In 1999, through our environmental activities, we received IS014001 certification for our plants in Gunma and Shiga. We later to expand the scope covered by the certification to include our development center. Currently, we engage in various environmental management activities, principally focusing on the Gunma plant, Shiga plant and Development Center.

【Environmental management systems】

*DNV is an organization that provides third-party certifications. Every year our company undergoes a third-party audit by DNV to maintain the certification, striving for further improvement of the quality of our products and services.

■ Frameworks for promoting environmental management systems

The company president has ultimate responsibility for environmental management. Under the supervision of the Chief Environmental Officer, all of our employees adhere to our environmental management systems while working to reduce our environmental impact. Every quarter, we hold an environmental management committee meeting to further promote and oversee our environmental management activities.

■ Internal audits

Our accredited internal auditors conduct regular internal audits. Internal auditors assess whether our environmental management systems are operating as specified, confirming thorough compliance with laws and regulations, identifying issues for improvements.

Greening activities

■ Greenery Factory

GCI Group is committed to reducing our burden on the environment by planting trees within our business premises. With lush greenery surrounding our plants, there are artificial ponds and gardens on the premises , providing a relaxing environment for our employees.
Our long-standing greening activities have won the company recognition with our Gunma plant and other premises receiving the National Award for Greenery Factory (Kanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Director-General Award), which is awarded to factories with a proven track record in improving the environment inside and outside their premises through greening activities.

Our response to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

We consider response to our climate change as one of our priority material issues and have publicly stated our agreement with the TCFD Declaration. As well as contributing through our corporate activities to the achievement of a low-carbon society, we are also aware of the importance of information disclosure and conduct information disclosure in line with the content of the TCFD Declaration.

Target value　CO₂emissions volume (Scopes 1 and 2 emissions)　FY2030　30% reductions(comparison with 2013)
Information disclosure covered by the TCFD Declaration.

Initiatives for preventing global warming

As global warming progresses, we are seeing not only temperature rises but climate change occurring on a global scale. With the various influences of climate change starting to emerge in many locations in the world, we are seeing the development of serious problems for the natural environment and peoples’ lives. To help prevent global warming, we work to reduce our energy usage in accordance with Japan’s Act on the Rational Use of Energy (Energy Conservation Act). As a result of these initiatives, *1 we have been ranked as an S business operator*2 under the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy’s business classification evaluation system for eight consecutive years since 2015.

*1 The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy’s businesses classification evaluation system categorizes all of the business operators that submit regular reports on their energy saving measures at their plants, in accordance with the Energy Conservation Act, into four classes: Classes S, A, B and C to give different treatment to business operators according to the class. While publicizing and recognizing the excellent business operators (S Class) in each industry, the Agency conducts strict inspections of business operators that are stagnant in energy saving (B Class) and classes below.

*2 S Class business operator = A business operator that has in its regular reports (as per the confirmation date at the end of fiscal 2015) succeeded in achieving a reduction in 5-year-average energy intensity of 1% percent or more per year (voluntary target) or has otherwise achieved benchmarked targets.
B Class business operator = A business operator that has in its regular reports not achieved the voluntary target and which has for the previous consecutive two years recorded an increase in energy intensity compared to the prior year or which has seen an increase in 5-year average energy intensity of more than 5% per year.
A Class business operator = A business operator that does not correspond to either S Class or B Class.
C Class business operator = A business operator which, among B Class business operator is deemed to be making insufficient energy conservation efforts.

Under the Paris Agreement that was adopted at the COP21 meeting in 2015, signatory countries agreed to target of reaching de facto zero greenhouse gas emissions during the second half of the century, in order to keep the rise in average global temperatures to within 2°C of preindustrial levels. GCI Group supports this target. We are working to make various efforts to help us meet our own CO₂ emissions reduction targets, including improving our manufacturing processes and starting the use of de facto zero CO₂ emission energy sources. We continue to work towards the creation of a sustainable society.

External evaluations

■ CDP

GCI Group was selected as a B List company by the CDP (2022 score) following an evaluation of our climate change mitigation policies and related disclosure.

The CDP (headquartered in the UK) is a nonprofit organization that evaluates the environmental initiatives and related information disclosure of companies and local authorities. The CDP is recently working with approximately 20,000 organizations in Japan and overseas (including over 1,000 organizations in Japan) who responded to the organization’s surveys. The rank of B- means that the company’s efforts to fight climate change is considered as a management level (at the fourth highest of nine ranks).