Environment

Environmental Management

Sustainability - Environmental Management

Environmental Management

Environmental Management

Policy

The Meiden Group is promoting environmental management that brings together business strategy and environmental activities.

We continually improve our environmental management system as we evaluate its validity and effectiveness.

Public Relations Section

Environmental Management Promotion Organization

Organization

Environmental Management Promotion Organization

Under the leadership of the Representative Director, who is our chief executive officer, the executive officer (environment) oversees the environment management of the Meiden Group overall, while the general manager (GM) in charge of EMS works to maintain and improve the environmental management system (EMS).

In addition, our Group-Wide internal environmental audit team, an independent organization, audits environmental management initiatives, legal compliance, EMS effectiveness, and more, and offers ideas for improvement.

The executive officer (environment) chairs the Meiden Group Environmental Committee (MGEC), our highest decision-making body for environmental initiatives. The MGEC identifies issues to address, including risks relating to climate change and the like, sets environmental targets and formulates action plans, conducts management reviews, responds to emergency situations, reviews and reports on environmental measures and working groups (WGs), and sets environmental management policy directions.

For the most important issues, the executive officer (environment) and GM in charge of EMS consult with the Executive Officers’ Meeting, Board of Directors, and the like and then acts as decided by top management.

Meiden Group Environmental Management Promotion Organization

Meiden Group Environmental Management Promotion Organization
Council Objective/overview
Management Meeting Taking account of internal and external issues, it sets the business direction and strategy of the Meiden Group as a medium-term management plan and annual profit plan.
Meiden Group Environmental Committee Its objective is to set a unified environmental management policy for the Meiden Group overall and smoothly operate an environmental management system, following the Meiden Group Environmental Health and Safety Management System Manual.
Environmental Policy and Promotion Working Group It establishes working groups to conduct a detailed review of individual environmental issues.

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Public Relations Section

Responding to Environmental Risks and Opportunities

Phenomena (issues)
related to environment
Risks Opportunities Carrying out initiatives
Government (political) Laws and Regulations
  • Carbon neutrality and mitigation of climate change
  • Adapting to climate change
  • Accelerating expansion into new energy and renewable energy markets, and carbon-free energy systems
  • Strengthening partnerships with municipal governments, etc.
  • Effects of cooperation throughout the value chain
  • Rising insurance premiums
  • Electricity market: More new players
  • Intensified competition with other industries
  • Increased demand for environment-friendly type products
  • Increased opportunities in the primary and tertiary industry markets
  • New energy, renewable energy, and VPP market expansion
  • Proposals for urban development and business expansion
  • Promoting environmental management
  • Expanding products’ contribution to the environmen
Economy
  • Carbon pricing
  • Automobile electrification and digitalization
  • Sustainability management and CSV approach
  • Medium- to long-term economic growth of developing countries
  • Poorer earnings due to instability of world economy (bank failures, wildly fluctuating exchange rates, etc.)
  • Increased prices
  • Zero value chain CO2 emissions in the future
  • Withdrawal of investors due to being seen as half-hearted in carbon reduction efforts
  • Overseas compliance
  • Pressure on environmental management resources
  • Expanded nonuse fossil fuel, new energy, and renewable energy markets
  • Expanded EV motor/inverter market
  • Increased corporate value through information disclosure
  • Conducting growth investments (overseas markets)
  • Accelerating improvement of operational efficiency
  • Expanding products’ contribution to the environment
  • Promoting environmental communication
  • Promoting environmental health and safety management
  • Environmental audits of overseas production sites
Society
  • Efficient utilization of resources and active utilization of recycled materials
  • Expanding businesses that contribute to the environment and products that contribute to GHG reduction
  • Response to CDP, SBT, TCFD, TGIF, etc.*
  • Expansion of responsibility to the value chain
  • Change of lifestyle (ecological orientation) and adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Fair labor and employment conditions
  • Post COVID-19 and coexisting with COVID-19 initiatives
  • *TGIF: A section of the Climate Innovation Finance Strategy proposed by METI in September 2020. This favors finance (F) towards transition (T), green (G), and innovation (I), rather than a dualistic approach, in order to achieve the SDGs and the Paris Agreement.
  • Increased costs due to utilization of recycled materials
  • Reduced product competitiveness
  • Reduced corporate value
  • Risks to the value chain (procurement and seeking responsibility)
  • Decreased employee awareness
  • Increased reputational and litigation risks
  • Loss of corporate value as a so-called black company
  • Increased gap between companies
  • Reduced costs due to decreased reliance on scarce resources, and reduced emissions
  • Increased corporate value due to expansion of businesses that contribute to the environment and products that contribute to GHG reduction
  • Reputation as a problem-solving company
  • Enhanced value chain
  • Increased awareness, unified goals of employees, etc.
  • Initiatives to incorporate SDGs and information disclosure
  • Work-style reform initiatives
  • Creation of new businesses and work-style reforms
  • Promoting environmentally considerate design
  • Expanding products’ contribution to the environment
  • Promoting environmental/health and safety communication
  • Strengthening value chain management
  • Reform of environmental/health and safety awareness
Technology
  • High-efficiency power transformer technology
  • Evolution of ICT and IoT technology and accelerated digital transformation
  • Diversification and efficiency of maintenance services
  • Evolution of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
  • Increased new players (IT companies)
  • Industrial accidents due to ignoring risks
  • Increased demand for environment-friendly type products
  • Utilizing ICT and IoT and strengthening system technologies and product capabilities
  • Enhanced rollout of one-stop services
  • Realistic experiences of accidents and disasters
  • Expanding products’ contribution to the environment
Legal RestrictionsLegal Restrictions
  • Tightened overseas environmental regulations
  • Fourth basic recycling plan
  • Tightening of harmful chemical substance regulations
  • Stronger systems for chemical substance management in workplaces
  • Penalties and loss of reputation due to non-compliance with overseas laws
  • Increased cost of virgin materials
  • Analysis, communication, and management of information concerning SDS and harmful substances
  • Work environment deterioration and occupational illnesses due to incomplete risk management
  • Utilization of recycled materials
  • Superior products of competitive advantage that are free from harmful substances
  • Thorough chemical substance risk assessment and risk management
  • Promoting environmental management
  • Promoting environmentally considerate design
  • Strengthening management of chemicals in products
  • Managing chemical substances properly
  • Giving training on chemical substance risks, practicing thorough risk assessment, and developing management systems in accordance with revised laws
Natural Environment
  • Depletion of resources
  • Microplastics issues
  • Ecosystem abnormalities
  • Occurrence of disasters
  • Change to air temperature and rainfall, and abnormal weather events
  • Increased cost of virgin materials
  • Utilization of biodegradable plastics
  • Increased reputational and litigation risks
  • Business continuity
  • Disaster response and industrial accidents at time of recovery
  • Disrupted value chain due to flood, etc.
  • Utilization of recycled materials and promotion of the 3Rs for products
  • Provision of local contribution activities and increased corporate value
  • Increased demand for the water business due to water risks
  • Promoting environmentally considerate design
  • Promoting environmental communication
  • Promoting environmental/health and safety management

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Public Relations Section

ISO 14001 Certification Status

ISO 14001 Certification Status (as of March 31, 2023)

We are expanding the scope of bodies certified under ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems. In Japan, Meidensha and 20 affiliated companies have finished earning certification. Overseas, 12 companies, mainly manufacturing sites, have finished earning certification.

Certification Status in Japan
Company Name Date of Certification Acquisition
1 MEIDENSHA CORPORATION* February 24, 1998
2 MEIDEN SHOJI CO., LTD.
3 KOFU MEIDENSHA ELECTRIC MFG. CO., LTD.*
4 MEIDEN SYSTEM MANUFACTURING CORPORATION*
5 MEIDEN KIDEN KOGYO CO., LTD.*
6 MEIDEN KOHSAN CO., LTD.
7 MEIDEN SYSTEM SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
8 MEIDEN PLANT SYSTEMS CORPORATION*
9 M WINDS CO., LTD.
10 MEIDEN UNIVERSAL SERVICE LTD.
11 MEIDEN AQUA BUSINESS COMPANY
12 MEIDEN TECHNO SYSTEMS CO., LTD.*
13 MEIDEN MASTER PARTNERS CORPORATION
14 MEIDEN O&M CORPORATION July 31, 2003
15 MEIDEN ENGINEERING CORPORATION
16 MEIDEN CHEMICAL CO., LTD.* November 20, 2012
17 MEIDEN FACILITY SERVICE CORPORATION November 18, 2015
18 HOKUTO DENKO CORPORATION* October 3, 2013
19 EAML Engineering CO., LTD.* March 5, 2004
20 MEIDEN NANOPROCESS INNOVATIONS, INC.* January 12, 2022

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  • *Companies with manufacturing plants
Certification Status Overseas
Company Name Area Date of Certification Acquisition
1 MEIDEN ZHENGZHOU ELECTRIC CO., LTD.* Zhengzhou, China October 9, 2013
2 MEIDEN HANGZHOU DRIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.* Hangzhou, China April 7, 2008
3 SHANGHAI MEIDENSHA CHANGCHENG SWITCHGEAR CO., LTD.* Shanghai, China January 11, 2016
4 P.T. MEIDEN ENGINEERING INDONESIA Indonesia December 19, 2018
5 MEIDEN MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. Malaysia October 10, 2018
6 MEIDEN METAL ENGINEERING SDN.BHD.* Malaysia October 9, 2014
7 MEIDEN SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.* Singapore February 8, 2010
8 THAI MEIDENSHA CO., LTD. Thailand July 1, 2009
9 TRIDELTA MEIDENSHA GmbH.* Germany July 13, 2015
10 MEIDEN T&D(INDIA)PRIME MEIDEN LIMITEDLTD.* India January 26, 2015
11 MEIDEN AMERICA SWICHGEAR, INC.* USA September 29, 2021
12 VIETSTAR MEIDEN CORPORATION* Vietnam February 4, 2023

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  • *Company with manufacturing plants

Percentage of Companies Certified in Japan/Overseas

Number of certified companies in Japan
Number of certified companies in Japan
Number of certified companies overseas
Number of certified companies overseas
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Internal Environmental Audits

Initiatives

Internal Environmental Audits

We conduct internal environmental audits separate from the external audits we get from ISO 14001 registrars. Internal audits confirm the state of improvement on concerns pointed out in external audits and check up on audit items that are marked as priorities for that fiscal year. As for overseas sites, we have taught new manufacturing sites how environmental performance data is used and carefully examined data collection initiatives and the data itself.
In FY2022, our audits prioritized “environmental factors and evaluating environmental impact,” “checks of compliance obligation initiatives,” “improving human resources,” and “legal requirements (laws on industrial waste and plastic resource circulation).” We determined that the Group was conforming to ISO 14001:2015 requirements overall and functioning effectively.

If any concerns are pointed out during internal environmental audits, we take them as an opportunity for improvement and incorporate them into further improvement initiatives.

Public Relations Section

Environmental Information Management System

Environmental Information Management System

The Meiden Group uses an “environmental information management system” that we put in place to manage and analyze environmental impact in our business activities.

The system collects and centrally manages information on environmental impact of business activities (such as automotive fuel, energy, waste, chemical substances, and water use) at Meiden Group manufacturing sites and offices, even those outside Japan.

The information so collected is used as basic data for efforts to lower environmental impact. It is also useful to ensure proper filings of information as required by the Act on Rationalizing Energy Use and Shifting to Non-fossil Energy, Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures, the electrical and electronic equipment industry’s “Carbon Neutrality Action Plan,” and Japanese PRTR system for reporting chemical releases and transfers.

Analysis of environmental impact with environmental information management system
Analysis of environmental impact with environmental information management system
Public Relations Section

Compliance with Environmental Regulations

Compliance with Environmental Regulations

Each Meiden Group work site and affiliated company sets and follows voluntary standards stricter than applicable laws and regulations. This ensures we remain in legal compliance. If a legal violation or incident does occur, our rules state that management shall be notified within three hours.

In FY2022, there was one incident involving soil and groundwater exceeding standards in some samples. There were no serious violations of environmental laws or regulations (including water intake, wastewater, other waste, and harmful chemicals). We did not receive any complaints regarding noise or odor.

Results Data
Incidents relating to voluntary standards cases
Date Location Content Response measures, etc.
1 June 2022 Nagoya Works In connection with a building construction review, soil and groundwater at the site were studied and specific toxic substances exceeding standards were detected in some samples. The contaminated area is covered with concrete pavement, etc., and there is no risk of contamination being spread by factors like soil dispersion or rainwater. We believe that there is no health hazard to nearby residents. However, we have monitored the groundwater under the guidance of Aichi Prefecture, placing the highest priority on not disturbing nearby residents.

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Breaches of Environmental Laws (Record)
FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
0 0 0
Environmental Fines (Record)
FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
0 0 0
Public Relations Section

Environmental Accounting (fiscal 2018)

Environmental Accounting (FY2022)

We quantify costs, etc., relating to environmental activities, with reference to the Ministry of the Environment’s “Environmental Accounting Guidelines 2005.”

Environmental Protection Costs Investment (million yen)
Business area costs Implementation of new energy-saving devices, etc. 2,328
R&D costs R&D costs for environmentally conscious products, etc. 9,516
  • *Scope of calculation: Meidensha (non-consolidated); period covered: April 2022–March 2023
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