June 2005
Cover Story 1
How to make the best use of NPOs
Learn from the collaborative approach of Toyota, NEC and SONY
Case No. 1: Toyota x Japan Environmental Education Forum
Collaboratively operating a nature school
Case No. 2: NEC x Asaza Fund
Seeking new usages for radio sensors
Case No. 3: SONY Semiconductor Kyushu x Kumamoto Environmental Net-Work
Conserving underground water, an essential resource for semiconductor businesses
Case No. 4: Sagawa Express x WWF
The international NGO supports the corporate efforts to reduce CO2 emission
Summary: Collaboration with environmental NGOs helps improve the corporate value
Supplement: Questionnaire survey for corporations on environmental NGOs and NPOs
Cover Story 2
Diesel cars are not that bad; European people treat them as environment-friendly, luxury-model passenger cars
Technology Frontline
Products
[Hot water heater with heat-pump for business use] New flash-heater models do not require a storage tank
Elements
[Soil-purifying plants] The soil can be purified with half the cost
Trend
[LPG fuel cells] Generation capacity is close to that of city gas
Technology & people
[Hideyuki Suzuki: Professor, School of Engineering, Tokyo University] Developing special floats to support offshore windmills
Honor students in recycling
[Carpet tiles] Cutting technology for metal processing is adopted to recycle PVC
Technology News Clips
Learn about environmental laws
Easy-to-understand Environmental Law
[Revised Waste Disposal Law] More stringent regulations are implemented to prevent the recurrences of large-scale illegal damping and illegal export of waste
Environmental Laws Q & A
Are the simplified waste export procedures going to invite more troubles?
This Months Environmental Law
Enforcement regulations for the Waste Disposal Law are revised
Kenichiro Satos Report from the Diet
The patients of the Minamata disease, the original issue of environmental movements, should be supported with expanded criteria for patient certification and implementation of special law
Trend and News
Waste management
The Ministry of the Environment relaxes the applicable criteria for the Waste Disposal Law
Nature conservation
An NPO is organized to give Mt. Fuji another try to be listed as a World Heritage site
Recycling
The Japan Containers and Packaging Recycling Association reveals the bidding results, showing unexpected zero success by Teijin
Waste management
As refuse-derived fuels is specified as designated flammable material under the Fire Service Law, large-scale storages of RDF and RPF face new conditions and requirements to meet
Recycling
The newly implemented Law Concerning the Protection of Personal Information may be endangering office paper recycling
Fuel cell
After all these years, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry establishes a research center for the basic study of fuel cells; what is the real reason?
CSR Frontline
CSR is actively discussed to see whether or not its boom is only temporary
Ten years have passed since Shells misjudgment, and now legal compliance appears insufficient to fulfill corporate responsibility
Kyoto Mechanism
Q and A to understand the Kyoto Mechanism
Do we have to give up the portion of the emission rights to the government for free, if it is used to achieve the voluntary action plan? How should the emission rights treated in the accounting book?
ECO Interview
Mamoru Mitsumoto, president of Takeei Co., Ltd. and Recycle-Peer Co., Ltd.: The revision of the Waste Disposal Law creates business opportunities
ECO Column
Kankan Gakugaku (Active Argument over Environmental Issues)
Shigeaki Hinohara, Honorary President of St. Lukes International Hospital
Takuro Morinagas ECO Lifestyle
EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan is friendly to the environment but harsh on the humans
Fieldwork Japan
Urban spaces can inspire people to go into agriculture
Report
Vice-Rector Itaru Yasuis Eco Michelin (Final of the series)
Photo printing
Achieve the Top Sales with Eco Products!
Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. / Zero-energy-cost houses
Inside-Out
[Is recycling all good? – part 2] A large amount of industrial-waste-mixed compost is dumped into agricultural fields
WorldWatch Institute
The State of California, U.S., takes challenge to construct hydrogen highways
ECO Seminar
How to make the best use of ISO
[Canon Inc. - part 2] Losses during the production processes are converted into monetary values, while employee awareness is raised by introducing accounting approaches
New Environmental Study
[Evolution of environmental accounting - part 2] Application of environmental accounting to the internal management is demanded, while accumulated experience by corporations is needed to establish it as a solid accounting practice
Quick Guide to Environmental Key Words
NPOs and NGOs
Learn from Environmental Reports of Companies Overseas (Final of the series)
Novo Nordisk A/S (Denmark)
World Trend
From EU
The Directive on Establishing a Framework for the Setting of Eco-design Requirements for Energy-using Products is about to be adopted
From UK
Water businesses attract investors attention; the U.S. investment may exceed trillion in the next 15 years
From USA
The outdoor industry finally raises its awareness and delivers goods and services with higher environmental consciousness, including outfits made with natural materials and activities to contribute to the local communities
From Germany
Greener events and more responsible live marketing are demanded
From China
Highly advanced processing technologies of Japan are called for in China, where low-quality waste plastic recycling persists
Nikkei BP EcoManagement Forum
[ECO graph]
Japans measures for global warming prevention are discussed by a total of 21 corporate executives and politicians
