April 2005
Cover Story 1
Ricohs robust environmental management tells us important values of profit assurance, full participation of staff members and information sharing
Environmental plan tightly linked with management plan
Aiming to revolutionize environmental management
Techniques to win customers with products environment-friendliness
Using the knowledge and skills for environmental measures as a sales tool
Production reform to ensure both environmental and financial benefits
Reducing the environmental burden with craftsmanship
Efficient use of numerical indicators
Building a system that gives incentive to employees
Dilemmas at the frontline of the environmental management
Internal and external barriers for the sales of environment-friendly coping machines
Cover Story 2
Trends and possible measures of the Kyoto Protocol
Projecting the post-Kyoto scene
Technology Frontline
Trend
[Chromate-free steel sheets] Eradication of hexavalent chromium is making progress to cope with the EU regulations
Elements
[Ionic liquids] Salts that do not solidify at the room temperatures
Products
[Vending machines with a heat pump] Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. realizes 35% reduction of electricity consumption from the conventional models
Technology & people
[Hiroshi Shimizu, Keio University] Working for diffusion of electric vehicles
Honor students in recycling
[Waste tires] Gasification realizes energy and material recovery
Technology News Clips
Learn about environmental laws
Easy-to-understand Environmental Law
[Waste Management and Public Cleaning Law (Waste Disposal Law)] Enforcement ordinances and regulations are revised including obligatory signs to place on trucks carrying industrial waste
Environmental Laws Q & A
What is the reason for the deregulation of small-sized incinerators?
This Months Environmental Law
Generation of household and industrial waste is reduced slightly in fiscal 2002
Kenichiro Satos Report from the Diet
All-out efforts are made to review the Yanba Dam construction plan
Trend and News
Global warming
After the Kyoto Protocol was finally enacted, Japan shows enthusiasm in future framework negotiation
Global warming
Reduction targets for the Achievement Plan are disclosed including 8.6% reduction by 2010 for industrial sectors
Water pollution
Incident caused by JFEs sloppy environmental management casts dark clouds over recycling businesses
Recycling of containers and packages
Details of tender information are to be disclosed in order to increase the transparency of the system in question
EMS for small- and medium-sized businesses
The first certificate of the new system led by the Ministry of the Environment is acquired with a cost of 250,000 yen
Pollen allergy
How effective is the national project to protect the people from the unprecedented scale of pollen attack?
Environmental policy
Is the change from state aids to state subsidies to the local government to build a recycling-based society going to transform the waste treatment policies?
Nature conservation
The Shirakami Mountain Range commercializes the forest conservation brand products in an attempt to catch up with the other world heritage sites
CSR Frontline
New SRI fund indicators are developed with women as a keyword to assess corporations
The Davos Forum in 2005 chooses global environmental issues as one of the main themes with high priority
Kyoto Mechanism
Q&A to Understand the Kyoto Mechanism
What is the mechanism to decide the value of emission right; why is it 520 yen/ t CO2?
ECO Interview
Masamitsu Sakurai, President of Ricoh Co., Ltd.: Environmental activities are virtually identical with productivity improvement activities
ECO Column
Kankan Gakugaku (Active Argument over Environmental Issues)
Ukyo Katayama, racing driver
Takuro Morinagas ECO Lifestyle
Yutanpo (hot-water bottle) has been the hero of eco life since the time of Shogun
Fieldwork Japan
The Tokyo Bay area fosters an increasing number of eco spots
Report
Vice-Rector Itaru Yasuis Eco Michelin
Electronic dictionary
Achieve the Top Sales with Eco Products!
NEC / Refreshed PC
Inside-Out
[Digging up waste from landfills - part 4]
Rigorous examination of the current situation is a crucial key for success
WorldWatch Institute
The U.S. government speaks for the bio-industry while GM crops flood the world
ECO Seminar
How to make the best use of ISO
[Efforts by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. part 2] Acquirement of environmental labels is set as a target to give incentive to the development divisions
Quick Guide to Environmental Key Words
3Rs
Learn from Environmental Reports of Companies Overseas
Suncor Energy Inc. (Canada) - part 2
World Trend
From EU
The influence of the EU enlargement on its environmental policy depends on the regulation-complying ability of new member states
From UK
Participation of the airline industry in the emission right trading needs solution for mounting problems including calculation method of greenhouse gasses
From USA
Signs from wildlife may be used to establish an early tsunami warning system
From Germany
Deutschland in Japan 2005/2006 is about to start, providing both countries with opportunities to discuss sustainable future
From China
Water quality improvement projects progress in 10 cities while untreated wastewater from households is causing widespread water pollution
Nikkei BP EcoManagement Forum
[ECO graph]
Suggestions on the environmental management after the effectuation of the Kyoto Protocol
