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Nikkei Ecology

December 2005 Issue

Cover Story 1

Evolving “green finance” - Can it be a driving force for environmental management?


- Shift of the leading player: Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi sets up a 100-billion yen “environmental fund”

- Corporations: “Environmental financing” accelerates environmental management by local corporations

- SRI funds: SRI funds for corporate pension plans show steady growth in the midst of the downturn of environment and SRI funds

- Europe: Emerging CO² emission rights improve profitability of environmental finances

- Local banks: Services change from assistances for ISO certificate acquisition to supports for environmental management

Cover Story 2

Revolutionary development of “energy-saving materials” supports CO² emission control behind the scene

Technology

First Step in Technology
[Soil remediation] Demands for microbial remediation increase while composite technologies are needed for oil decomposition

Products
[RoHS-ready notebook computers] World’s first lead-free model is debuted

New Energy
[Distributed generation system] Biogas, solar and wind power generation systems are incorporated for steady energy supply

Environmental Cleansing
[Detoxification of asbestos] By heating to 700 degrees, asbestos can be detoxified at half the cost of conventional methods

“Honor Students” in Recycling
[Magnetic and optic discs] Data on a boxful of discs can be erased for 4,000 yen, while new discs can be made from recycled materials

Learn about environmental laws

Easy-to-Understand Environmental Law
[Law for promotion of logistics efficiency] The law aims to reduce CO² emission by eliminating loss and waste in logistics, while supporting facility improvement with various means

Environmental Laws Q&A
Are small- and medium- sized companies also subject for the new VOC regulations starting next April?

This Month’s Environmental Law
Revision of the guidelines by the Industrial Structure Council accelerates the 3R efforts for pachinko pinball game machines

Trend and News

Asbestos Issues
Measures, including establishment of a new victim relief law, are making progresses, but surveys reveal ill effects of the vertical administrative structure of governments

Tokyo Motor Show
Toyota reveals the flagship model of Lexus; hybrids dominate in highest-end luxury sedans

Nuclear and natural energy
Germany’s federal election brings about violent fluctuations of “nuclear stocks,” while the environmental policies of the Grand Coalition attract world attention

Energy conservation
“Fuel regulations” for trucks and busses are to be implemented in the next spring

Environmental Policy
The new constitution draft by the LDP includes the environmental rights

CSR

Public-private cooperative survey on chemical substance safety starts, showing clear differences among companies in voluntary participation

Containers and Packaging Recycling Law
The case filed by Life supermarket chain upsets the business circle

Containers and Packaging Recycling Law
The real causes for PET Rebirth‘s filing for court-guided civil rehabilitation

Measures against Global Warming
EU ETS is still on a wait-and-see stage; emission control regulations for aircraft are to include international flights

Nature Conservation
President of a leading NGO emphasizes values of biodiversity and explains their cooperation with Ricoh and Starbucks

CSR Frontline

“Design specification” for ISO26000, the “international guidance standards on social responsibility,” is agreed

The Indian public shows strong demands for CSR, while economic growth continues with foreign investment


Kyoto Mechanism
Q and A to understand the Kyoto Mechanism

Q: When and by whom are emission rights going to be purchased?
A: Electric power companies are expected to become the largest private buyers


ECO Interview
Takejiro Sueyoshi, Special Advisor to the UNEP Finance Initiative: “Financial institutions should send more messages to the society”


ECO Column

Kankan Gakugaku (Active Argument over Environmental Issues)
Iruka, singer and goodwill ambassador of the World Conservation Union (IUCN)

Takuro Morinaga’s ECO Lifestyle
The delicacy of “Agu pork” is a gift from the rich natural environment of Okinawa

Fieldwork Japan
Oil and gas fields in Tomakomai are unusually located in granite layers

Report

Achieve the Top Sales with Eco Products!
Seiko Epson Corporation / “Livingstation” LCD projection TV

Inside-Out
[Soil pollution] Companies set their own standards to avoid risks of using polluted lands

WorldWatch Institute
The “superpower of obesity” finds another problem of clogging fat - now in its sewage systems

ECO Seminar

How to Make the Best Use of ISO
[Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Part 2] Check sheets originally developed for product quality improvement are now effectively used in energy conservation, while award programs further lift employee motivation

New Environmental Study
[Prospects of European environmental regulations] European Parliament gains power to strengthen environmental regulations

Quick Guide to Environmental Key Words
Environmental planner

Practical Examples of Environmental Communication
Toshiba Corporation

World Trend

From EU
Integration of soil pollution control regulations advances aiming at revitalization and cooperative partnership of rural and urban regions

From UK
Attitudes of electric power companies towards natural energy reveal their accountability

From USA
Purchase of TerraPass becomes a popular way for drivers to set off CO² emission from private cars

From Germany
The EU aims at energy-saving of commercial use refrigerators through public competition among manufacturers for environment-friendly models to be procured

From China
Large-scaled wind power generation projects are developed one after another, including offshore fields that beat Japanese counterparts in size

Nikkei BP EcoManagement Forum

[ECO graph]

[Symposium Report] Relationship between private corporations and NGOs has been changing by sharing their benefits