Prevention of Pollution and Resource Circulation
● Policy
Pollution Prevention Policy
Based on its Environmental Policy, the ITOCHU ENEX Group obeys laws, regulations, agreements, voluntary standards and other matters regarding the conservation of the global environment and puts the following into practice to minimize the environmental impact of our business activities.
1. Reduction of the emission of air pollutants
2. Reduction of the emission of hazardous materials, different kinds of waste and wastewater and their proper treatment
3. Proper maintenance and inspection of water purifier tanks
4. Voluntary inspection using standards stricter than the standards established by law in terms of inspections and treatment in compliance with the Act on Rational Use and Proper Management of Fluorocarbons
Resource Circulation Policy
The ITOCHU ENEX Group puts the following into practice based on the Group’s Environmental Policy, contributes to the formation of a recycling-oriented society and takes the initiative in making our society sustainable.
1. Reduction of waste emissions
2. Reduction of resource consumption and effective use of resources
3. Promotion of recycling
4. Sustainable use of resources in supply chains including investment destinations and products we handle
5. Development of a recycling-oriented society in collaboration with customers, business partners, suppliers, local communities, employees and other stakeholders and initiatives for solving problems
● Initiatives Within the Group
・ Land Contamination Prevention
The Group's facilities implement facility inspections and land contamination surveys at a higher level than legal standards in compliance with the non-statutory security standards and land contamination control rules to prevent contamination accidents. In particular, gas stations check for water entry and leakage due to damaged tanks through detailed daily inventory management to prevent underground storage facilities contaminating land.
・ Compliance with environmental regulations
■ The ISO 14001 Certification Process
We created the Enex Group List of Laws and Regulations as part of the ISO 14001 certification process. We confirm compliance with the Waste Management Law, the CFC Emission Control Law, and the Septic Tank Law through annual external and internal audits.
■ Assignment of Specially-controlled Industrial Waste Management Managers
At our Group's gas stations that handle volatile materials (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc.), we assign specially controlled industrial waste management officers to accept waste kerosene and other materials from customers.
■ Industrial Waste Management Law/Introduction of Electronic Manifests
In April 2023, we joined JWNET, an electronic manifest system operated by the Japan Waste Management Promotion Center (JWMC), to improve administrative efficiency, legal compliance, and data transparency in industrial waste management. Electronic manifests were introduced at all Itochu Enex sites.
・ Efforts to reduce waste
■ Reduction of paper usage
(Internal)We encourage the reduction or elimination of the use of paper and the shift to digital technologies and monitor the consumption of photocopy paper every month.
(External) Car Life Stations operated by the ITOCHU ENEX Group companies and dealers introduce Smartphone fueling. Further, our different divisions digitalize the reading of meters and security operations, leading to the reduction or elimination of the use of paper and increased work efficiency.
■ Reduction of plastic waste
(Internal)At the head office, as an initiative to reduce plastic waste, we have changed to label-less PET bottles for serving tea to visitors, and have abolished plastic stirrers and individually wrapped coffee milk. In principle, 100% of the non-burnable waste and plastic bottles disposed by the head office is recycled.
■ Resource circulation initiatives
To stimulate resource recycling, all of the tabletop calendars sent to our stockholders every year, including their ring parts, are made from recyclable materials.
● Collaboration with Outside Initiatives
・ The CO2-based Soybean Cultivation Project
In 2022, it began a CO2-based soybean cultivation research project jointly with Saga City, Saga University, and FUJI OIL HOLDINGS INC. The research project aims to investigate efficient soybean cultivation based on soybeans growing faster when they absorb more carbon dioxide. The project plans to use CO2 collected through Carbon dioxide Capture and Utilization (CCU) at Saga City's waste incineration plant in the future. This will lead to carbon recycling.
・ Achieving CCS Using Biomass Combustion Ash
To promote the sustainable use of resources in supply chains, we recycle the combustion ash generated by biomass power stations and coal-fired power stations into beads available for use as materials for a range of uses. A study on and trial construction using recycled beads made with stored CO2 are under way in collaboration with Tokuyama Corporation. CO2 contained in exhaust gases generated by cement factories was sequestered in the biomass combustion ash generated by power stations. Recycled beads with CO2 stored in them were manufactured from this material for use in roadbed construction.
