Chemicals Management
Mission
We are dedicated to ensuring chemicals management compliance and providing safety and peace of mind throughout the entire product lifecycle. We will strive to create new value through safety and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society and the enrichment of people’s lives.
Policies
Resonac is promoting product stewardship for chemicals management under its global governance system. In addition, we will work to establish a framework to continuously develop professionals in chemicals management and safety assessment and foster the establishment of systems and platforms for the effective implementation of all necessary chemicals management measures toward the fulfillment of our mission.
Promotion system
Under the leadership of the Chief Operations, Manufacturing and Engineering Officer (CMEO) / Chief Quality Officer (CQO), we are promoting legal compliance, risk management and safety assessment across the board for the prevention of compliance violations. The Chemicals Management Department supervises the entire Group’s chemical substance management system and gives instructions and support for chemical substances-related operations conducted by each site. We also appoint personnel in charge of chemical substance management at each of our sites and affiliated companies to promote information sharing among our bases, thereby solving chemicals-related problems and preventing the materialization of potential compliance risks across the Group.
We are further enhancing our chemicals management system by maintaining basic rules on governance, carrying out audits on chemicals management, providing related education and fostering bidirectional communication through a chemicals management portal website that serves as a global communication hub.
Strategy for Realizing the Long-Term Vision
Roadmap for 2030
| Vision for the future (2030) | Issues to be addressed | Results in 2023 | Plans for 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Issues to be addressed (long term)
Recent issues and problem awareness
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- *1 RHQ: Regional Headquarters (regional oversight companies)
Non-financial KPI Results and Targets
Resonac regards sustainability as the basis for its companywide strategies and has set three material issues for sustainability. Accordingly, for chemicals management, we will work on the non-financial KPIs and measures that were set to “Gain credibility through responsible business management” toward the achievement of our long-term vision.
| KPIs on material issues | 2025 targets | Results in 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Product stewardship | 100% execution of risk assessment *2 of priority risk assessment substances (consolidated in Japan) | 100% execution of risk assessment of 21 priority risk assessment substances (non-consolidated) |
- *2 Assess substances stipulated by the Company by issuing safety summary reports
Reduced and limited use of substances subject to control
With an eye to promoting the reduction of environmental impacts in our business activities, we set rules on substances whose use is prohibited or must be controlled (“substances subject to control”). For the substances subject to control (including those regulated under European REACH*3 and SVHC*4 regulations), we categorize them into substances whose use is prohibited, is regulated and is voluntarily controlled. We then manage substances according to the rules set for each of the categories, including those on the survey and measurement of the concentration levels of their components. Going forward, we will obtain data about how and in what amounts products containing substances subject to control, including PFAS*5, are used for the step-by-step reduction and discontinuance of such use.
For our materials procurement activities, we have set our own Green Procurement Guidelines that incorporate the aforementioned details to designate substances whose use in products to be supplied to us is prohibited or must be controlled (“substances subject to control”). In the Guidelines we categorize such substances as level 1 (prohibited) or level 2 (controlled) and clearly state how surveys and measurements on their contents are to be conducted as well as the reporting criteria. The Green Procurement Guidelines are associated with section 3, “Activities that we request our business partners to endorse and implement,” of the Resonac Group Sustainable Procurement Guidelines. We will continue to update the guidelines to share our approach to the voluntary control of chemical substances with our suppliers.
- *3 REACH=Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
- *4 SVHC: Substances of very high concern
- *5 PFAS: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Related link
Human resource development
For chemicals management, it is important to provide individual employees, who support such management, with internal education so that they can acquire the knowledge necessary to ensure compliance and handle products in an appropriate manner.
Accordingly, we are working to enhance our internal educational program and build a systematic education system. We are providing employees with education on a continual basis to help them increase their knowledge, awareness and vigilance regarding the management of chemicals, thereby preventing noncompliance with regard to chemicals management.
As part of our in-house education program, for example, we provide e-learning opportunities and hold seminars that provide employees with overviews of chemical management and look at the Chemical Substances Control Act, the Industrial Safety and Health Law, the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act, overseas laws and regulations, the transportation of hazardous materials, SDSs, and chemical substance risk assessments. We also seek to maximize learning opportunities by introducing external seminars, such as in-house streaming of the Japan Chemical Industry Association’s Chemical Risk Forum. In addition, we hold briefings for chemical substance management personnel at business units and plants on legal and regulatory requirements as well as on internal rules and regulations, aiming for awareness raising and education across the board.