SustainabilityEnvironmentWaste reduction and environmental conservation
TOCALO is constantly monitoring the environmental impact of its business activities, products, services, and strive to prevent pollution.
Through the reduction of waste and the appropriate management of hazardous substances, TOCALO is committed to continuous improvement.
Appropriate management of chemical substances
In accordance with the PRTR Law, we report the amounts of chemical emissions and transfers.
In fiscal 2022, TOCALO reported the amount of designated chemicals released into the environment and transferred for six substances in accordance with the PRTR Law (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register: Chemical Substance Release and Transfer Notification System). The emissions met all regulatory standards under the act.
Released amount (kg) | Transferred amount (kg) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emission intothe atmosphere |
Releaseinto publicwaters |
Discardinginto the soil at place of business |
Landfilldisposal at place of business |
Transferring to sewerage |
Transferring off-site (industrialwaste) |
|
Chrome and trivalent chrome compounds |
10.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,230 |
Cobalt and its compounds |
802 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,800 |
Toluene | 1480 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 670 |
Nickel | 9.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,820 |
Vanadium compound | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Boron compounds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 | 10,500 |
- Following the PRTR Law, the volume of vanadium compounds, for which we submitted a report in fiscal 2021, was reported as zero in fiscal 2022 because the volume handled that year was less than 1 ton. (The PRTR Law requires reporting when the annual amount of vanadium compounds handled at a business site exceeds 1 ton.)
- Toluene emissions into the atmosphere amounted to 480 kilograms.
Toluene is a substance contained in organic solvents (such as thinners), and the emission volume is calculated by estimating the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) evaporated based on the natural drying method used.
Waste Reduction
We are properly disposing of all types of waste, from general waste to specially controlled industrial waste.
- General waste
Paper constitutes the majority of business-related general waste, and we are committed to reusing and recycling paper. When confidentially is an issue, we work with the paper manufacturers to dissolve materials chemically. - Industrial waste
Waste oil accounted for 39% of our industrial waste, which was the largest component. Waste oil emits from cooling water that is added to grinding oil for use as a coolant with wet grinders (machines for roll grinding). More than 90% of the water is tap water. After disposal, it is used at cement factories and elsewhere to adjust combustion temperature.
The other main components of industrial waste are sludge (21%), mixed waste (10%), slag (9%), waste alkali (7%), glass and ceramic scraps (6%), and waste plastics (5%).
Sludge contains large amounts of dust generated from thermal spraying. Although thermal spray dust is dry, it is treated as sludge with strict disposal standards.
Mixed waste is defined as a mixture of several types of waste that is difficult to sort.
Slag is a mineral slag, and wet slag from industrial operations is considered as sludge which is strictly controlled in waste treatment. TOCALO disposes as sludge any slag tailings that are wet or had the potential of getting wet.
Most of the alkaline waste is washing solution from TD treatment that contains a small amount of sediment. The solution is weakly alkaline due to its boron content. In certain instances, it may be treated as sludge.
Glass and ceramic scraps, such as refractory bricks, contain ceramic-based grinding materials that cannot be recycled.
Waste plastics include material containers and secondary materials, as well as waste paper and wood scraps that contain oil. Our recycling and other efforts resulted in less waste than in the previous year. - Specially controlled industrial waste
Most of this waste is dust generated by thermal spraying using chromium-containing materials (such as stainless steel) and collected by a dust collector. When the dust volume exceeds the regulatory limit in dissolution tests, it is disposed of as specially controlled industrial waste.
VOICE
Spreading environmental awareness and developing environmentally friendly activities
Kohei Ishizuka (Miyagi Technical Service Center, FS Manufacturing Section)
I am in charge of process management and industrial waste treatment in the Manufacturing Section. In April 2023, I was put in charge of the Miyagi Technical Service Center (Miyagi TSC) ‘s Environment Secretariat. In addition to my own tasks, I also strive to understand the company's operations and contribute as a team member to reduce environmental impact.
I’m relatively new to environment-related work. Right now, the biggest challenges for me are finding information about changes in environmental and waste-related laws and regulations and how to incorporate the changes into our internal business processes. I also think it’s important that all of the employees at our operating sites have a similar awareness of environmental issues as I do, but it’s been difficult to establish a shared awareness.
My own perception has changed since I was put in charge of the environment. As a member of the Manufacturing Section, I was only thinking about how to make a good product, but now I also think about what we are emitting when we make a product and how much of an impact those emissions can have on the environment. I’ve also changed some of my smaller daily habits. For example, I now look at documents on a computer as much as possible to reduce paper usage.
My goals are to incorporate actions that reduce our environmental impact into our business processes and to establish environmental awareness among not just the people in charge, but all employees. I also want everyone at our operating sites to engage in environmentally friendly conduct.
TOPICS
Introducing translucent clear paper files
Recycling of miscellaneous recyclable paper at Headquarters (Kobe City)
Kobe City has been implementing an initiative for the recycling of used paper (miscellaneous recyclable paper) that is emitted by business operators targeting the business operators of Port Island and Rokko Island, and the TOCALO Headquarters (within Kobe City Port Island) has been participating in this initiative since March 2020. A large amount of shredder dust is generated at the Headquarters, and this is recovered and transported to designated locations in Kobe City by contracted transport companies.