Biodiversity Initiatives
Improvement Objectives
The UACJ Group views the protection of biodiversity as one of the most important global environmental challenges, and we treat it as such within the UACJ Group Code of Conduct. We strive to ascertain the impacts of our businesses on biodiversity and aim to preserve biodiversity through various conservation activities related to our businesses.
Identifying Risks to Biodiversity
We recognize the possibility that our operations and products could have a significant impact on the natural environment and biodiversity from during the processes of mining the raw materials, manufacturing the products, during the use of the final products containing aluminum, and in the disposal stage. The UACJ Group strives to understand all of the risks to biodiversity associated with its business activities. We consider the biggest risk to be wastewater from one of our manufacturing plants impacting the habitat of aquatic organisms, and take extensive measures to minimize that potential, including 24-hour monitoring, by maintaining wastewater quality standards that are above and beyond legal requirements.
Making Packing Materials Recyclable
The UACJ Group pursues reuse, recycling, conversion to other materials, and other approaches for handling wood-based materials used in our products or as packing material. In the past, we used wood-based packing materials for some of the raw materials for our products. These wood-based materials, however, are not recyclable and must be disposed of as industrial waste. To improve upon this situation, we switched to cardboard packing materials, which are easily recyclable. By reducing our use of wood materials and producing less waste, the UACJ Group aims to help reduce the harvesting of trees, which provide habitats for various types of living organisms.
Helping to Eliminate Invasive Species
In an era of globalization, non-native species entering Japan as pets or as a result of the movement of goods and people are endangering native species by threatening their habitat and, through crossbreeding, their gene pools.
The UACJ Group cooperates with the invasive species extermination efforts of local governments and encourages employees to participate as volunteers.
Greening Activities
We are adding plant life to our business sites to create habitats for local flora and fauna.
Topics
Corporate afforestation agreement with Fukui Prefecture and Sakai City
-----Promoting regional environmental conservation through tree planting and forest management
The UACJ Fukui Forest
UACJ, Fukui Prefecture, and Sakai City hosted a tree planting and signing ceremony for their new corporate afforestation agreement on March 12, 2022.
Fukui Prefecture is promoting corporate forestation in which companies rent land from owners free of charge and take on the responsibility of maintaining the forest. Our agreement with the prefecture will enable us to strengthen our local environmental conservation activities, interact with local communities, and raise the environmental awareness of our employees. The agreement with Sakai City allows us to name the leased plots the UACJ Fukui Forest and to carry out forest management activities, such as planting trees and clearing underbrush with support from the city and prefecture.
The inaugural tree planting was joined by 20 employees of the Fukui Works and their families who helped plant some 300 Japanese red pine and black pine trees. UACJ looks forward to clearing underbrush, adding more trees, and maintaining the forest.
Mangrove Forest Restoration Activities in Vietnam
UACJ Foundry & Forging (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. employees planted 500 black mangrove trees as part of the mangrove forest restoration project for the Can Gio mangrove forest in Vietnam.
