Harm FREE (Realization of a Society Coexisting with Nature)

Modern society is maintained by the value provided by natural ecosystems, including material cycles and the regeneration of air, water, and soil environments.
Kawasaki Group strives to reduce its environmental impact through products and manufacturing processes that exist in harmony with the global environment and contributes to the protection of ecosystems.

The results of activities in fiscal 2021 to achieve the above targets are reported below.

Harmful Chemical Substance Reduction

Kawasaki properly manages and looks for alternatives to chemical substances that present a risk of negatively impacting human health or the environment.
Kawasaki’s emission volumes of major VOCs (toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene) per unit of net sales, along with handling volumes of dichloromethane and hazardous metals (hexavalent chromium compounds) up to fiscal 2021 are illustrated as given below. Going forward, we will continue to properly manage chemical substances while aiming to reduce their use.

Handling volume of managed chemical substances and VOC emission volumes per unit of net sales (Non-consolidated)

Notes: 1. Major VOCs per unit of net sales figures are obtained by dividing VOC emissions by net sales.

2. Figures for hazardous heavy metals represent the combined amounts of hexavalent chromium compounds. Reduction activities are undertaken separately for each substance.

3. Fiscal 2021 figures are the total of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Motors, and Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing.

Forest Conservation Activities

We are engaged in forest conservation activities in Taka and Ono, Hyogo Prefecture; Machida, Tokyo; and Niyodogawa, Kochi Prefecture. In fiscal 2021, activities were conducted with measures in place to prevent the spread of infections due to the impact of COVID-19.

Hyogo Prefecture
Since December 2008, we have participated in the prefecture' s corporate forest restoration project. These activities began in the town of Taka and, in fiscal 2020 were expanded to Ono City, giving employees and their families the opportunity to get involved in forest conservation activities (trimming and clearing undergrowth) in two locations.

Tokyo
In fiscal 2020, Kawasaki became a participant in the "Tokyo Green Ship Action," and employees and their families joined forest conservation activities (clearing undergrowth) in Machida City for the first time under this campaign.

Kochi Prefecture
Since fiscal 2007, we have participated in a prefecture-organized forest restoration project, with new employees implementing such activities as forest thinning in the town of Niyodogawa. Although we refrained from directly participating in activities in fiscal 2021, we served as a co-sponsor to support local efforts.

Fiscal 2021 Achievements

Environmental Education through Forest Conservation Activities

We carry out forest conservation activities, such as forest development and experiential learning, every year to provide opportunities for thinking about the environment.

Fiscal 2021 Achievements

River Cleaning Activities

From fiscal 2021, in addition to river improvement and utilization, and following on from our forest conservation activities, we initiated river cleaning activities as part of our biodiversity conservation activities. These aim to conserve the river environments which serve as habitats for the growth of fish (salmon, eel, goby, etc.) which move between rivers and oceans.

Hyogo Prefecture
In March 2022, we took part in activities of the Fukuda River Clean Club, which conducts river clean-up activities in the Fukuda River, Tarumi Ward, Kobe.

Initiatives at Akashi Works

Akashi Works were awarded the Prize for Excellence after entering the flower bed competition hosted by Akashi.
We designed a flower bed with an octopus motif, from the competition theme of "The Abundant Seas of Akashi," and were highly rated for our lively design suggestive of imminent movement.
At the competition award ceremony, held in May 2022, the mayor of Akashi was in attendance, with local cable television also filming at the event.
In addition, at Akashi Works, we create flower beds in green spaces which can also be seen from the pavements outside the factory, to allow local residents to enjoy the pleasant views. We will continue to promote factory greening activities to provide eye-pleasing views to local residents.

Every spring, a great number of violets blossom at the Akashi Works' heliport. Such a thriving colony of naturally seeded violets within the premises of a plant is considered quite rare by botanists. To share this asset with plant employees and help them learn about the importance of greenery development, in 2014 Akashi Works decided to invite them into the violet garden each year during the blooming season, opening the heliport, which is otherwise off-limits, to them. This helipad has become a rest area for insects and birds, and allowed employees to enjoy scenes of the blooming of spring flowers, in particular the violets, as part of a nature observation event held in April 2022.
Although the number of employees who applied to visit the garden was around 30 when we started this initiative, the number increased to nearly 250 in recent years, suggesting that environmental awareness has grown among employees.
Going forward, Akashi Works will pursue environmentally friendly plant operations while pushing ahead with the development of greenery within its premises.

Initiatives in Food: Providing Lunches Using Wild Venison

In support of Hyogo Prefecture's efforts to counter vegetation damage caused by wild animals through the utilization of wild venison, continuing from 2020, lunch boxes titled “gibier^* lunches” were offered to employees at the Kobe Head Office in June and December 2021.
We received a number of favorable comments from those who purchased the lunch boxes, such as "It went down well, and was softer than I expected and without the overwhelming smell I had imagined." As such, the provision of these lunches also served as a good opportunity for employees to think about biodiversity. The number of regular customers has gradually increased. Drawing on this experience, we are planning to continue initiatives to help raise employee awareness regarding biodiversity preservation.

* "Gibier" is French for game.

Initiatives in Food: Sustainable Seafood Included on the Cafeteria Menu

As part of activities aimed at the realization of a society coexisting with nature, in February 2020, the cafeteria of the Tokyo Head Office began serving sustainable seafood that is MSC certified and ASC certified with the cooperation of Kobe Foods Co., Ltd.
In this way, we are providing employees with opportunities to think about water resource depletion and the impact of global warming through food—an integral part of daily life.