Earth Corporation’s sustainability
Basic Sustainability Policy
Earth Corporation created its Basic Sustainability Policy in 2021.
In creating this policy, it gathered members representing the various business divisions, and conducted repeated discussions regarding the elements and language needed to entrench sustainability, while respecting the unique character of the Earth Group. Based on this policy, we will communicate to parties both inside and outside the company that we will be promoting activities aimed at achieving sustainable business.
Earth Corporation’s Basic Sustainability Policy
Based on the management philosophy that Earth Corporation will “Act to live in harmony with the Earth,” we will collaborate with stakeholders to take on issues related to sustainability, and contribute to continuously increasing corporate value and building a sustainable society.
Sustainability promotion structure
Based on Earth Corporation’s Basic Sustainability Policy, we established a “CSR & Sustainability Promotion Department” within the Group Management Headquarters, to ensure smooth and effective sustainability activities covering three fields: the environment (E), social (S), and governance (G). We also established a “CSR & Sustainability Promotion Committee,” a permanent organization promoting sustainability activities on the front lines, with the president serving as chairman. Along with the CSR & Sustainability Promotion Department, the Committee creates action plans and sets targets and KPIs, shares targets and KPIs throughout the company, promotes activities aimed at achieving targets, monitors progress, shares the details of activities within the company, creates sustainability reports and ESG data books, and appropriately communicates information based on the expectations of stakeholders. Reports are submitted regularly to top management on the status of activities and the details discussed at meetings of the CSR & Sustainability Promotion Committee, and important items requiring studies and decisions by top management are reported and studied at meetings of the Board of Directors.
*Pinch out to zoom in.ISMS：Information Security Management System
Earth Corporation’s stakeholders
Earth Corporation’s business activities are supported by various stakeholders, including customers, employees and their families, suppliers, shareholders and investors, and local communities. To embody our slogan – “Making the Earth a home that feels good” – we believe that it is important to communicate with those various stakeholders, and to create an environment that promotes dialogue rather than unilateral transmission of information.
| Stakeholders | Earth Corporation’s main responsibilities | Communication methods |
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| Customers (consumers and business partners) |
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| Employees and their families |
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| Suppliers |
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| Shareholders and investors |
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| Local commun |
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| The Earth |
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Basic approaches to environmental protection
Environmental Declaration
In accordance with our corporate philosophy of “We act to live in harmony with the Earth,” we at Earth Corporation strive to take the protection of the global environment into account in all our business activities, and to make a positive contribution toward the lives of the people of the world.
Earth Corporation Basic Environmental Policy (created in 2007; amended in 2022)
- Compliance We will comply with environmental laws and regulations, agreements, and voluntary standards
- Environment friendly business activitiesWe will implement product development, materials procurement, production, logistics, and sales in an environmentally friendly manner
- Climate changeWe will promote energy saving and introduce clean energy
- Resource savingWe will promote the effective use of water resources, controls on waste materials, and recycling
- Employee educationAll of our employees will maintain a high level of environmental awareness, and will educate and enlighten themselves so that they can make a positive contribution to society
- Local communitiesWe will act responsibility with respect to environmental protection in relation to local communities
- Information disclosureWe will proactively implement environmental disclosure
- Continuous improvementWe will build and continually improve environmental management systems
Environmental management system
In May 2007, Earth Corporation established a company-wide environmental management framework, and began implementing environmental protection measures.
In order to strengthen and continue these measures, in January 2009 Earth Corporation’s headquarters and plants obtained EcoAction 21 certification (EcoAction 21 is an environmental management system formulated by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment). By April 2010, the scope of certification had been expanded to include all Earth Corporation sites in Japan.
By putting environmental management systems in place throughout the company in this way, and by undergoing environmental management audits from external organizations, we aim to entrench effective measures and activities in this area.
EcoAction 21 Environmental Management Report
EcoAction 21 combines an environmental management system, environmental performance evaluation, and environmental report into a single document. By undertaking EcoAction 21 activities, Earth Corporation actively conducts activities with attention to the environment, and publishes the results of those activities (in Japanese) in an Environmental Management Report.
EcoAction 21 Environmental Management Report（Japanese only）
（PDF:767 KB）
Environmental management structu
*Pinch out to zoom in.Environmental education
We provide environmental education to all employees so that each and every employee can act with a strong awareness in accordance with the Basic Environmental Policy. In addition to basic elements such as policies, targets, laws and regulations, and environmental trends, we offer training in accordance with the roles of managers and staff in each workplace and division, as well as training for new employees. We will continue to enhance the content of this education.
Internal audits
Each year, internal environmental audits are conducted at the head office, plants, branches, and other workplaces. In these audits, activities are evaluated based on a checklist, and the results are tied into improvements based on further consultations and comments received. In the results of the internal audits, there were no serious issues in 2020 (e.g., legal violations), but improvements were requested with regard to environmental education and environment-related postings, to promote further activities. We will continue to improve the effectiveness of audits and the training of auditors, to strengthen the environmental management structure.
Legal compliance
There are many environment-related laws and regulations that impact our business activities, and the status of compliance is evaluated regularly. In 2020, there were no violations or notifications from related authorities, as has been the case for more than 10 years. Nevertheless, legal compliance is a minimum requirement, and we provide employee training, monitor risks, and put in place appropriate countermeasures so that the level of compliance always exceeds that minimum requirement.
Collaborations within the Earth Group
We also strengthen collaborations within the Group in the context of environmental protection activities at Earth Group companies. We hold “Earth Group Secretariat Meetings” that include staff who oversee activities common to all plants and offices, as well as “Earth Group Environmental Meetings” attended by staff responsible for specialized duties unique to plants, such as energy saving and the handling of waste materials. While sharing information and deepening mutual understanding, these meetings offer a venue for communicating specific activities to Group companies, which then gives rise to synergistic effects.
Environmental initiatives in collaboration with local communities
Earth Corporation’s main plants, the Sakoshi Plant and the Ako Plant, as well as the R&D Center (within the Sakoshi Plant), are all located within Ako City in Hyogo Prefecture. We have completed an Environmental Protection Agreement with Ako City, based on which we comply with standards governing wastewater and other matters, report on the status of execution, and disclose relevant information. We are registered as an Ako City Environmental Partnership Workplace, and undertake activities in collaboration with Ako City aimed at reducing environmental impact, for example by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We are also a member of the Ako Environmental Protection Council, which comprises the Ako Chamber of Commerce and Industry and companies in Ako City, undertaking environmental protection activities in collaboration with other member companies. In this way, we strive for coexistence with local communities, while participating actively in local environmental protection initiatives.
Reducing environmental impact
Environmental impact in business
Earth Corporation quantitatively monitors and appropriately manages resources such as raw materials and energy in business activities (input) and the products and environmental impact that arise through those activities (output), and works to reduce that impact.
Initiatives throughout the value chain
Earth Corporation conducts a variety of initiatives throughout the entire value chain of product development, material procurement, production, distribution, and sales, to reduce environmental impact and create a recycling-oriented society. These activities include preventing global warming, reducing the use of resources, reducing waste materials, and reducing and appropriately managing chemical substances.
*Pinch out to zoom in.Product development
Lightweight containers and packaging materials, compact, long-lasting products, and refillable products reduce raw material consumption and household waste, and also reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions during transport. We undertake product development with an awareness of environmental impact throughout the entire product lifecycle, and with attention to the environment from the perspective of the “3 Rs” (reduce, reuse, and recycle). We are also expanding on products that use natural components and materials with minimal environmental impact.
Material procurement
We promote procurement of raw materials with attention to the environment, for example by reducing the use of resources through lightweight containers and packaging materials, and the adoption of recycled materials. We also work to improve transport efficiency and reduce the use of resources by changing the formats of raw material deliveries. In this regard, collaborations with business partners are important, and we proceed while ensuring that they understand our approaches to environmental and other CSR procurement.
Production
At our plants, we consider environmental activities such as waste reduction and the conservation of water and energy to be part of “kaizen proposal activities” aimed at eliminating waste in the front lines of production. These continuous improvement activities have been going on for many years, with individual employees offering a variety of ideas and suggestions. With regard to chemical substances in particular, these activities are tied into the creation of safe, secure products, based on strict management of the volumes of chemicals handled and contained in products, safety education for workers, and countermeasures and training in the event of leaks.
Logistics
To reduce CO2 emissions during transport, we collaborate with logistics subcontractors in improving transport efficiency. We will continue to strive for more efficient logistics, for example by improving loading efficiency, expanding the modal shift from fossil fuels to clean cars, and optimizing distribution bases.
Sales
We strive to reduce CO2 emissions from company vehicles, by adopting low emission and low fuel consumption vehicles, including hybrid vehicles, and by encouraging employees to practice eco-driving and efficient route selection when driving during sales activities. When seasonal products are left unsold, they are returned and end up as waste, so we collaborate with distributors and retailers to appropriately introduce products and set up sales floors based on accurate demand forecasts.
Initiatives that contribute to SDGs
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs*) were put forward at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, as goals to be achieved by 2030 in areas such as poverty and hunger, energy, climate change, and a peaceful society.
Comprising 17 goals and 169 targets, the international policy goals have been adopted by 193 countries. Earth Corporation has also stipulated goals to be achieved, and actively promotes business activities aimed at achieving these goals in collaboration with stakeholders.
＊SDGs：Sustainable Development Goals
Key themes for Earth Corporation
Infectious diseases
[Contribute to eliminating insect-borne infectious diseases through the use of household insecticide products (SDG Target 3.3)]
The risk of infectious diseases borne by insects is growing, as a result of increases in invasive species and the growth of insect habitats resulting from global warming. Earth Corporation contributes to preventing infections from insects that carry the threat of diseases through the use of household insecticide products.
Oral hygiene environment
[Contribute to oral hygiene through the proliferation of oral care products (SDG 3)]
Earth Corporation is aware that the risk of disease originating in the oral environment is a social issue, and contributes to oral hygiene through the proliferation of oral care products.
Environment
[Reduce returns of seasonal products to reduce waste (SDG Target 12.5)]
Product returns arising during the business process and the resulting waste pose a risk not only to business, but also to the environment, so Earth Corporation collaborates with its business partners to reduce these returns.
[Appropriately manage chemical substances in terms of both the environment and health throughout the product lifecycle (SDG Target 12.4)]
Earth Corporation maintains an awareness of environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle, and quantitatively monitors and appropriately manages resources used during business activities and the environmental impact arising from those activities.
[Reduce CO2 emissions at plants, offices, and during distribution (SDG Target 13.1)]
Earth Corporation works to reduce CO2 emissions in the value chain, including plants, offices, and during distribution. We will continue to implement a variety of measures, including initiatives on production lines and in the use of energy to reduce environmental impact, and generating power using solar panels.
[Strengthen resilience to climate-related hazards and natural disasters (SDG Target 13.1)]
We will strengthen resilience in regular business operations to minimize risks and damage in the event of a natural disaster. Earth Corporation obtained Resilience Certification established by the National Resilience Promotion Office of the Cabinet Secretariat, and implements measures in the event of disasters at the Head Office, R&D Center, plants, and other workplaces.
Work environment
[Promote diversity and create jobs and workplaces that enhance motivation (SDG Targets 5.1, 5.5, and 8.5)]
Based on the value that “people are everything,” we respect the human rights and diversity of colleagues working at the company, and strive for fair and equitable treatment, in an effort to create workplaces where employees can work energetically and apply their unique strengths.