December 2006
Cover Story
Prevent your company from getting into an “environmentalscandal” by knowing those tricks and catches Kobe Steel, Ltd.: Responsibility of management is not left for worksites aloneanymore now that falsification has been found on smoke and soot emission dataand the nonworking PDCA system is found to be blamed
JFE Steel Corporation: Not a drop of oil in the effluent is missed nowbecause the system is fully renewed 18 months after the data falsification wasfound
Lesson: Learn from scandals and review your system fundamentally based onthe notion that you are structurally weak
Top Interview: Hisashi Sakamaki, president of Canon Electronics, Inc.: “Praiseemployees who report their mistakes and impose the responsibility to the superior”
Report
Eco CarCan the four incidents be effective enough to drive the devastated market ofdiesel passenger cars and revive the sales in Japan? Environmental Policy by the Chinese Government Making shift from the “exclusively-by-regulation policy” to moremulti-dimensional measures
Learn about Technologies
First Step in Technology [Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)] Ideal form of coal powergeneration with 20 to 30% less CO2 emission is coming close to practical operation
Products[Hybrid truck] With 30% increase of fuel efficiency, NOx and PM can be 10% lowerthan the standards in regulations
Natural Energy[Seaweed biomass] Methane fermentation can produce fuel and reduce the managementburden in case of seaweed outbreaks
Fuel Cell[New type of fuel cell cars] Honda places the fuel cell “vertically” fora fresh image and 50% improvement of output density
“Honor Students” in Recycling[Plaster board] Successful control of moisture, or the “largest enemy,” allowscontinuous surplus with annual sales of 500 million yen
Learn about Environmental Laws
Easy-to-Understand Environmental Law[Critical eye on the Automobile Recycling Law Part 3] Reality of disposal andrecycling processes
How to Read the Waste Disposal Law Part 11Deregulation
EU Regulations to Challenge Japanese Corporations Part 6REACH Part 1
Environmental Laws Q & AWhy does the income from waste PET bottle bidding have to be donated to municipalgovernments?
This Month’s Environmental Law Users of construction machineries are now obliged to comply with new exhaustemission regulations and to perform inspections
Trend and News
Environmental Education 13,500 people try the Certification Test for Environmental Specialists (Eco Test)organized by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry with a plan to develophuman resource for environment activities in communities and smaller companies
Eco CarTokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) “enters” into the electric vehiclebusiness to set the next target of electrification after houses on automobiles
Special InterviewJames Lovelock, advocator of the GAIA theory: “Our grandchildren will beliving in a very severe climate”
Natural Energy Mitsubishi Heavy Industry undergoes large expansion of natural energy businessto aim at the top five in the world
Natural EnergyNew 1,000,000-kW offshore wind power farm is under construction in the UK, usingconstruction technologies developed in the North Sea oil fields
Soil Pollution MeasuresMeasures against “oil pollution” attracts larger interest, whilethe rapid increase of orders is growing the market to a 200-billion-yen scale
Preventing Global WarmingYamatake Corporation holds a “CO2-free” event for its anniversaryby purchasing “green electricity”
Environmental Policies Interview with Mr. Akira Amari, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry: “Participationof the U.S. and China is essential in the “post-Kyoto” measures
Environmental PoliciesInterview with Mr. Masatoshi Wakabayashi, the Minister of the Environment: “Weshould not cling to the environmental tax proposal made last year
CSR Frontline
CSR boom in China may be merely a pose to avoid outside criticism
Increasing threats from new types of viruses can be a resultof too much venture of human society into nature Climate Change Policies Q and A to understand climate change policies
Q: What happens if we cannot fulfill the target on the Kyoto Protocol? A: In case of incompliance, more stringent target will be imposed in the nextperiod, but the feasibility of compliance depends on the actions in the post-Kyotoperiod Learn about Environmental IssuesTruth and False of Environmental Science[Chemical substances] Is “chemical sensitivity syndrome” a true medicaldisorder?
Threats Waiting around the Corner Global warming may change the traditional festivities in Japan: Admiring changingcolors of leaves in the spring and having a party under cherry blossoms in thefall?
Junko Edahiro’s Eye-opening Facts on Environmental Terms inEnglish [Carbon neutral]Column Kankan Gakugaku (Active Argument over Environmental Issues)Atsuto Sawakami, president of Sawakami Asset Management Inc.
Secret Tips for Environmental Management Collaboration with an NGO brings sense of alarm in the company
Cuisines of Japan Where is the origin of the nabe (Japnaese traditional “one-pot meal”)and irori (hearth installed in the floor)?
Honest Opinions by the “Eco-Moms” Let’s hear the complaints about the refillable products
Artisanship in repairing Leather shoes (Takahashi Shoes)
The reality of NPOs [Citizens Environmental Foundation] Developing green consumers by publishingguide books to environment-friendly products
Repot
Inside-Out[Faults of “no-one-left-behind policy” Part 2] Movement to pursuethe responsibility of the national government expands in the asbestos lawsuitin the Sennan area From BusinessWeek The man behind “a greener California” WorldWatch InstituteThe “man-made disaster” named Katrina exposes the vulnerability ofthe crisis management systems
ECO Seminar
How to Make the Best Use of ISO[Bridgestone] Building a functionable “integrated certification” systemto involve the top management as well as worksites New Environmental Study[New GRI guidelines] The simplified version puts instructions and supplementarydocuments together New Environmental Study[Environmental advertisement and social psychology] Keys for success are to correctlygrasp the image people hold for the industry and communicate the honest attitudesof the companyQuick Guide to Environmental Key Words“LOHAS”
World Trend
From EU Germany, the leader of recycling, is lost in the discussion on possibletermination of sorting collection for waste packages From UKEU ETS emission right price goes down due to the delayed submission of the nextnational allocation plan (NAP) From USABritish entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s action to contribute to theglobal warming measures raises controversy, whether his action comes from goodintension or is made for tax purposes From GermanyPractical financial lessons are urgently called for in elementary schools asan increasing number of young Germans go bankrupt with loans From ChinaEnergy-saving policy accelerates the shift to natural gas, but the demand-supplyunbalance is making regional gaps
