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Nikkei Ecology

May 2005 Issue

Cover Story 1

Japanese-affiliated companies in China act to prevent environmental pollution in the nation through recycling, wastewater treatment, and air pollution prevention measures

Resource: Japan’s specialties are exercised in the “world’s factory”

Water: Japanese techniques with detailed attention are used to treat wastewater from factories

Waste: Breakthroughs can be found with a waste treatment model that does not rely on government demand

Atmosphere: Japanese-affiliated companies take the first move with measures against sulfur emissions from thermal power generation

Challenge: Train the local staff and increase efficiency

Laws: China faces a turning point toward building of a recycling-oriented economy

Cover Story 2

The latest energy-saving techniques for buildings and retail stores to further reduce CO₂ emission and energy costs

Report
Nikkei Ecology’s guide to the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi
Don’t miss the “extravaganza of environmental technologies”

Technology Frontline

Products
[New aluminum casting technology] The technology is used in automobile parts to reduce the weight

Elements
[Microbial fuel cell] Electric power can be generated while treating organic waste

Trend
[Small-sized biogas power generator] A private pig farm succeeds in biogas power generation for sale under the RPS law

Technology & people
[Hironori Arakawa, Tokyo University of Science] Pursuing production of hydrogen with the sunlight

“ Honor students” in recycling
[Used PET bottles] 10 billion yen is invested in a bottle-to-bottle project

Technology News Clips

Learn about environmental laws

Easy-to-understand Environmental Law
[Invasive Alien Species Act] Largemouth bass is included in the list of the first species to be regulated

Environmental Laws Q & A
Isn’t recycling of ink cartridges violating the patent right of the manufacturer?

This Month’s Environmental Law
Cabinet decisions are made on the environmental laws one after another during the 162nd ordinary Diet session

Kenichi Mizuno’s Report from the Diet
Obligation to disclose greenhouse gas emission is adopted to promote the awareness of corporations

Trend and News

Preventing Global Warming
The national government announces the plan to achieve Kyoto Protocol goals, including the discussion on emissions trading in the nation

Recycling of containers and packages
Rebidding for “other plastics” exposes problems in the law

Low-pollution vehicles
Toyota and Honda compete each other to build sporty hybrid cars

Waste management
A new system starts to certify “companies with excellence in waste treatment” as a foundation to establish a healthy market

Environmental education
Fujitsu carries out environmental leader training for the first time to provide employees with know-how through hands-on experience in nature

Preventing Global Warming
Two projects by Japanese companies are registered in the Clean Development Mechanism, while some difficulties remain in the operation of the system by the UN

Biodiversity
Project to recover domestic production of short-necked clams starts as the import with “product of North Korea” labels drastically falls

Genetic modification
Hokkaido Prefecture implements regulations, including terms with imprisonment, for commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops


CSR Frontline
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) starts working toward standardization of CSR, but the first meeting faces serious challenges with no common idea found among the members

Corporate social responsibility expands its scope, while the “triple bottom line” concept seeps into the society


Kyoto Mechanism
Q&A to understand the Kyoto Mechanism

“Carbon funds” may allow companies and governments to leave emission right operation to specialists in an inexpensive and certain way


ECO Interview
Lester Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute: “China shows us the limitations of consumerist society of Europe and the U.S.”


ECO Column

Kankan Gakugaku (Active Argument over Environmental Issues)
Mikako Kotani, sports commentator

Takuro Morinaga’s ECO Lifestyle
Stringent traffic regulations are implemented both in Shanghai and Tokyo, but the burden is imposed on the residents of Shanghai and the visitors to Tokyo

Fieldwork Japan
A car sharing system starts in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo


Report

Vice-Rector Itaru Yasui’s “Eco Michelin”
Moving services

Achieve the Top Sales with Eco Products!
TOTO / “Thermo bottle” bathtub

Inside-Out

[Is recycling all good? – part 1] Heaps of artificial soil with radioactive substances are left outdoors

WorldWatch Institute
Agricultural practices need prompt countermeasures against climate changes, including drastic changes of precipitation and temperature caused by global warming

ECO Seminar

How to make the best use of ISO
[Canon Inc. - part 1] Incorporating the environmental activities into the core business areas by assessing the “positive effects” of their acts on the environment

New Environmental Study
[Evolution of environmental accounting - part 1] The new guidelines aim to improve the disclosing method, including the information on the amount of environmental burden caused by corporate activities

Quick Guide to Environmental Key Words
Renewable energy

Learn from Environmental Reports of Companies Overseas
Novo Nordisk Inc. (Denmark)

World Trend

From EU
Water Framework Directive coordinates interests among diverse stakeholders in attempt to put an end to the long history of the water environment dispute

From UK
Proper estimation of emission right prices is difficult but essential for corporations to make strategies

From USA
Environmental education shows signs of directional changes to return to the starting point of nature conservation activities

From Germany
Improvement of efficiency in the transportation sectors is an essential premise before hastily shifting to a hydrogen-based society

From China
The start of emission right trading of SO₂ creates business opportunities with desulfurizing techniques

Nikkei BP EcoManagement Forum

[ECO graph]
[Eco magazine forum] Make the best use of resources with cooperation among companies