CSR

[ISO 26000 Core Subject] Environment

Domestically, our Group reduced CO₂ emissions from energy production in FY 2015 by 1% (5% in terms of amount of energy used) when compared to FY 2012 levels. This is the result of our active promotion of energy conservation investment (e.g., updating air conditioning equipment in cleanrooms, updating factory utility facilities to energy-saving models, switching from mercury lamps to LEDs for factory lighting, etc.) in conjunction with the everyday energy conservation activities of our employees, for example through their improvements in factory operation methods. However, overseas the Group has seen an increase in energy consumption owing to a full recovery from flooding damages in Thailand as well as increases in production capacity at the Chinese optical fiber factory. Across the Group as a whole, CO₂ emissions per 100 million yen unit of sales has improved year by year, with FY 2015 down 18% from FY 2012.

For the energy conservation activities taken as part of our CO₂ reduction strategy, we held regular meetings that bring together the personnel concerned with energy conservation at all our Japanese domestic bases. Held in a revolving fashion at each base, these meetings allow for revitalized information exchanges through observation of actual energy conservation practices. As well, in the Thailand area local staff held presentations on the improvement of energy conservation. Additionally, we have introduced metering equipment for energy conservation, with dedicated personnel visiting both domestic and overseas bases to disseminate and diagnose through on-site measurement.

As a result of these efforts, five companies within the Group have earned an S-class (the highest rank) evaluation as Enterprises Excelling in Energy Conservation within the Enterprise Classification for Businesses and Factories Based on Energy Conservation Regulation Periodic Reporting (FY 2015 Submission), published by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.

As part of our 2020 Medium-term Plan, we have set a reduction target for FY 2020 as well as a CO₂ emissions reduction target for FY 2030 as a long-term goal in the domestic Group based on the reduction target for global greenhouse gases submitted by the Japanese government at COP 21. To help fulfill these target values, we established reduction goals in our consumption rates for energy conservation as we aim to contribute to the achievement of this national goal.

As a corporate group that cares about the global environment, the Fujikura Group is proactive in its efforts as a participant of and registrant with Cool Choice, a new Japan-wide initiative spearheaded by the government and the Ministry of Environment concerned with the prevention of global climate change as we approach 2030.

Following the setting of the GHG Protocol Scope 3 standard in 2011, there are stringent requirements under the CDP and GRI-G4 for companies to disclose information about CO₂ emissions from their entire supply chains in addition to CO₂ emissions from their own business activities. In response, Fujikura Ltd. participated in the project to support the calculation of supply chain CO₂ emissions implemented by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment also in fiscal 2014 and made simplified calculations for all the GHG Protocol Scope 3 categories. The following shows the Scopes 1, 2 and 3 calculation results from fiscal 2012 to 2015.

In FY2015 as well, we had a very hot summer,especially in the Eastern and Northern Japan.The Fujikura Group began to conduct a campaign to grow seedlings into green curtains in around May, and many of our bases had completed their green curtains by July, before the sun became very strong. These curtains contributed to a decrease (by three to five degrees Celsius) in the room temperature. Green curtains help decrease the room temperature and are friendly to the environment. They are also kind to the eyes and mitigate the fatigue caused by work. Green curtains have become an indispensable item for us to get through the hot summer season.

In 2015, The Fujikura Group implemented its fifth "Turning off lights" campaign to mitigate global warming as much as possible and reinforce how important lighting is. In the campaign, employees turned off lights both at their workplaces and homes.

It is estimated that Japan has 4.65 million hectares of forests that pose a risk of landslides and debris flows, and that there are 520,000 debris flow-prone spots in the country. Due to depopulation and aging of people in mountainous villages, forests are being increasingly left unattended without being thinned, which leads to a loss of the water-retaining functions provided by trees and bushes and to an increase in the number of debris flow-prone spots. In response, the NPO "Office Chonai-Kai" launched the Morino Chonai-Kai activity. Companies that wish to support this activity purchase Forest Thinning Support Paper at the relatively expensive price of 15 yen per kg and use it as printing paper for their CSR reports and other documents. The proceeds are used to foster forest thinning. Forests need to be thinned for tree branches and roots to grow continuously, which in turn helps maintain the rainwater storage ability of the forests, one of their primary functions. Trees also absorb CO₂ in their growing process. As many as 475 companies and organizations, including Fujikura, participate in this activity. In fiscal 2015, we used 573.5 kg of Forest Thinning Support Paper. The Fujikura Group will continue to support this endeavor in a proactive manner.

The actions of the environmental load reduction of our establishment are as follows.

In the US, AFL Telecommunications LLC (South Carolina) is engaged in promoting two greenification activities that tie to protection of the global environment.

The global environment protection activities of our group includes activity such as planting and forest conservation, the maintenance of the green tract of land.