Along with its disclosure of information on the environmental impact of its business activities and its environmental protection activities, the NGK Group is also working to expand and deepen environmental communication with stakeholders.
An NGK employee volunteers as a guest lecturer
As part of environmental education sponsored by the Environmental Partnership Organizing Club (EPOC), in January 2009, NGK employees volunteered as guest lecturers for 160 elementary school students in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, conveying to the pupils the fun and excitement of science.
Solar panels installed on the roof of the Asama Plant
Soshin Electric is a member of Saku Saku Himawari, a limited liability partnership responsible for operating Japan’s Ministry of the Environment’s “Megawatt Solar Joint Utility Model Project.” A 140 kW solar power generation facility is installed at Soshin Electric’s Asama Plant in the city of Saku, Nagano Prefecture.
The Megawatt Solar Joint Usage Model Project aims to develop a business model in which area companies and organizations within a local area install and jointly utilize large-scale solar power generation facilities. The project reached its goal of a total of 1 MW in power generating capacity in fiscal 2008. That same year, Saku Saku Himawari was awarded the Minister of the Environment’s Prize for Activities to Prevent Global Warming.
NGK takes part in the “CO2 Reduction/Light-Down Campaign” sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. The campaign promotes efforts to prevent global warming by encouraging the public to shut off unnecessary lights used to illuminate facilities or in the home. In fiscal 2008, from June 21 to July 7, we turned off lights in the landscaping around our head office building. Following the campaign’s conclusion, we have continued to leave off a total of seven illuminated signboards at our Nagoya, Chita and Komaki Plants.
Special training course on the environment (March 2009)
To raise environmental consciousness among employees, NGK implements a variety of environmental training and awareness-raising activities on an ongoing basis. In fiscal 2008, we conducted a special training course on chemical substance regulations, with an emphasis on EU regulations. We also held specialized training sessions on exhaust gas and wastewater treatment systems specifically for personnel responsible for operating environmental facilities at each production plant. These courses were attended by a total of 180 people.
NGK employees and their families produce household environmental accounting ledgers as a means of nurturing greater environmental awareness in daily life.
Ledgers were produced three times in fiscal 2008, during summer (July to September), autumn (October to December) and winter (January to March). The number of employees and families participating has now grown to over 1,300 people. This program has helped to throw further momentum behind energy conservation activities in the home.
Employees who have passed the Eco Test
NGK is providing support for employees to take the Certification Test for Environmental Specialists®, also known as the Eco Test.
The Eco Test seeks to deepen knowledge of environmental problems, while developing the human resources who will take the lead in tackling these problems. To date, 59 employees have passed the test, raising the level of environmental awareness in the workplace and contributing to growth in eco-action by employees.
