Sustainability
Environmental Protection
The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP aims to keep being a company that contributes to the realization of a prosperous society and responds to the trust of all its stakeholders through environmentally conscious corporate activities. For this objective, we have established an environmental protection structure to perform activities based on our Environmental Policy and sustain our ISO 14001 certification. At the top is the executive officer overseeing the environmental management system. Under the direction of the chief environmental management representative, we appoint environmental management representatives at each site, and build and operate our environmental management system.
Environmental Policy
For all our business activities, we take into consideration the effects on the environment. To protect the environment and realize a sustainable society, RIKEN TECHNOS established an environmental management system, and all members of the RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP work to implement the following principles.
- Through all business activities, the RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP improves the environmental management levels and prevents environmental pollution by not only observing all environmental regulations and mutual agreements but also setting our own rules and regulations voluntarily.
- The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP supplies the market with various plastics that prioritize the environment such as those that are energy- saving, resource-saving, recyclable, and that have low-impact on biodiversities and ecological systems, while using guaranteed safe raw materials.
- The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP reduces its impact on the global- environment, biodiversity, and ecological systems by eliminating wastefulness wherever possible. We reduce industrial waste by using materials effectively, and CO2 emissions by making efforts to save energy.
- The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP continues environmental protection activities by establishing documents including the Environmental Policy, and by educating employees.
- The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP sets concrete objectives and numerical targets of which progress is regularly self-assessed and managed properly to ensure the achievement of the Environmental Policy.
- The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP implements the above-mentioned activities Group-wide to ensure the utmost consideration to the protection of the environment, biodiversity, and ecological systems and the safe operation at each site.
- The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP aims to obtain confidence and understanding from society through appropriate and accurate information disclosure.
Certification of ISO 14001: 2015
Registration date: October 31, 2001（certification being maintained）
Certification scope: 100％（non-consolidated）
Products Contributing to the Environment
The RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP has stated “Contribute to a sustainable society, flexibly adapting to changes in society and the environment” as part of its “ideal image for 10 years’ time” in its long-term vision. To achieve this vision, in addition to complying with various laws and regulations on the environment and chemical substances, we carry out strict environmental management, such as by reducing or prohibiting the use of chemical substances with high environmental load, and work on product development and improvements to manufacturing methods that contribute to the reduction of environmental load.
To promote these initiatives more specifically and steadily, we have clarified our definition of products that contribute to the environment and established internal standards covering areas in which our products contribute, from the design stage through the use stage. Products that meet these standards are positioned as “Products Contributing to the Environment,” and we advance the development and expansion of sales of products sought by society and the market.
Definition and Standards for Products Contributing to the Environment
| Fields of contribution | Contribution performance |
|---|---|
| Energy saving | Contributions to energy saving for users enabled by the use of our products ● Weight reduction ● Thermal insulation ● Reduction of manufacturing processes ● Reduction of power consumption (reduced molding machine load) ● Extended service life (products and contents) |
| Recycle | Effective utilization of recycled materials and waste materials in our products, and formulation design that maintains required performance when using recycled material ● PIR・PCR・Waste reduction |
| Carbon neautral | Formulation Design Using Biomass Materials and Materials with a Reduced Petrochemical Content Ratio ● Biomass material ● PVC (polyvinyl chloride) |
At the RIKEN TECHNOS GROUP, products that meet these standards include PVC compounds with a lower petrochemical content ratio, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds tailored to specific applications, films, and wrapping products. “Products Contributing to the Environment” are certified by the Sustainability Committee following a review conducted by the committee secretariat. In addition, products that demonstrate particularly outstanding environmental contribution performance are certified as “Products Contributing to the Environment EX.”
Examples of Products Contributing to the Environment EX
- Compound for PVC Window Frames
- TPE Compound as rubber substitutes
- RIVEX®（Building Window Film: thermal insulation types）
- ICE-μ®（Film for Automobile windows）
- Fresh Balance（Freshness Preservation Film）
- RIKEBIO® series
PVC, the main raw material of our products, can be said to be a material that has less environmental load than other general-purpose resins made from 100% petroleum-derived raw materials because salt (a natural material) accounts for about 60% of its raw material. PVC products can be given various functions such as durability, long life spans, and recyclability. Furthermore, using biomass plasticizers, we seek to reduce environmental load by developing compounds and films that are blended with plant- and nature-derived additives. We also seek to build a circular business model and are undertaking industry-academia collaboration for the recycling of used PVC products.
TPE has the same elasticity as rubber at room temperature and can be freely molded when heated. It can be molded with less energy than vulcanized rubber, which requires heat and time for function onset, and material recycling is also possible. We are developing high-functionality products by adding functions as necessary for the required application. In addition, it is lower relative density compared to vulcanized rubber, helping to make automobile components lighter and improving fuel efficiency, thereby contributing toward saving energy.
■ PVC products with high durability and long life spans
Compared to other resin products, PVC products have long life spans and can be used for ten years to several decades in construction applications, thereby helping to save resources. They have a wide range of applications as they can be used both indoors and outdoors.
■ Elastomers that are useful as rubber substitutes
Widely used in molded parts for automobiles such as sealing materials, elastomers also contribute toward making vehicles lighter and improving fuel efficiency. In addition, as they do not require a vulcanization process, they can also be used in medical products that require a high level of hygiene.