Three Important Biodiversity Effort Categories
The Furukawa Electric Group is promoting biodiversity as one of our new environmental themes.
The subject of biodiversity was taken up at the Liaison Meeting for Consolidated Environmental Management held in November 2010. We established the Biodiversity Promotion Working Group composed of Headquarters divisions such as the Management Planning Department, Materials Procurement Division, Human Resource Development Unit, R&D Division, Manufacturing Technology Unit, and the CSR Division. The Working Group proceeded to reformulate our Basic Environmental Policy to include serious biodiversity efforts. This Basic Policy was approved by the Central Committee for Environmental Management in December, and subsequently at the Board of Directors meeting. We disclosed it on our homepage in April 2011.
We also established the following three important biodiversity categories to specify our biodiversity efforts, in recognition of the fact that our business, products and services are the result of biodiversity, and of our impact, whether positive or negative, on eco-systems.
Biodiversity Preservation:Three Important Categories
- Assess the impact of business practices on ecosystems,and work to minimize the negative impact and maximize the positive.
- Promote sustainable resource use in consideration of biodiversity preservation through anti-climate change measures, resource conservation, and resource re-use, as well increasing efforts to reduce the use of environmental impact-causing substances.
- By raising the consciousness of each individual, we actively promote biodiversity preservation in tandem with society.
Biodiversity-Themed Consolidated Environmental Management Seminars
Dr. Naoki Adachi of JBIB discussing “Corporate Biodiversity Efforts from a COP10 Perspective” with CSRO Sato of Furukawa Electric
There were 39 participants at the Consolidated Environmental Management Seminar conducted in November 2010, including 27 from Furukawa Electric and 12 from our affiliates. The first half of the seminar consisted in a lecture by a professor entitled “Corporate Biodiversity Efforts from a COP10 Perspective.” In the second half we held talks with that professor and Furukawa Electric's CSRO.
A survey conducted afterward showed that the majority of participants felt that while the biodiversity theme itself is difficult to comprehend, they were able to understand the significance and importance of the subject, as well as the global biodiversity trend. They also felt that the professor gave easily understood replies with examples in response to the clear questions with deep connections to business practices asked by CSRO. We will use these results in planning effective means for participants to learn and become more aware of the environment.
Participation in Eco-Products 2010
Furukawa Electric exhibited at the Eco-Products 2010 environmental trade show, the largest of its kind in Japan, in December 2010.
On the day of the show our booth, which was based on our plastic Hydro-Staff rainwater reserve system, displayed panels focusing on three sectors and environmental activities: Smart grids, ultra-high-capacity optical communications, and next-generation vehicles. In our environmental activities corner we conducted special PR concerning our environmentally sound products, recycling technologies, and environmental performance indexing of products using LCA. We also provided demonstrations of our latest technologies, such as superconductivity on the trade show stage. There were many visitors to our booth who showed their appreciation by pointing out that they gained an understanding of our environmental efforts.
Hydro-Staff
Furukawa Electric Booth
at Eco-Products 2010