Position on Pollution Prevention

In order to prevent environmental pollution resulting from our business activities, the Meiji Group is working to reduce the amount of pollutants  released into the environment as well as strictly comply with environment-related laws and regulations.

Establishing of Pollution Prevention Guideline

In FY2022, Meiji Group established the Guidelines for Pollution Prevention to ensure that our production and R&D facilities in Japan and overseas work at a unified, high-level level to prevent pollution. The Guidelines consist of the following: Operation of voluntary Management standards, Monitoring, Measurement and recording, Facilities management, Training , Risk management, and Reducing of pollutant emissions.

In accordance with the Guidelines, the Group promotes compliance with environment-related laws and regulations and reduction of pollutant emissions into the environment.

Meiji Group Pollution Prevention Guideline

Chemical Substance Management

As we use a large number of chemical substance in our business activities, we are working to strictly control the amount used, ensure safe handling, and monitor the amount released into the environment.

We comply with the PRTR Law, which promotes the monitoring and management of chemical substances released into the environment. We are also improving our manufacturing methods to reduce the amount of chemicals used, replacing them with safer substances, and installing recovery equipment to reduce emissions into the environment.

		FYE 3/2019	FYE 3/2020	FYE 3/2021	FYE 3/2022	FYE 3/2023
PRTR emissions volume*	Japan	1.2	9.4	9.8	10.0	3.9
PRTR transfer volume*	Japan	291.8	56.4	394.6	64.2	132.4

*Dioxins is not included.

		FYE 3/2019	FYE 3/2020	FYE 3/2021	FYE 3/2022	FYE 3/2023
Dioxins emissions volume	Japan	0.7	1.3	0.2	0.3	0.4
Dioxins transfer volume	Japan	3.0	0.5	0.6	1.1	1.3

PRTR emissions volume and PRTR transfers volume ( ESG data )

Preventing water pollution

Wastewater treatment facilities are installed at production and R&D facilities, and wastewater treated at high levels is discharged into rivers and sewerage. We have set voluntary management standards that are stricter than legal standards, and manage wastewater treatment facilities appropriately.

		FYE 3/2019	FYE 3/2020	FYE 3/2021	FYE 3/2022	FYE 3/2023
BOD emissions volume1	Global	-	-	-	18.0	15.4
COD emissions volume2	Japan	-	-	-	36.0	32.3
	Overseas	-	-	-	-	2.3

1In FYE 3/2022, only domestic Meiji Group was included.

2COD pollution load in Japan was measured using potassium permanganate as an oxidant. The overseas COD pollution load measured by the method using potassium dichromate as an oxidant.

Preventing air pollution

By properly managing combustion equipment, we comply with soot and smoke regulations and monitor total emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). In addition, because many organic solvents are used in the production of pharmaceuticals, we are working to recover Chlorine-based organic solvents and reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the atmosphere.

		FYE 3/2019	FYE 3/2020	FYE 3/2021	FYE 3/2022	FYE 3/2023
VOC emissions volume*	Japan	-	-	561.7	101.9	118.3
NOx emissions volume	Japan	134.9	141.1	140.5	164.3	157.3
SOx emissions volume	Japan	63.6	69.4	66.1	95.9	97.1

*Emissions to the air

Preventing soil contamination

We monitor the groundwater content of hazardous substances specified by law at the plant with high risk of soil contamination. At present, we confirm that the groundwater content of hazardous substances are below environmental standards at all plants.