environmental education and awareness development · sorting and recycling of waste at its head...

Ajinomoto Group Environmental Report 2010 48

Environmental Education and Awareness DevelopmentEnsuring that every employee has high environmental consciousness is the starting point of all environmental protection activities of the Ajinomoto Group. The Group provides its employees around the world with various opportunities for systematic environmental education and awareness development in order to encourage them to take specific action in their respective workplaces.

Education for new recruits in fiscal 2009

The environmental video distributed in May 2010 introduced the Ajinomoto Group’s vision for the next 100 years and initiatives currently underway. These environmental videos are distributed to each employee or site for viewing.

The Ajinomoto Group’s environmental education is made up of two elements: awareness education, which helps each employee develop their consciousness as a global citizen and a member of the Ajinomoto Group; and specialized education and training, where employees can improve their competence in their respective duties.

Discussion among environmental promotion representatives from all business sites around Japan—Workshop to discuss the future of Calpis Co., Ltd.—

Calpis Co., Ltd. has organized a meeting of environmental ISO promotion representatives from business sites around Japan every year since 2004 as a forum for raising environmental consciousness among the representatives and at each division, and facilitating exchange among the attendees.

In 2009, a tour of the Gunma Plant was included in the meeting to explain the on-site initiatives being taken. Participants were shown the boiler, wastewater treatment plant, waste disposal facilities, and other places that are usually off-limits in order to demonstrate the considerable efforts involved in reducing environmental impact and highlight the need for cooperation from all business sites, no matter how indirect.

In September 2010, a workshop was held to discuss the next 10 years of Calpis Co., Ltd. from the perspective of environmental protection and examine the links between the company’s products and living systems (biodiversity). The attendees engaged in a lively discussion on the future of the company and developed an understanding of the numerous aspects of the natural world that are involved in the production of certain products, thereby renewing their understanding of the ways in which the company’s business both depends on and af fects biodiversity.

c o l u m n

Development Production Logistics ManagementCommunication

■Awareness educationThe Ajinomoto Group operates in 23 countries and regions around the world, with about 27,000 employees engaged in various operations. To realize a sustainable society, it is important for all these employees to share a common goal and strive to achieve it by transcending national and cultural differences. Toward this end, the Group offers a variety of programs to raise environmental consciousness among employees, including environmental education videos produced with different themes every year and distributed to each employee or site, and the environmental awareness development campaign, which calls for ecological actions. The Group also offers education aimed at particular groups of employees, such as new recruits, expatriates, and managers. Through these various programs it is ensured that environmental information is provided whenever available and that the Environmental Philosophy and Basic Policies and plans and goals of the Group are communicated across all job grades.

■Specialized education and trainingIn order to facilitate employees to take specific environmental measures in the course of their work, the Ajinomoto Group offers education for employees to acquire more technical and practical knowledge and improve their skills for use in their respective workplaces. A particular focus is placed on environmental education aimed at environmental managers and staff appointed at each organization, internal environmental auditors, employees responsible for zero emission activities at each production site, and members of each division in charge of developing new businesses and products.

In collaboration with the Knowledge Management Research & Institute (KMRI), the Ajinomoto Group also provides internal environmental auditor training for employees every year to deepen their understanding of the Group’s environmental initiatives and develop skills for internal environmental auditing.

In the fiscal 2010 workshop, the attendees were divided into several groups to discuss the links between the company’s products and living systems.

Environmental education policy and plans

Specialized education and training

Awareness education

Ajinomoto Group/Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Corporate Environment & Safety Department, etc.) Divisions, spin-off companies, etc. Business sites, plants, departments

Top and other levels of management

All employees

Staff in charge of EMS work

Staff in charge of other specialized functions

● Education for new recruits● Yearly educational video● Environmental awareness development campaign● Management level training● Education for newly appointed managers● Education for those who have been promoted or

changed positions● Education for expatriate Japanese staff● Training for Group managers outside Japan

● Training for environmental managers and staff● Internal auditor training course

● Education for new recruits

● Environmental law study sessions● Practical education on environmental

assessment● Practical education on proper waste

management, etc.

● Education for new recruits

● Acquisition of specialized knowledge and qualifications in environmental conservation

● Skills improvement training, etc.

Structure and description of environmental education

Ajinomoto Group Environmental Report 201049

Report on Ecological Action CampaignFiscal 2009 Ajinomoto Group Environmental Awareness Development Activities

The Ajinomoto Group carries out various activities to raise the environmental awareness of employees and their families every year.

A variety of plans for promoting ecological actions that can be taken by individuals have been implemented at business sites around the globe.

Eco-living starting at the dining table

The Kawasaki Administration & Coordination Office of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. encouraged its employees to sort mixed paper appropriately by providing information on the types of mixed paper and disposal methods and costs.

Sorting of mixed paper

Promotion of recycling

As part of its efforts to encourage employees to give back to society, Calpis Co., Ltd. is implementing a program designed to help raise awareness of environmental protection and social contribution activities. Under the ECOMARU Money CSR program, employees collect points for actions that benefit the environment and society performed over a three-month period (including such things as everyday efforts to save water and electricity; taking part in charitable fund-raising; and volunteer activities such as cleaning). The company then calculates the accumulated points, converts them into yen, and donates the same amount to organizations devoted to environmental and social causes. When the program was initiated the conversion rate was one yen per point. In fiscal 2009, the rate was changed to two yen for every point in order to increase the donation amount. The number of employees who took part in the program increased to 3,309 in fiscal 2009 and funds were donated to three organizations. One of the recipients is the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement-International (OISCA), which runs the Children’s Forest Program (CFP). This program supports various activities that allow children to make environmental contributions to their communities, such as tree planting, recycling, and the creation of products using natural resources.

ECOMARU Money CSR program


Eco-action at the dining tableAt the Food Products Division of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., “Eco-living Starting at the Dining Table” leaflets were distributed to customers and employees as par t of awareness development and marketing activities. In addit ion, panel displays were installed at the company’s branches to introduce i t s env i ronmen t a l e f fo r t s to v i s i to r s and employees.

Eco-Action Project 2009The Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation carried out the Eco-Action Project 2009 to promote the sorting and recycling of waste at its Head Office and branches. At the Head Office in Makati, employees played a fun game designed to test their knowledge on waste sorting and improve their environmental awareness.

The Clean Dish Campaign is a unique activity organized by Ajinomoto do Brazil Indústria e Comércio de Alimentos Ltda in which a certain amount of food for each leftover-free plate in the cafeteria is donated to various charities. As in the previous year, the 2009 month-long campaign was conducted at every office and plant with the participation of numerous employees. The campaign aims to get people to think about the importance of food and reduce leftovers.

Reduce leftovers campaignT h e K a w a s a k i A d m i n i s t r a t i o n & Coordination Office of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. focused on the reduction of waste and the promotion of recycling as priority issues during Japan’s Environment Month in June 2009. One example of the activities was to urge employees to reduce the amount of leftovers at the office cafeteria.

Site Campaign periodTotal no. of

participating employees

No. of meals finished (no leftovers)

Ratio

Amounts of food

donated (kg)

Sao Paulo Office*November 9 to December 4, 2009 4,474 3,106 69% 31

Limeira Plant*September 8 to October 7, 2009 32,550 13,514 42% 540

Laranjal Paulista Plant† November 1 to November 30, 2009 5,651 2,050 36% 82

Valparaíso Plant† January 11 to January 31, 2009 4,338 3,540 82% 314

Pederneiras Plant† November 16 to November 30, 2009 3,600 1,900 53% —

Unique Clean Dish Campaign held for second time

Goods donated by the Limeira Plant

* Formerly Ajinomoto Interamericana Indústria e Comércio Ltda† Formerly Ajinomoto Biolatina Indústria e Comércio Ltda

ECOMARU®—the environmental mascot

character of Calpis Co., Ltd.

Letters from children taking part in the CFP


Other activities performed in collaboration with communities and society

On October 22, 2009, approximately 9,000 employees from 195 business sites of the Ajinomoto Group both in and outside Japan took part in the global campaign to clean up the areas around their sites. Apart from this campaign, the number of sites taking initiatives to run their own local cleanup activities is increasing.

In the “Mot tainai ” campaign in which 56 business sites of the Ajinomoto Group in and outside Japan participated, misaddressed postcards, used stamps and other items worth 98,446 yen were collected, as well as books, felt markers, and similar worth 64,224 yen.

Stop Global Warming Campaign 2009

The eco-cap campaign, in which donat ions of po l io v a c c i n e s a r e m a d e i n exchange for collected PET bottle caps, is implemented across the business sites of the Ajinomoto Group. As of the time of writing, enough vaccines to treat over 100 children (113.7 children, to be exact) have been donated on behalf of the Ajinomoto Group.

Eco-cap campaign

On June 1, 2009, volunteer employees of the Kyushu Plant of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. planted flowers in flowerbeds and p lanters around the premises. The campaign gives employees an opportunity to develop an appreciation for plants and flowers.

Flowers galore! campaign

To encourage its employees to save e lec t r i c i t y (and hence reduce CO 2 emissions), each month in fiscal 2009, A j inomoto Trad ing , Inc . d i sp layed graphs showing the monthly electricity consumption side by side with graphs for the corresponding month in fiscal 2007 and 2008. This project was entered into the Tokyo Eco Collection 2009 contest to increase employee motivation.

Display of monthly electricity consumption

The Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals Division of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (previously known as the Amino Acids Company) has conducted the “Stop Global Warming” campaign every year since 2007. The main objective of the campaign is to get employees to think about reducing CO2 emissions. Various unique projects that can be implemented both in the workplace and at home have been introduced at each business site.

Initiatives throughout the Entire Lifecycle

Educational videoAt the Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals Division of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (previously known as the Amino Acids Company) a video t i t led “GLOBAL WARMING What We Can Do About It Now” was shown to about 680 employees. The video proved effective, as evidenced by employee comments such as “I’d like to review our current measures” and “The video made me realize how urgent the global warming issue is.”

Eco-contestA j i n o m o t o A m i n o S c i e n c e LLC organ ized a contes t to generate ideas for reduc ing CO 2 emissions. The winning idea came from a member of the mach iner y maintenance staff, who proposed that a new burner be installed for the landfill gas boiler. The staf f member estimated that this would lead to an annual reduction of more than 500 tons of CO2 emissions and savings in natural gas.

Setting CO2 emission reduction goals and checking the progressThe Production & Technology Administration Center of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. conducted a two-week campaign calling on its employees to close their laptops whenever they left their desks. The results of each group working within the center were displayed in the workplaces to increase motivation and reported at a meeting attended by all staff members. About 80% of employees did close their laptops during the campaign. The center also consistently reminded its employees during fiscal 2009 that meeting rooms should be selected according to the number of attendees and that lights in offices and laboratories should be turned off during lunch breaks. Employees are also encouraged to set CO2 emission reduction goals at home and submit their progress every month. The average number of employees who achieved the set goals between April and July was 85 to 89%.

Ajinomoto Group Environmental Report 201051


Environmental ManagementThe Ajinomoto Group has introduced an ISO 14001-compliant environmental management system (EMS) to all of its sites inside and outside Japan to meet environmental laws and regulations and prevent environmental problems, and to ensure that further efforts will be made at each site to conserve the environment. In fiscal 2009, the Group took a step further by launching comprehensive efforts to incorporate environmental protection into its business activities.

Goals

● To implement measures uniformly across the Group inside and outside Japan

● ISO 14001 certification rate: 91% or more

Fiscal 2009 performance

● The Group’s EMS organization was reviewed due to the shift from an internal company system to a divisional system and the establishment of AJINOMOTO PHARMACEUTICALS CO., LTD.

● ISO 14001 certification was acquired at 124 sites, or 91% of all target sites.

1. Calpis Co., Ltd. and its affiliates were added to the Group’s environmental management system beginning in fiscal 2008, following the full acquisition of Calpis Co., Ltd.

Ajinomoto Group EMS organization chart Revised April 1, 2010

ManagementCommittee

EnvironmentalCommittee

Food Products Division

Environmental administrator: General Manager of the DivisionEMS secretariat: Environment & Safety Dept.

AffiliatesEnvironmental administrator

Unit organizationEnvironmental administrator

Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc.

Chief environmental administrator: PresidentEMS secretariat: Umbrella organization



Ajinomoto LOGISTICS CORPORATION




Ajinomoto Bakery Co., Ltd.




Calpis Co., Ltd.1




AJINOMOTO PHARMACEUTICALS CO., LTD.




Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals Division




China Business Strategy & Planning Division




Wellness Business Division




Production sector

Environmental administrator: Person administering production technology & engineeringEMS secretariat: Environment & Safety Dept.



Other unit organizations and affiliates

Environmental administrator: General Manager of Environment & Safety Dept.EMS secretariat: Environment & Safety Dept.



Chairperson: Director responsible for environmental management

Members: Corporate Executive responsible for production technology and engineering ―The head of each unit organization―

Food Products DivisionBioscience Products & Fine Chemicals DivisionChina Business Strategy & Planning DivisionWellness Business DivisionGeneral Manager of General Affairs & Risk Management Dept. General Manager of Environment & Safety Dept. General Manager of CSR Dept. General Manager of Production Management Dept. Presidents of designated affiliates Personnel appointed by Chairperson

Secretariat: Environment & Safety Dept.

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(Planning & business support sector, other divisions, etc.)

■Group-wide environmental managementThe Ajinomoto Group has established an environmental management structure headed up by the Environmental Commit tee to ensure that measures are implemented uniformly across the Group, both in and outside Japan. This management structure forms the base for a range of environmental management activities, such as the formulation

of environmental plans (three-year medium-term plan and annual plan), implementation of environmental assessments and environmental audits, and collection of environmental data. In April 2010, the Group reviewed its EMS organization due to the shift in its structure from an internal company system to a divisional system and the establishment of AJINOMOTO PHARMACEUTICALS CO., LTD.

■Acquisition of ISO 14001 certificationAs of June 2010, 124 sites, that is, 91% of all the target sites across the Ajinomoto Group, are ISO 14001 certified. The total number of target sites has increased to 136 with the addition of seven new sites. Consistent efforts are now being made by the remaining sites to acquire ISO 14001 certification.

■Collecting environmental data—ASREPIn promoting environmental management, it is important to have a way to quantitatively identify the environmental load and contribution. To assist in this, the Ajinomoto Group

has developed the Ajinomoto System for Reporting of Environmental Performance (ASREP) to collect environmental data on CO2 emissions, waste, discharged water and other items from all its sites both in and outside Japan. This basic data, which has been collected twice a year since 2006, is utilized in compiling the Group’s environmental performance statistics, in progress control of the Zero Emissions Plan, and in developing information to be disclosed through the Carbon Disclosure Project2.2. The disclosed information is available at the URL below: https://www.cdproject.net/


Initiatives throughout the Entire Lifecycle

Number of minor law violations, administrative guidance notices, and requests for improvements (fiscal 2009)

Japan Outside Japan

Air pollution 0 1

Water pollution 3 4

Waste 0 1

Noise, vibration 0 0

Odor 0 0

Other 0 0

Total 3 6

Number of complaints (fiscal 2009)

Japan Outside Japan

Air pollution 3 5

Water pollution 29 5

Waste 0 1

Noise, vibration 22 1

Odor 18 7

Other 8 5

Total 80 24

Environmental assessment items

Seven types of typical pollution Air, water, noise, odor, soil pollution, vibration, and ground subsidence

Waste disposal Proper waste disposal, responsibilities of waste generator, etc.

Global environmental issues Global warming, biodiversity conservation, acid rain, etc.

Management of hazardous substances

Substances subject to PRTR, asbestos, new chemical substances, etc.

Creation of a recycling-oriented society

3Rs, resource and energy conservation, control of waste generation, etc.

Effects of buildings Right to light, radio disturbance, etc.

Purchase and sale of real estate Soil pollution, accountability, guarantee against defects, etc.

New science and technology Chemical and microbial contamination, etc.

Corporate social responsibilityAction guidelines, information disclosure, communication with the community, etc.

Product developmentEco-design, raw materials procurement, logistics, life cycle assessment, etc.

■Including environmental items when evaluating business performance

In fiscal 2007, four environmental items were included in the Ajinomoto Group’s business performance evaluation for each business unit. These items, allocated 5%, were evaluated according to the achievement level of the environmental targets. This new arrangement is clear proof that high priority is given to the environment within the Ajinomoto Group. The four environmental items are: (1) zero environmental load emissions in discharged water; (2) zero waste emissions; (3) reduction of per-unit CO2 emissions; and (4) reduction of CO2 emissions in Japan. Achievement levels for these items are evaluated together with other items in accordance with the Ajinomoto Group Zero Emissions Plan.

■Implementing environmental assessmentsLaunching new products and business, or, changing or discontinuing the use of conventional raw materials in production processes may have significant effects on the environment. To minimize future environmental risks and impacts, there is a need to assess the environmental impact of business plans before they are implemented and take necessary measures.

At the Ajinomoto Group, environmental assessments are performed by departments responsible for the proposed plans, and their results are reviewed by the Environment & Safety Department before final approval by management. In April 2010, the authority to conduct environmental assessments was partially delegated to some business sites outside Japan to allow assessments to reflect the local environmental circumstances more appropriately.

Cu r ren t l y abou t ha l f o f t he A j ino m oto G roup’s environmental assessments relate to business and product development. In addition to reducing environmental risk, environmental assessments help to raise the environmental awareness of employees who are engaged in business planning and product development. The Ajinomoto Group will continue to conduct environmental assessments that cover the entire range of business activities, from the procurement of raw materials through to the use of products by consumers.

■Plants that are more open to the communityThe Ajinomoto Group aims to open its operation sites to neighborhood residents in order to develop joint disaster prevention systems with local communities. The Kawasaki Administrat ion & Coordinat ion Of f ice has launched Environmental Monitor Meetings, in which community residents notify the company immediately upon experiencing something unusual, such as a strange odor. These efforts to maintain close communication with local residents, as well as the existing activities conducted at the office to reduce environmental impact, were recognized by the Kanagawa Environmental Conservation Association when it presented the office with the Environmental Conservation Award. Plants outside Japan, such as those belonging to Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd. and Ajinomoto Vietnam Co., Ltd., conduct plant tours for community residents.

■Environmental accidents and complaintsThe Ajinomoto Group has established a system that enables the Group to promptly take necessary measures to address violations of environmental laws, and environmental accidents and incidents. There were two legal violations in fiscal 2009: one related to the delay in reporting the accidental discharge of refrigerant into a river to the local government3, and the other concerned an error in reporting on the designated facilities under the Water Pollution Control Act4. The Ajinomoto Group is making utmost efforts to prevent the recurrence of similar violations by analyzing their causes and sharing information across the Group. Apart from these two violations, nine accidents and incidents were reported in and outside Japan, but none of these had a serious impact on the environment. The Group investigates the causes of problems and “close calls,”5 in order to prevent recurrence.3. Ajinomoto Medica Co., Ltd. (currently AJINOMOTO PHARMACEUTICALS CO., LTD.,

Fukushima Plant)

4. Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Tokai Plant

5. “Close call”: For example, an accident in which processing solution which has leaked from

a storage tank is prevented from spreading from the vicinity by a secondary containment facility or emergency shutdown system.

Tour of deodorizing equipment

Roundtable discussion during an Environmental Monitor Meeting

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