UACJ Group's Materiality
With the aim of growing together with a sustainable society, the UACJ Group has identified as materiality issues to be addressed by the entire group over the medium to long term, starting in 2021.
We will monitor changes in the internal and external environment in a timely manner and reprioritize materiality issues when a review becomes necessary. In this way, we intend to achieve environmental, social, and economic sustainability as well as UACJ's sustainable business growth in response to changing times.
Three materiality issues related to the environment
Materiality issues for realizing "A future where Earth can continue to be beautiful and bountiful"
Leading a Circular Economy in Aluminum
What the UAJC Group can do
- Promoting a circular economy through aluminum recycling is essential to solving the issues of climate change and environmental protection. The UACJ Group believes that further expanding the potential of aluminum throughout the Group will make a significant contribution to society and the global environment.
- Aluminum can be recycled repeatedly, and it is relatively easy for society to set up a recycling infrastructure, as a comparably small amount of energy is needed to remelt aluminum. Numerous other beneficial properties are also offered by aluminum, including its excellent heat conductivity and relatively light weight as a metal.
- We are committed to minimizing the utilization of primary aluminum* by making the best possible use not only of the metal recovered from used products, but also of all processing scrap from users of aluminum materials and scrap generated by production at our own plant, and thereby lead society in aluminum recycling. In this way, the Group will reduce CO2 emission over the entire product lifecycle, from raw material procurement and manufacturing to product use and disposal, and contribute to a brighter world with less impact on the global environment.
* The raw aluminum metal refined and smelted mainly by electricity from mined bauxite.
Our commitment
We play a central role in promoting aluminum recycling by combining forward material flows (providing materials to manufacturers) and reverse material flows (collecting various types of scrap and reuse it as raw material).
Targets to be achieved by FY2030
* Recycling rate at UACJ = Amount of recycled aluminum / Amount of aluminum loaded into crucibles (excluding pure aluminum)
Building a society where aluminum is recycled
We recycle aluminum cans, reuse automobile scrap, and recycle aluminum within UACJ to create a society where aluminum is recycled.
Taking measures to address Climate Change
What the UAJC Group can do
- Responding to rapid climate change is an urgent issue that must be addressed by society as a whole. The UACJ Group understands that all life on Earth is completely dependent on the global environment and recognizes the importance of taking proactive initiatives as a manufacturer to fight against climate change.
- In particular, we consider achieving carbon neutrality, including the reduction of greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions, to be one of our most important issues. In addition to our initiatives to reduce CO2 throughout our business, we believe that efforts to expand the utilization of aluminum with technology that maximizes its performance will lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions and make a significant contribution to a sustainable society.
Our commitment
We aim to establish an action platform to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We also aim to minimize GHG emissions throughout our supply chain in 2050 through various collaborations with our partners.
Targets to be achieved by FY2030
- Calculated using CO2 emissions per unit of production (CO2 emissions per ton of manufactured product)
- *1 The calculation is based on the Strategic Energy Plan released.
- *2 Category 1
Deepening our commitment to climate change
We endorsed the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in September 2021. We will analyze and assess climate change risks and opportunities and further strengthen our efforts.
Our Commitment to Global Warming
We consider energy conservation to be the most important issue in preventing global warming, and we are steadily implementing these activities with the goal of reducing energy consumption year by year.
Supporting Environmental Health and Nature (Nature Positive)
What the UAJC Group can do
- Every environment on Earth is shaped by nature, including its plants, soil, water, and air. We cannot consider our daily lives in isolation from nature. Our lives would not be possible without Earth's bounty of forests and oceans, safe drinking water, adequate food, fresh air, and many other benefits we receive as resources.
- The UACJ Group have been working on environmental management activities to reduce our environmental impact by using technology to recycle and reuse water used in manufacturing, which we consider to be UACJ Group Fundamentals. In addition to these activities, we are working to minimize our impact on nature by further addressing water security, preserving biodiversity, and promoting aluminum recycling to reduce the use of primary aluminum and mining of bauxite, the raw material for aluminum. By promoting these initiatives throughout our supply chain, we believe we can pass on a cleaner environment and a brighter, more prosperous society to succeeding generations.
Our commitment
We aim to minimize the impact on nature throughout the supply chain by taking advantage of aluminum's unique properties and contribute to a nature-positive economy, where support for environmental regeneration, creation and conservation is appropriately balanced with the economy.
Targets to be achieved by FY2030
* Calculated using water intake per production unit (water taken in per ton of manufactured product)
Water intake includes industrial water, tap water, well water, and surface water (including reclaimed wastewater)
Efforts to Conserve Biodiversity
We recognize that biodiversity conservation is one of the most important global environmental issues, and we strive to assess the impact of our Group's operations on biodiversity. At the same time, we contribute to the preservation of biodiversity through various conservation activities related to our business.
Two materiality issues related to well-being
Materiality issues to be addressed for "A healthy and harmonious society where everyone can feel Well-being"
Respecting Human Rights
What the UAJC Group can do
- The UACJ Group believe that the promotion of human rights improves the "Well" (state of happiness) of society as a whole, both inside and outside the Group, and leads to the "well" of the future.
- We will believes that it can contribute to a society in which everyone can feel happy by promoting activities in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights and conducting our global business activities in accordance with the ideas of universality and equality, of inalienability and inviolability to put into practice our values of respecting and understanding our associates.
* "Well" refers to a state of happiness in which all aspects of one's life—physical, mental, and social are fulfilled.
Our commitment
We aim to ensure that the initiatives required by the UN Guidelines and National Action Plans permeate and take root throughout the UACJ Group.
Targets to be achieved by FY2030
- *1 Human rights due diligence implementation rate = Total number of employees of Group companies where human rights due diligence has been conducted / Total number of employees of Group companies
- *2 Pervasiveness of respect for human rights = Average score of employee engagement survey items relating to compliance and human rights
Ensuring Respect for Human Rights
In March 2022, we established the "UACJ Group Human Rights Basic Policy," which outlines our commitment to respect human rights in our business activities, including the prohibition of child and forced labor, and we actively pursue this commitment.
Sustainable Sourcing
We conduct our global sourcing in accordance with our basic policy of ”fair, transparent, and appropriate sourcing” while taking into account the environment.
Promoting Dei-ay
What the UAJC Group can do
- The UACJ Group believe that respecting our diverse backgrounds is the "Well" of our Group, as well as of society as a whole, and leads to a state of well-being for all.
- All executives and employees of the UACJ Group consist of diverse individuals in terms of attributes, work styles, and careers, and to work independently and to practice our core values we holds dear can derive our business forward and enable us to effectively respond and adapt to change. We believe that by taking pride and satisfaction in working at UACJ, working in an optimal environment, with excellent supervisors and colleagues, and engaging in exciting work, we will contribute to creating results that exceed the expectations of our customers.
Our commitment
Based on the philosophy of respecting and understanding our employees as stated in the UACJ Way, we will enable our employees to live their lives in their own way with a sense of pride and security. At the same time, we aim to create synergies that will lead to the sustainable growth of the company, including innovation, by enabling employees to fully utilize their own abilities.
Targets to be achieved by FY2030
- *1 Pervasiveness of Dei-ay = Average score of employee engagement survey items relating to Pervasiveness of Dei-ay
- *2 Excluding board members.
Diversity and Equal Opportunity
We are committed to hiring a diverse workforce—hiring women and people with disabilities, and rehiring retirees—and expanding and equalizing opportunities for them to play active roles in our organization, as well as addressing LGBT issues.
Creating an employee-friendly environment
We have established systems and programs to support diverse work styles and help employees achieve a good work-life balance.
Steps toward achieving the UACJ Group's
five materiality targets
Steps toward achieving the UACJ Group's five materiality targets (
1.1MB)
Materiality achievement status
To realize the five materiality issues, the Group have established a series of action plans, performance indicators, and targets for the short, medium, and long term. The Group are promoting initiatives not only within the Group but also throughout the supply chain to realize a brighter world a century from now, and we are making steady progress toward achieving the goals while reviewing this progress.
UACJ Group Sustainability Goals by the five materiality issues and achievement status (596KB)
Six materiality issues we have worked on and their results for FY2021 through FY2023 (96KB)
The Process of Identifying Materiality
We began our materiality identification activities in 2019. Potential materiality issues were reviewed and prioritized from two perspectives: importance to the UACJ Group and importance to stakeholders. In addition, based on exchange of views with experts, materiality issues were identified through procedures in accordance with appropriate governance.
Subsequently, due to changes in the domestic and overseas situation, including the spread of COVID-19 after the COVID-19 disaster and changes in the overseas situation, the social system underwent a major transformation, and we determined that materiality needed to be reviewed. Therefore, as indicated below, we re-identified it in 2023 and will implement it from 2024.
Definition of Materiality in the UACJ Group
In the UACJ Group, we define “materiality” as those important issues related to environmental, economic and social sustainability that significantly impact our medium to long-term business and that meet the following three requirements:
- (1) Environmental, economic and social issues that have a significant impact on UACJ Group's stakeholders;
- (2) Environmental, economic and social issues that the UACJ Group recognizes as important and to be given priority in allocating management resources in order to create sustainable value and increase corporate value;
- (3) Environmental, economic and social issues that will create social and economic value that the UACJ Group intends to provide in the medium to long term.
Issues that are already widely recognized as fundamental activities are categorized as "elements that we take for granted (areas that serve as the foundation for UACJ to continue its business in a sustainable manner) Fundamental Elements = UACJ Standards" and are not included in the scope of materiality.
* In reviewing our materiality issues for FY2023, we have identified Occupational Health and Safety and Product Quality Assurance as UACJ Group's Fundamental Elements (USCJ Standards) because these issues will continue to serve as the foundation of the UACJ Group's business 100 years from now. Accordingly, the Health and Safety Committee and the Quality Committee will continue to manage the progress of these initiatives.
UACJ Group Sustainability
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