Environment

Environmental Policies

Tokai Optical has formulated its environmental policies and actively engages in environmental conservation activities on a company-wide level.

Environmental Policies

We co-exist in harmony with the local society and the natural environment.

Environmental Policy Development

We carry out environmental control under the Environmental Management System established in accordance with ISO14001.

1. We make efforts to maintain and improve a healthy environment through business activities that facilitate comfortable and culturally rich lifestyles and by conserving energy and reducing waste.
2. We carry out ongoing improvements of our Environmental Management System so that we do not cause any problems for our local society, either in our everyday business activities or in times of emergency, such as with accidents. This also includes preventing any regional pollution.
3. We strictly observe all laws, regulations, agreements, etc. relating to the environment, and when necessary, establish voluntary standards for environmental preservation.
4. We establish environmental targets, ensure that we achieve them, and conduct annual reviews.
5. We set down our environmental policies in writing and maintain these policies through the establishment and implementation of our Environmental Management System while ensuring that all employees are thoroughly aware of the policies.
6. If requested by an external party, our environmental policies will be made publicly available as needed.

Aiming to become an environmentally friendly company

Our factory has been converted into a totally zero-emission facility!　
This program remains in operation today in all factories!
A 4Rs campaign has been incorporated on a company-wide basis in an effort to reduce waste

In order to gain recognition by customers, communities, and society as an environmentally friendly company, our entire workforce worked as one to realize our target of making our factory a totally zero-emission facility in October 2005. This program remains in operation today and the company as a whole continues to undertake a 4Rs campaign in an effort to reduce waste.
In addition, we also promote ongoing improvements to our Environmental Management System based on ISO 14001.

Definition of a totally zero-emission facility

A totally zero-emission facility is a factory where 100% of all industrial waste and general non-industrial waste (such as burnable trash and raw garbage) discharged by the factory is recycled into resources.
It should be noted that technically, the allowable amount of domestic discharge per person a day is 50 g.
(Results over the past year – 9.7 g a day per person)

What is the 4R campaign?

•Reduce (reduce waste generation)
•Reuse (reuse products and parts)
•Recycle (use recycled resources)
•Refuse (refuse to accept deliveries)

History of environmental activities (since 2005)

October 2005	Our zero-emission goal is declared.
July 2006	The removal of all loose asbestos is completed.
March 2007	A large-scale exhaust system is installed as an internal and external environmental odor prevention measure.
April 2008	The Agreement on Environmental Conservation is re-signed with the city of Okazaki for the factories at the head office, Kamoda, and Shinpukuji.
April 2008	A green procurement framework (TGB) is established for compliance with the RoHS Directive.
July 2008	PCB waste that has been stored (in two high-pressure condensers) is appropriately treated at JESCO.
November 2009	The TOKAI Eco-friendly Cap Recovery Campaign is deployed as part of our environmental/social contribution activities.
April 2010	The conversion of cooking oil that has been used at cafeterias into biodiesel fuel (BDF) begins.
June 2012	The output of power at the non-utility generation equipment at the head office factory is increased by 700 kw to help stabilize the demand and supply of electricity in the summer.
March 2013	New air conditioners and chillers are installed at the head office factory. This has decreased energy consumption by roughly 18%.
December 2013	The Aichi CO2 Emission Reduction Manifesto 2020 is declared in agreement with the spirit of the Aichi Global Warming Prevention Strategy 2020. Certification is granted by Aichi Prefecture.
May 2015	A centralized particle removal machine is introduced for treating cutting particles that are emitted when lenses are processed.About 25% of waste is removed through the elimination of moisture that is included in the cutting particles.
September 2015	One out of three transformers is eliminated and two are updated as amorphous transformers with the revision of the distribution system. 9.63 tons of CO2 per year are reduced.
April 2016	A sum total of 480,000 eco-friendly caps are recovered. Activities are to continue in the future with the goal of recovering 80,000 caps per year.

History of the ISO 14001
(the Environmental Management System)

October 2000	ISO 14001 certification is obtained (for our head office and Kamoda factories)
October 2003	ISO 14001 certification is obtained (for our Shinpukuji office) and registration is renewed (first time)
November 2005	ISO 14001 certification is updated to the 2004 version
September 2015	Screening for ISO 14001 revision is carried out and registration is renewed (5th time)

What is ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 was enacted in 1996 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as a set of international standards involving environmental management systems in order to reduce, via ongoing improvements, environmental burdens and risks from the procurement of raw materials, production processes, waste generation, and other factors.

Permeation to each and every employee
(environmental policies / environmental education / enlightenment activities / emergency response training).

Tokai Optical believes that increased environmental awareness within each and every employee is important in promoting environmental activities and implements environmental education, enlightenment activities, and emergency response training based on environmental policies.

Those who promote environmental activities in each department attend on-site explanatory meetings on environmental facilities and equipment such as effluent treatment facilities and non-utility generation facilities with the use of ecomaps and are periodically given aggregated environmental education and emergency response training.

Employees are also kept informed on the latest in environmental information through the companywide distribution of notices and environmental news.

Global warming prevention

Announcer of 2013

○ Announcer of 2013
http://www.pref.aichi.jp/uploaded/attachment/222572.pdf (external website)

Reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions

• Ever since the Great East Japan Earthquake, we have been implementing companywide energy-saving measures, strictly complying with limits on air conditioner temperatures, and turning off unnecessary power supplies.
• The latest air conditioners and chillers were installed at the head office factory for conserving even more energy.
  (installation completed in March 2013) As a result, energy consumption in FY2012 was 11.5% lower than that of 2010.
• Effective use of the non-utility generation equipment at the head office factory has contributed to a balanced reduction in the demand and supply of electricity in the summer during peak hours.

Possession of non-utility generation equipment

Ten 185 kw-output diesel engine generators and a cogeneration system with an adsorption refrigerator are introduced in April 2003 for the use of generated electrical power while recovering exhausted heat and reductions in air conditioning load and CO2 emissions.
They are currently used effectively for decreasing electric utility rates and as emergency power supplies due to their operation in the summer during peak hours.

Non-utility generation equipment with a 1850 kw generating capacity

Desiccant air conditioners

Desiccant air conditioners

Direct coolers

We contribute to the decrease in environmental load from air conditioners as well as energy conservation by installing desiccant air conditioners for maintaining dehumidified and conditioned air at around 25℃ throughout the year, direct coolers that blow cool air into the factories while eliminating odors and dust, and so on.

Other energy conservation activities

• Heat insulation covering on the roof of the head office factory.Drainage water is also dispersed to the outdoor units of air conditioners due to its effective use for increased cooling performance.
• Energy saving devices are prioritized when acquiring new equipment.
  The numbers of devices used are also decreased through revising, abolishing, or merging of production methods.
• Energy consumption is reduced during peak hours due to demand monitoring systems and air conditioner filters are inspected and cleaned.

Reduction of environmental loads
(saving resources / reducing waste)

Reduction of water resource consumption

Because we manufacture products such as spectacle lenses and optical thin film, we always promote the circulating and reusing of water as great amounts of water are used at our factories in processes such as surface cleaning.

Water purification facilities

Water purification facilities

• After effluent treatment, about 20 ㎥ of reclaimed water per day is used in the production process.
• About 230 ㎥ per day of city water is saved with the operation of water purification facilities for treated water and using purified water in cleaning processes due to the cyclical use of water at the head office factory since October 2004.

Other resource-saving and waste-reduction activities

•The use of materials including sub-materials and auxiliary materials is reduced due to changes and revisions in production methods.
•The use of returnable containers and no packaging are promoted due to revisions in delivery methods.
•The materials used for shipping boxes to clients have been changed and made lighter in weight.
•Measures for improving rates of good products at each department.
•Plastic containers, used cartridges, etc. are returned to manufacturers.
•A garbage disposer that breaks raw garbage down into carbon dioxide and water vapor with bio-bacteria has been installed.
(September 2005)

The operating of a totally zero-emission facility

All employees actively engage in environmental activities and separate waste into thirty types through the recycling of materials such as plastics and metals including aluminum and steel into resources while distilling and regenerating materials through thermal recycling to maintain and operate a totally zero-emission facility.

Compliance with laws and regulations

Tokai Optical complies with laws and social norms.

Compliance with effluent standards

Since October 2001, we have been operating effluent treatment facilities with a treatment capacity of 530 ㎥ per day, which is about twice as much as conventional amounts.
We have also installed and have been operating automatic nitrogen and phosphorus measuring devices since April 2003 in order to comply with the fifth total volume restrictions. They are constantly managed and operated under a strict surveillance system with voluntary standards where the quality of discharged water exceeds those of regulations enforced nationally and by Aichi Prefecture and Okazaki City in addition to the effluent standards of the Yahagi River water system so that the discharge in public water is clean.

Other legal compliance practices

•We hold a management and legal affairs committee every month where we grasp information on laws, regulations, and their revisions, and keep up with their latest versions.
Employees are also notified of the law in an easy-to-understand manner over the intranet.
•We monitor drainage water, waste, noise, vibrations, and so on in compliance with laws and regulations as a matter of course, but also take the initiative in periodic monitoring and measuring to see if there is any contamination of groundwater or soil, if there is any environmental impact such as odors or air pollution in areas around our factories, and if there are any problems within our workplace environment.

Social contributions

Registration with Okazaki City as a support group on environmental learning

We are registered with a support group on environmental learning promoted by the Environment Division of Okazaki City Hall and give residents of the city the opportunity to receive better environmental education and environmental learning through tours of our environmental facilities.(registered in August 2015)

Environmental Coordination Division of the Environmental Department, Okazaki City (external link).

Twelve third-grade students from Eta Elementary School took a tour of our environmental facilities on September 15, 2015 in the first round.

•Plastic bottle caps have been collected for funding the purchasing of vaccines since November 2009 in the companywide TOKAI Eco-friendly Cap Recovery Campaign.479,354 caps have been recovered with help from our employees and local residents.(as of March 31, 2016)
This adds up to funds for polio vaccines for 564 people.
•We have been involved in activities that recover cooking oil used and disposed of at cafeterias and households into biodiesel fuel (BDF) since April 2010.
•Regional cleanup activities are held by employees each month as well as cleanup activities around the factories during training for new employees.
•We invited representatives from three local towns to help hold factory tours and explanatory meetings as part of environmental conservation efforts in conjunction with other companies within the industrial park as well as Summer Vacation Factory Tours for Children and Their Parents.

•Study meetings and seminars on environment-related laws and regulations are held for opticians.

•We gained the assurance of the Association for Cleaning up Yahagi River during their periodic patrols of industrial waste disposal companies when they saw our effluent treatment and water purification facilities.(November 9, 2015)

Our fine business practices were announced at the “What lies ahead of us in these partnerships?A co-creation forum of companies that produce waste and blue-chip industrial waste disposal companies” held by the Ministry of the Environment.(January 26, 2016)

Presenting environmentally-friendly products and technology

We present environmentally-friendly products and technology to our customers in an aim for increased customer satisfaction and reliability as well as co-existence and harmony with the global environment.