Recognizing the conservation of biodiversity as a critical global challenge, Niterra Group identifies it as a material environmental issue for us to address, along with global warming mitigation and resource recycling.
For this reason, in April 2013 we established the Niterra Group Biodiversity Action Guidelines, which outline our policy on biodiversity conservation.
The Niterra Group recognizes that biodiversity is essential for a sustainable society and that the use of energy and resources and emissions of environmentally hazardous substances have an impact on biodiversity. We will work with our suppliers and external organizations to reduce environmental impact in all our business activities and promote actions to conserve biodiversity.
Using the Niterra Group Biodiversity Action Guidelines as a guide, while being fully aware that our activities, particularly involving the use of energy and resources, are inevitably causing impacts on biodiversity, we will continue working to reduce such impacts throughout our business operations, in cooperation with our suppliers and external organizations.
In addition, we will fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations and will not pollute rivers or destroy forests.
The closed land-based aquaculture system provided by our group company Niterra AQUA prevents the depletion of aquatic resources while minimizing environmental impact through precise control of aquaculture water quality.
Compared to traditional marine aquaculture, this system reduces water pollution. Furthermore, utilizing idle land such as former factory sites or large parking lots can curb new land development. By harnessing unused heat sources like waste heat from nearby factories or power plants, hot springs, or geothermal energy for water temperature control, it contributes to society's overall energy efficiency.
The Ise Plant has introduced a “closed system” for production wastewater in order to protect the rich nature of the surrounding area. Production wastewater is not discharged outside the plant site and is purified and reused on site.
In the area surrounding the “SUISO no MORI hub” established in a corner of the Komaki Plant, we have planted tree species primarily native to the region, such as Japanese white oak, Japanese holly, and Japanese spindle tree, creating an environment harmonized with the local natural surroundings.
Additionally, at the Satsuma Plant, after tree management operations on the premises, we select and plant species such as plum trees that were traditionally planted in the area.
As one of the activities outside the business activities, together with Komaki City, Komaki City Natural Environment Watchers (citizens registered with the city through an open application), and neighboring companies, we are working on extermination of the invasive alien species lanceleaf coreopsis in Komaki City every year.
Additionally, starting in fiscal year 2024, we participated in the removal of lanceleaf coreopsis around the Kuguri district in Kani City at the Nittoku Spark Tech WKS Nino Plant. We plan to continue these efforts going forward.
Lanceleaf coreopsis
Extermination of lanceleaf coreopsisOur Group recognizes that biodiversity and natural capital form the foundation of our business activities and has strived to conserve the environment through our environmental policies and biodiversity conservation initiatives.
In recent years, the global environment has been changing at an unprecedented scale and speed, including climate change and biodiversity loss, significantly impacting all economic activities. In light of this situation, our Group will also more thoroughly organize nature-related risks and opportunities from the present into the future and take appropriate measures.
We will examine the impacts our Group's business activities have on nature and the risks arising from natural loss. Working in collaboration with stakeholders, we will implement initiatives across the entire value chain to address natural capital and biodiversity.
To further advance our biodiversity conservation efforts, we joined the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Forum in October 2023.
In January 2024, we declared our intention to disclose information aligned with the TNFD Recommendations published in September 2023 by fiscal year 2025 and completed our registration as a TNFD Early Adopter.
Through this, we will advance transparent disclosure of information regarding nature-related risks and opportunities, fulfilling our accountability to all stakeholders.
Our Group is conducting detailed assessments of our business's dependence on natural capital, the impacts we exert, the resulting risks, and the opportunities arising from them, referencing the evaluation methods recommended in the TNFD recommendations. Through this assessment, we will identify the natural-related risks and opportunities that are particularly material to our Group. For identified material risks, we will set specific targets and continuously advance initiatives while monitoring progress.
Furthermore, we will periodically review these risks and opportunities to ensure responsiveness to changes in the global environment and business conditions.
To enhance employee awareness of the relationship between our Group's business activities and biodiversity, we conducted video training for employees of our company and domestic Group companies in fiscal 2023. Employees watched videos covering the importance of biodiversity, global trends, understanding dependencies and impacts within our Group's value chain, and our Group's stance on the matter. Understanding was confirmed through a check test. This video is also available for viewing anytime on the intranet.
To enhance our efforts to mitigate climate change, the Group participates in the following: