[Special Topic] Initiatives in the Aspect of “Internal Change”

Reduction of Environmental Impact through the Daily Efforts of Individual Employees

In the aspect of “internal change,” we set our targets for each of the following three themes—CO2 emission reduction, waste reduction, and the appropriate management of chemical substances—and each and every employee is daily committed to reducing the environmental impact of their business activities.
Specifically, in addition to reducing the use of electricity for air conditioners and IT devices at our offices and cutting the use of gasoline for our corporate vehicles, we are reducing the use of resources (raw and other materials, energy, and water) in the manufacture of water treatment chemicals and also curtailing the generation of waste in the manufacturing processes. Moreover, we are proactively engaged in environmental improvement activities as part of high-quality manufacturing: we are committed to reducing the use of resources not only in the manufacture but also for the transportation, installation, and operation of water treatment facilities to be delivered to customers.

Identifying the Results in the Aspect of “Internal Change”

We identify our monthly CO2 emissions and waste generation figures by using the Kurita Group’s environmental information collection system. We review and check the progress of our environmental impact reduction measures on a quarterly basis, thereby ensuring the execution of the PDCA cycle in the aspect of “internal change.”
As for the appropriate management of chemical substances, the Environmental Improvement Promotion Committee, which is the organization for group-wide environmental improvement activities, dispatches a field survey team to each of the Kurita Group’s bases to check how they manage the substances.

In designing our products, we give due consideration to the reduction of their environmental impact in all phases, from manufacture, transportation and installation through to operation.

We interviewed an employee in charge of design about the initiatives taken in the aspect of “internal change.”

Please tell us about the approach you take to environmental improvement in designing water treatment facilities.

Ooshima: In designing the facilities, we give due consideration to the reduction of their environmental impact in all phases, from manufacture, transport and installation through to operation, without compromising customer satisfaction in terms of performance or cost. First, in designing the entire process for the facilities, we try to minimize the impact they will have on the environment while they are in operation by incorporating a system to recover and reuse water and heat for the conservation of water, energy, and resources, or by adopting a deodorizer that does not use chemicals.
In making a specific plan based on the designed process, we decide the layouts and structures of the water treatment facilities and accessory equipment in such a way as to make them light and compact, and also select energy-efficient devices for the conservation of resources and energy in the manufacture and transport of the products.

Please give us an example of measures you have implemented for environmental improvement.

Ooshima: In one of the projects in which I participated last fiscal year, we installed 950 pipe racks on stanchions that extended about 2,500 meters in total. In this project, we made efforts to reduce the impact that the manufacture of pipe rack skids would have on the environment.
We had standardized the specifications for pipe rack skids within our company, but for the project, we fundamentally reviewed the specifications on the size and structure as well as the pipe installation method, receiving support from a range of in-house departments, such as the quality assurance department, and also from the partner company—the actual manufacturer of pipe rack skids.
Traditionally, the sizes of pipe rack skids had been regulated by the sizes of standard pipes. Taking a different view, however, we customized the rack skid size. We asked the manufacturer to enlarge the size in order to improve the manufacturing efficiency and reduce the use of materials, including joints. We also reviewed the specifications for the structure and materials of the skid frame and reduced the standard weight of the frame by 45% from those conventionally used, without compromising the strength. As a result, we were able to reduce the use of materials and generation of waste in the pipe rack manufacturing process and also cut the amount of energy required for the transportation of the manufactured rack skids.

Please describe any special measures you took for the installation of the pipes.

Ooshima: For the installation of the pipes, we adopted the “Eco method” based on a proposal made by the partner company. For stainless steel pipes, joints are conventionally welded to pipes, for which a large amount of energy is used. Under the Eco method, the numbers of joints and parts to be welded are minimized through the direct processing of pipes, and this method helps reduce the materials and energy used for welding at the manufacturing plant.
We will continue to implement similar measures for the reduction of environmental impact in all phases, including the manufacturing phase.