Social Initiatives through Corporate Activities

Social Initiatives through
Corporate Activities

We cherish our irreplaceable earth, and voluntarily and proactively engage in environmental conservation activities in all phases of our corporate activities.

Initiatives to preserve the global environment

OHARA has set one of its top management priorities as caring for the irreplaceable Earth, in other words, harmony with the global environment. OHARA and its Group companies and business partners are actively working together.

Philosophy

OHARA inc. will practice sustainability management to become a 100-year company, share our vision and strategy with related stakeholders based on the OHARA Value Creation Model, and open up the future by creating new values co-creation to address social and environmental issues. We will also realize carbon neutrality as a key management issue to realize a sustainable well-being of our planet.

Policy

◇ Protect sustainable well-being of our planet
We will promote GHG (greenhouse gas) reduction, waste reduction and reuse, energy and resource conservation, and substitution of environmentally hazardous substances in order to reduce our environmental impact.
◇ Complying with Laws and Regulations
We comply not only with applicable laws and regulations, but also with international frameworks and conventions, relevant organizations, and customer requirements.
◇ Customer trust and satisfaction
To provide products and services that gain customer trust and satisfaction, we start by fully understanding our customers’ needs and ensure they are shared with all concerned, including our partners.
◇ Value co-creation with stakeholders
We share social issues with relevant stakeholders, including local community, business partners, and related organizations, and strive to co-create the value.
◇ Value Creation Model in Action
We will enhance our human capital by fostering a culture of diversity and challenge in our human resources, and co-create the value to realize sustainable management.
◇　Craftsmanship that opens the future with outstanding materials
We integrate and compound materials into the forms required by our customers. We also reduce environmental impact and build quality into our products at the planning, design, and manufacturing stages.
◇　Establishment and continuous improvement of quality & environmental management systems
To ensure the implementation of the established Quality & Environmental Policy, we will establish and continuously improve our quality & environmental management system.

November 1, 2023.
President Chief Executive Officer
Hirokazu Saito

Environmental management

OHARA has set ISO14001 (environmental management system) as the objective to harmonize corporate activities with the global environment, and is promoting various efforts under the Environmental Policy.
In addition to compliance with laws and regulations, we will make groupwide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in response to climate change, reduce waste in consideration of biodiversity, promote recycling, and use resources efficiently.

Environmental management system

All OHARA Group companies are working as one to promote a variety of activities with the philosophy and policies for environmental management, aiming at harmony between corporate activities and the global environment. In FY2022, certain part of OHARA’s environmental management promotion system was expanded to include the entire group, and the Energy Conservation and GHG Reduction Committee was established to strengthen the Group’s system for addressing environmental issues, particularly the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Environmental initiatives in manufacturing processes

Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a major challenge in glass manufacturing, which consumes a large amount of energy. OHARA is working hard on development of the technologies to increase energy efficiency through the use of special precious metals, which is unprecedented in optical glass production. We believe that producing optical glass at temperatures above the limit of general optical glass melting may lead to technological innovation for our customers, not only from an environmental standpoint, but also through the discovery of new materials and increased efficiency

Initiatives to counter climate change

Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

As international efforts to become carbon neutral grow, OHARA will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide, generated from the melting of materials in the Company. We will work to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% (compared to FY 2018) by 2035, toward achieving the “sustainable well-being of our planet,” which is the society and the future OHARA desires, as set forth in the Long-term Vision 2035 formulated in FY 2021.

OHARAs Global Environmental Preservation (GHG Reduction)

OHARA Group’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Overall emissions in FY 2022 were 58,177 tons, a 17.6% reduction compared to FY 2018.
*Includes outsourcing of melt processing, which is classified as Scope 3, Category 1, and transportation between Group bases in Category 4

Specific initiatives

●Reducing electricity consumption through technological development for melting methods

●Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in society through development of eco-friendly materials

●Switching power use to renewable power

●Installing solar panels

●Switching air conditioning and lighting equipment etc. to energy-saving commercial products

●Promoting a modal shift in transportation activities for materials, processed goods, products, etc.

Initiatives to leverage our global network

●Utilize the Group’s production sites to make use of national and regional measures against greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in production processes.

●We aim to establish a global network that contributes to streamlining and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction throughout the entire supply chain, taking into account the characteristics of each site, including raw material procurement and outsourced processing.

Specific initiatives to reduce emissions

Switching gas combustion to electric heating
Significant reduction in electricity consumption through the development of high-temperature melting technology
Proactive switch to carbon-free electricity, etc.

In all business activities, we will work to reduce emissions even at affiliated companies that emit relatively large amounts of GHG emissions, and promote modal shifts in transportation activities for materials, processed goods, etc., to promote the reduction of greenhouse gases.
Of the total GHG emissions of 58,177 t-CO2 in fiscal 2022, 29,275 t-CO2 (Scope 1 and 2 covered) of the head office and domestic consolidated subsidiaries were verified by a third party by LRQA Limited.

Scope1	Use of fuels such as gas, emissions from factory processes
Scope2	Use of electricity supplied by other companies
Scope3	Manufacture of raw materials, etc. by processing and procurement companies Transportation of products and merchandise, sales, business trips, and commuting

fiscal 2022 fiscal 2021

Initiatives to Achieve Zero Emissions

The final waste disposal rate in FY2022 was 26%. Glass that is no longer needed in production is being recycled (as base course material), but some of it is being disposed of in landfills. We will continue to promote waste red.

The “Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics” was enacted in April 2022 to address the environmental impact of the increasing amount of marine plastic waste. In OHARA’s head office operations, 25% of the 60 tons of plastic waste generated annually is converted to material recycling for use in recycled plastic products.

Material Balance

The OHARA Group develops environmental conservation activities by quantitatively measuring the amount of energy and resources used in its business activities (INPUT), as well as the products and environmental loads generated by those activities (OUTPUT).

CO₂Reduction Activities

Solar panels are installed on the roof of the head office building, and some of the electricity is generated by our own power generation. Also called the No-Car Day Campaign, we encourage employees to commute by public transportation, on foot or by bicycle to reduce CO₂ emissions. By setting the No-Car Day campaign date to the second Wednesday of every month, more employees are switching from commuting by car to commuting by foot or bicycle.

Participating in the Sagami River Cleanup Operation

In Sagamihara City, where OHARA is located, the Sagami River flows and joins into the Sagami Bay. The “Sagami River Cleanup Operation”, organized by the “Love Sagami River Club” which protects the rich nature, and promotes the creation of a better environment, is held twice a year, where the cleanup of the entire river area is conducted.

Company-Wide Education on ISO14001

environment education seminars were conducted for all employees working at OHARA. External experts were invited, and employees recognized the importance of basic knowledge on environmental laws and legal compliance, and the high level of interest in environment.

OHARA is qualified for Environment Management System ISO14001

In April 2000, OHARA obtained certification under the international ISO14001 standard for environmental management (the certification body was JIC Quality Assurance Ltd.). We attained the environmental objectives and targets, and escalated environmental management systems through the Waste Reduction and Reuse Promotion Committee, the Resource Conservation Committee, the Energy Saving Promotion Committee, and environmental management activities at every department.
※The scope of application of the environmental management system is as follows. The environmental management system is applied to the head office and factory of OHARA INC. and its affiliated companies. ※In-house subcontractors collectively refer to contractors who are resident on our premises and who undertake the operations of our company or those who perform requested operations (repairs, maintenance services, etc.) within this factory.

OHARA INC.