Chemical Substance Management and Legal Compliance
Chemical Management
Basic stance
The Nidec Group’s Approach to Chemical Management
A global business enterprise, the NIDEC Group pays close attention to the use and storage of chemical substances at each business site to prevent leakage and to reduce the use and emissions of chemical substances as much as possible as part of improvements and innovations in production processes. We also utilize information systems and analytical techniques to comprehensively comply with international regulations regarding hazardous chemical substances contained in our products.
Preventing Chemical Leakage
The NIDEC Group is promoting the acquisition of ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification, and is building and operating a management system based on these. As part of this, we identify environmental aspects and hazard sources, conduct risk assessments, and decide on management, striving to prevent chemical substance leaks and ensure thorough management in the event of a disaster. We also conduct regular audits and education to raise employee awareness of pollution prevention, and in the unlikely event of a leak, we take appropriate measures to contain the spread and clean up the situation, striving to minimize the impact on the environment.
Target
In the seventh Mid-term Environmental Conservation Plan, we have set a target of "reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are one of the causes of air pollution, compared to the previous year," and we are managing our progress toward that goal. VOCs are also closely linked to health issues, and their management and reduction is important for achieving a sustainable environment.
The seventh mid-term environmental conservation plan
| Item | Three-year targets (FY2025 goals) |
|---|---|
| VOC emissions* | Reduce VOC emissions compared to the previous year |
*Applies to sites in Japan
Similarly, we manage emissions of NOx (nitrogen oxides) and SOx (sulfur oxides) as air pollutants. We will continue to work to reduce emissions of these air pollutants in order to achieve a sustainable environment.
In addition, under the PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) system based on Japanese law, our Group's domestic business sites grasp and manage the amounts of chemical substances designated by the system that are released and transferred when they are used.
Achievements and Actions
Emission of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)
VOC emissions in fiscal year 2023 will be 93 tons, an increase of 210% compared to fiscal year 2022. This is due to an increase in three business sites that use VOCs from fiscal year 2023 due to M&A. In addition, when comparing the results excluding these three business sites, the reduction was 6.7% compared to fiscal year 2022. We will continue to switch to alternative substances for chemical substances that are of concern for their environmental impact, and strive to reduce VOC emissions.
VOC emissions
| Item | Unit | FY2022 | FY2023 | Year-on-year change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VOC emissions*1 | Total | t | 30 | 93 | 210% increase |
| Limited to the same business sites as in fiscal year 2022*2 | t | 30 | 28 | 6.7% reduction | |
*1 Applies to workplaces in Japan
*2 Excluding three business sites that use VOCs and have increased due to M&A from fiscal year 2023
Emission of NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) and SOx (Sulfur Oxides)
NOx emissions in fiscal year 2023 were 6.1 tons and SOx emissions were 9.9 tons. We will continue to work to reduce NOx and SOx emissions in order to achieve a sustainable environment.
NOx and SOx emissions (exhaust concentration multiplied by exhaust volume)
| Item | Unit | FY2023 |
|---|---|---|
| NOx Emissions* | t | 6.1 |
| SOx Emissions* | t | 9.9 |
*Applies to workplaces in Japan
Discharge and Displacement of the PRTR-covered Substances (FY2023)
| Substance | No. | Discharge | Displacement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere | Public water |
Soil on property |
Landfill on property |
Sewer | Displacement off property |
||
| Indium and other compounds | 44 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ethylbenzene | 53 | 6,000.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 623.0 |
| Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether | 58 | 16.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ferric chloride | 71 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Chromium and trivalent chromium compounds | 87 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Beryllium and its compounds | 394 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Cadmium and other compounds | 75 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Xylene | 80 | 13,280.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1,584.0 |
| Iron and its water-soluble compounds | 82 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Methylene chloride | 186 | 1,900.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 19.0 |
| Styrene | 240 | 14,170.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 140.0 |
| 1,2,4-trimethyl-
benzene |
296 | 2,100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Toluene | 300 | 58,940.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3,420.0 |
| Nickel compounds | 309 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1-bromopropane | 384 | 1,615.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Methyl-
naphthalene |
438 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Methyl isobutyl ketone | 737 | 2,326.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 110.0 |
| Diethanolamine | 626 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1,700.0 |
Compliance with Product Hazardous Chemicals Regulations
Many chemicals, including those present in nature, significantly improve the functions of products and components if those chemicals are used properly, while causing unpredictable effects to the global environment if left in a product. In particular, the use of those chemicals that can harm the human body and the ecosystem is regulated by laws, regulations, etc.
While addressing the following and other regulations and reduction demands, we manage restricted substances by product, and promote the reduction of the use (inclusion of ingredients) of, or abolition of such substances.
(1) RoHS Directive (the regulation of the use of mainly lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, mercury, PBB/PBDE, and four types of Phthalates)
(2) The ELV Directive (regulation with a main focus on lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and mercury)
(3) The REACH regulation (regulation on chemicals)
(4) Halogen-free requirements
Chemical substances Management System
After the enforcement of REACH, the EU-led comprehensive chemical regulation, Nidec launched in 2012 a system to manage chemicals included in products, and has been using the system by improving it constantly. The system has the following three characteristics:
- 1. Information sharing and visualizing progress
- Under the system, Nidec and any of its supply chain partners can immediately check the progress of an investigation and any information received, and share information and manage progress online.
- 2. Addressing customer needs more promptly and accurately
- Requests to provide a supply chain partner can be handled with the system. With data tabulation and reporting into a customer-designated form all performed automatically, we can handle customer requests with a short lead time and high accuracy.
- 3. Measures for high-level information management
- The system can handle frequent additions of restricted substances, manage supply chain-related information ranging from processors to material manufacturers, and collect and centrally manage detailed ingredient tables.
Securing Testing Data Reliability
In March 2009, the Quality Management Department, Quality Assurance Division, Small Precision Motor & Solutions Business Unit of Nidec Corporation’s Central Technical Laboratory became qualified as a chemical testing facility under the international standard ISO/IEC 17025.
With this certification, which the team acquired to guarantee the reliability of the data described in our products’ analysis result reports on those substances covered by Europe’s RoHS Directive, the reliability of the data that our testing facility provides will be internationally guaranteed within the certified range.