2022 Results

In the Chugai Group’s Mid-Term Environmental Goals 2030, we have set goals for reducing industrial waste per total floor area by 5% in 2025 and 10% in 2030 versus the 2019 base year. In 2022, industrial waste increased by 29% over the base year, to 4,112 tons. Emissions per total floor area decreased by 9% from 10.5 tons in the base year to 9.5 tons, because the Chugai Life Science Park Yokohama, which was completed in 2022, and the Kamakura Research Laboratories and Fuji Gotemba Research Laboratories, which are scheduled to close in 2023, are both in operation, resulting in a larger total floor area. One of the main reasons for the increase was the disposal of buried waste as sludge during the construction of a new building at the Fujieda Plant. Going forward, we will continue to advance waste reduction efforts, such as reviewing our waste generation process, while promoting the proper disposal of waste.

As one of these efforts, in 2022 we sold 19 tons of plastics and 16 tons of metal as valuable assets, thereby reducing waste. In addition to turning waste into valuable resources, we will actively utilize the wide-area certification system, and this will also result in the proper disposal and effective use of resources.

In addition, as the concept of a circular economy penetrates further, the problem of marine pollution by plastics is becoming an issue. The Chugai Group has not only set goals for reducing waste overall but is also working toward individual goals for reducing plastic waste per total floor area by 5% in 2025 and 10% in 2030 versus 2019.

Industrial Waste by Type

Plastic Waste

Waste recycled in 2022 reached 4,078 tons from 4,112 tons of industrial waste generated, for a recycling rate of 99.2%. Four facilities achieved zero emissions: the Ukima Plant, the Fujieda Plant and the Utsunomiya Plant, and Kamakura Research Laboratories. The amount of final disposal was 4 tons, for a final disposal ratio of just 0.1%. Going forward, we will continue to reduce industrial waste, while also advancing efforts to improve our recycling ratio.

Waste Recycled and Recycling Ratio^*1

Amount of industrial landfill waste, final disposal ratio^*2

Proper Disposal of Waste Materials

Once a year, Chugai holds conferences for persons in charge of waste, mainly those at plants and research laboratories.
These conferences help them reduce waste risk, such as illegal disposal, by informing those concerned of revisions in Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act and other regulations and by providing proper disposal information. In addition, we have established a plan to reduce the risk of illegal disposal of waste by conducting on-site inspections of waste disposal contractors at a rate of 100% or more over three years, and effort required under the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act.

Reduction in PPC Paper Used

PPC paper purchased increased by 3% from 2021 to 68 tons.
Although there has been a slight increase from 2021, purchases have been kept low due to a decrease in work being done at the office, as employees had more opportunity to work from home since 2019. We also continue to promote purchasing of paper that complies with Japan’s Green Purchasing Law.

PPC paper purchased

An error was found in the computation of past data, and amounts purchased for 2018 have been revised as follows:
2018: Error) 118 tons → Correction) 147 tons

There is a common awareness that in the field of resource recycling, the impact of marine plastics on ecosystems has become an urgent, global-scale issue, and discussions are being held at a variety of international conferences, including the G20 and the United Nations. To address this plastic litter problem, the G20 Osaka Summit held in June 2019 shared the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” which aims to reduce additional marine plastic litter to zero by 2050. In May 2019, Japan formulated its Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics, based on the concept of “3Rs + Renewable” (4Rs), established specific numerical milestones for reducing the use of plastics, and is engaged in a variety of initiatives.
In the use of recycled/renewable resources, one of the material issues in the Chugai Group’s Mid-term Environmental Goals 2030, we have established the goal of reducing the emissions of plastic waste per total floor area by 5% in 2025 versus 2019, and by 10% in 2030, part of our effort to reduce the plastic waste emitted by our facilities.

In a new initiative in addition to reducing plastic, since 2020 we have begun using recycled plastic. In “Renewable,” we are considering switching from petroleum-based plastic materials to biomass plastic derived from plants and other renewable raw materials. That initiative focused on PTP, aluminum pillows, syringe blister packs and plastic bottles, which are used in particularly large quantities, and in 2022, we switched to packaging materials containing recycled plastic in aluminum pillows and syringe blister packs for some products. We also continue to consider the use of biomass plastics in PTP and plastic bottles, with the goal of making that switch in 2023 and beyond. We will continue to consider technologies with the aim of using packaging materials containing eco-friendly plastics in all of our products by 2030. Please see the link below for details.

Container and Packaging Usage, Recycling Consignment Application (2022 results) (tons)

In its Mid-Term Environmental Goals 2030, the Chugai Group has set a goal for reducing water consumption per total floor area by 15% in 2030 compared to the base year of 2019.

Based on the Water Pollution Control Act and various prefectural ordinances, we treat wastewater at wastewater treatment plants, verifying compliance with wastewater standards before releasing it into public waters.

The amount of water consumption was 1,740 tons, a decrease of 16.4% compared to 2,082 tons in 2019, and per total floor area was 4.0 kg/m², a decrease of 41%.
In wastewater quality versus 2021, total BOD decreased by 2,231kg, nitrogen decreased by 1,050kg, and phosphorous decreased by 135kg.

Water Consumption