determine whether a company can grow sustainably.

Acronym for Global Reporting Initiative, an international NGO. The organization publishes the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guideline.

Internet of Things. This is a system in which various things (sensor devices, actuators, houses/buildings, cars, home appliances, electronic devices, etc.) that were not previously connected to the Internet are connected to servers and cloud services through networks, enabling mutual information exchange.

International standard developed in October 2010 to help organizations address social responsibility issues. This is the first international standard created through a multi-stakeholder process, which involved experts representing a multitude of sectors in the deliberation.

Acronym for Quality Of Life. A concept of satisfaction in all aspects of life, which includes not only material wealth possession but also emotional fulfillment, and self-actualization.

The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) Code of Conduct establishes standards to ensure that working conditions in the electronics industry supply chain are safe, that workers are treated with respect and dignity, and that business operations are environmentally responsible and conducted ethically.

Persons and organizations concerned. People who have an interest in any decisions made or activities conducted by an organization.

In the context of CSR, “materiality” refers to significant items that need to be worked on. Materiality items are selected in terms of how they reflect significant effects that an organization has on the economy, environment, and society, and how they have an actual impact on evaluations and decisions made by stakeholders.

Activity that assures environmental safety and health in all stages of a chemical material’s existence from development to manufacturing, distribution, utilization, final consumption, disposal, and recycling; publishes process results; and promotes dialogue and communication with the public. (Japan Chemical Industry Association)