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
Under a global governance system, we promote product stewardship in chemical management. We will fully comply with laws and regulations throughout the entire product life cycle — from raw material procurement of chemical substances to disposal and recycling — and strive to minimize risks to people and the environment through voluntary risk management. In addition, we will establish a system for the continuous development and creation of professionals specializing in chemical management and safety evaluation, promote the establishment of frameworks and foundations to ensure that all efforts related to chemical management are effectively carried out, and work toward fulfilling our mission.
Resonac's Product Stewardship Throughout the Product Lifecycle
Promotion system
Under the leadership of the Chief Manufacturing Executive Officer (CMEO) and the Chief Quality Officer (CQO), the entire company promotes compliance with laws and regulations, risk management, and safety evaluation to prevent compliance violations before they occur. The Chemical Management Department oversees the management system for chemicals across the entire group and directs and supports the chemical substance management-related operations at each business site. We assign chemical substance management officers at each business location and affiliated company, and by sharing information between these sites, we aim to solve company-wide issues related to chemicals and prevent potential compliance risks.
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 2025 | Plans for 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Toward the vision for 2030
Recent issues and problem awareness
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- ※1 RHQ = Regional Headquarters (regional headquarters companies)
- ※2 RICMS = RESONAC Integrated Chemical Management System
KPI Targets and Results
Resonac positions sustainability at the core of its company-wide strategy and has identified material issues for sustainability. To achieve each material issue, we have established the following KPIs in the field of chemicals management and aim to realize our Long-Term Vision.
| Material item (KPI) | 2025 target | 2025 result | 2026 target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promotion of product stewardship | Establishment of a Resonac policy for substances subject to content management and designation of chemical substances based on that policy |
Of the current 107 Safety Summary Reports (coverage of all products was completed in 2024), inspection groups and the number of reports in each group were established, and inspection and updating from FY2026 were planned (Electronics Business Headquarters: 33; High Performance Materials Business Headquarters: 39; others, including former business units, integrated divisions, and discontinued divisions: 35). |
Establishment of a Resonac policy for substances subject to content management and designation of chemical substances based on that policy (update of the Green Procurement Guidelines), and implementation of the Safety Summary Report update plan |
Reduction and restriction of the use of substances subject to content management
To promote business activities aimed at reducing environmental impact, we have established rules concerning substances whose inclusion is prohibited or should be managed (substances subject to content management). These rules specify restrictions on chemical substances handled by Resonac and procedures for managing them from the procurement stage. The list of applicable chemical substances is also reviewed periodically. For substances subject to content management (including European REACH※3 and SVHC※4), we have established three management categories: prohibited substances, controlled substances, and voluntarily controlled substances.
Examples of initiatives for specific substances of concern
| Chemical substances of concern | Target | Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Toluene, xylene | Reaction solvents | Replacement with other solvents and development of products with reduced content |
| Materials with high bioconcentration factors | Resin materials | Development of alternative materials |
| Fluorine and halogen compounds | Semiconductor-related materials | Development of products with reduced content |
To proactively address various societal issues, including PFAS※5, Resonac plans to establish a new policy and review substances subject to content management in line with social conditions. We will then identify products that use such substances and the quantities used, and work toward their phased reduction and restrictions on use.
In material procurement activities, we have established the “Green Procurement Guidelines” and similarly designate substances subject to content management for delivered products. The Guidelines specify management categories (Level 1: prohibited substances; Level 2: controlled substances), investigation and measurement methods for contained substances, and reporting standards. They supplement “3. Activities for which we ask for the understanding and practice of our business partners” in the “Resonac Group Sustainable Procurement Guidelines.” We will continue updating them to share Resonac’s approach to voluntarily controlled chemical substances with suppliers and put it into practice together.
- ※3 REACH = Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
- ※4 SVHC = Substances of Very High Concern
- ※5 PFAS = Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
Compliance with Domestic and International Chemical Substance Regulations
We constantly monitor trends in chemical substance regulations in Japan and overseas, comply with the laws and regulations of each country, and actively work to ensure compliance related to products, raw materials, and chemical substances by using a comprehensive chemical substance management system. Within the Group, the head office and each business site work closely together to share issues and information and prevent compliance violations.
Domestic regulations: We systematically promote legal compliance by using a comprehensive chemical substance management system for laws and regulations including the Act on the Regulation of Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances (Chemical Substances Control Law), the Industrial Safety and Health Act, the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act, and the Act on the Assessment of Releases of Specified Chemical Substances in the Environment and the Promotion of Management Improvement. We also monitor regulated substances, including Class I Specified Chemical Substances, Monitoring Chemical Substances, Class II Specified Chemical Substances, and Priority Assessment Chemical Substances. When products contain such substances, we strengthen compliance by thoroughly implementing measures to prevent environmental pollution and reporting to administrative authorities.
Overseas regulations: Laws and regulations in countries and regions overseas, including Europe (REACH), the United States (TSCA: Toxic Substances Control Act), and Asia (China’s Measures for the Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances and South Korea’s Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals), are frequently enacted or amended, and regulations are expected to become increasingly stringent or extensive. We monitor amendment trends using various information sources and databases and respond appropriately and promptly by sharing information with local personnel. We also assign personnel responsible for chemicals management to RHQs, aggregate and manage chemical substance quantities in cooperation with the relevant countries and regions, and report to administrative authorities when regulated substances, including SVHCs and hazardous chemicals, are contained, thereby strengthening global chemicals management.
Human Resource Development to Ensure Compliance
To ensure compliance in chemicals management, it is important for every employee to acquire the knowledge necessary to handle products correctly and the ability to respond appropriately.
We position education as one of the foundations supporting chemicals management governance and work to develop personnel involved in chemicals management. We continuously provide education tailored to roles and job responsibilities not only for chemical substance management personnel at each business site but also for a broad range of employees directly or indirectly involved in chemicals management, including research, development, manufacturing, procurement, and sales. By improving the necessary knowledge and understanding, we work to prevent compliance violations.
For example, we provide learning opportunities through e-learning courses, teaching materials, and internal seminar videos on an introduction to chemicals management, the Chemical Substances Control Law, the Industrial Safety and Health Act, the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act, the PRTR Law, overseas laws and regulations and transport of dangerous goods, SDS and GHS labels, and chemical substance risk assessment. We also introduce external seminars, including internal distribution of the Chemical Risk Forum organized by the Japan Chemical Industry Association, to maximize learning opportunities. In addition, we hold briefing sessions for chemical substance management personnel in business units and at business sites on actions required under relevant laws and regulations and on internal rules, promoting company-wide understanding and the establishment of consistent operations.