Nature conservation activity of:
Oji Paper Co., Ltd.
| URL: | http://www.ojipaper.co.jp/english/ |
| Liaison: | Environmental Management Department |
| Address: | 4-7-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 104-0061 |
| Telephone: | +81-3-3563-7020 |
| FAX: | +81-3-3563-1139 |
| Mail: | info @ ojipaper.co.jp |
1. Stance on nature conservation (environmental) initiatives
Oji Paper has established the Oji Paper Group Environmental Charter, and is addressing environmental issues by implementing three major action guidelines: forest recycling (tree planting), paper recycling (promoting the usage of recovered paper), and global warming countermeasures. In the area of forest recycling, Oji Paper has decided to increase the area of its tree plantations outside Japan to 300,000 hectares by fiscal 2010, in order to help prevent global warming through the beneficial role of forests. Oji Paper's targets for a 20% reduction of fossil fuel-based energy consumption per unit of production and a 20% reduction in fossil fuel-derived CO2 emissions per unit of production by 2010, compared to fiscal 1990 levels, were achieved ahead of schedule in fiscal 2006.
2. Cooperation with NGOs
Partnering with the Japan Groundwork Association
As the first corporate member of the Japan Groundwork Association, Oji Paper is promoting local environmental improvement activities (groundwork) at all its facilities across Japan, with the cooperation of citizens, local governments, and companies. For example, Oji Paper expresses good corporate citizenship by working together with the public on programs such as collecting and recycling used disposable chopsticks, as well as neighborhood clean-ups and tree planting campaigns.Since 1992, Oji Paper has been collecting used disposable chopsticks and effectively utilizing them as a raw material for papermaking. Each year since fiscal 2005, the company has donated an amount of funds determined by the number of chopsticks collected to the NPO Japan Council on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J).
In cooperation with various people who have an interest and knowledge in interaction between people and the natural environment, Oji Paper established the NPO, Mori no Uta ("Song of the Forest"), in October 2004. Using Miho Forest in Yamakita, Kanagawa, as a base for activities, the organization holds workshops such as a relaxation experience in the forest.
3. Environmental education and volunteer training (employees)
Oji Paper regularly holds employee training sessions based on the ISO 14001 standard. The types of training include orientation for newly transferred and newly hired employees, training for special work procedures in operations with a high environmental impact, manager training for environmental month, and training of internal auditors.
In addition to participating in social contribution activities established under the Oji Paper Group Corporate Code of Conduct, the company promotes local volunteer activities as a member of the Groundwork Association.
4. Environmental education (external)
Oji Paper sites across Japan send instructors to give talks at nearby schools and environmental courses sponsored by local governments, while also sending panelists to conferences and other events.
In order to make effective use of its forests in various parts of Japan, Oji Paper founded the Oji Forest Nature School in 2004 to offer children a hands-on environmental education program using company-owned forests as a "classroom." With the cooperation of the Japan Environmental Education Forum, participants are invited from elementary and junior high schools nationwide. The Oji Forest Nature School provides young people with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the relationship between forests, industry and paper, by participating in the experiential learning program and touring a paper mill.
Oji Paper mills across Japan actively provide tours to elementary and junior high school students, and other visitors. Through these tours and other experiential learning programs, Oji Paper is showing the community how the paper industry operates in harmony with the natural environment. Visitors also learn about the importance of growing trees, and the recycling of recovered paper.
Oji Paper also carries out activities on an international level, such as welcoming trainees from the Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS), and transferring technology to countries outside Japan.
5. Practical use and preservation of company-owned premises, etc.
In order to let people visit and really experience the forest, three company-owned forests in Hokkaido are open to the public as part of the Oji Forest program. One of these, Oji Forest Kuriyama, offers a tree museum with a 27-hectare forest and an interpretive center that explains the species. This facility (including the forest) is barrier free, making it accessible to everyone including visitors in wheelchairs, persons with physical disabilities, and seniors. Oji Forest Sarufutsu, a 1,400-hectare wetland inside a company-owned forest, is open to researchers and other visitors. This pristine high moor is available for scientific study, and the researchers can use the company's onsite accommodations for long-term research. Finally, the Oji Forest Minami Furano welcomes forest management professionals, as a model for sustainable forest management.
A company-owned forest covering 60 hectares in the city of Sapporo is open to the public as a "citizens' forest." The forest has a network of trails, which are enjoyed by everyone from kids to seniors for hiking and nature observation. In winter, some people even use them for cross-country skiing.
The entire area surrounding Mt. Apoi in Hokkaido is designated as a quasi-national park and special protection area. Though it is recognized as a Special Natural Monument of Japan, and known worldwide for its unique alpine flora, the habitat has experienced a sudden decline. Oji Paper provides the neighboring Samani Forest as an experimental area for habitat regeneration, and is cooperating with the research for future vegetation recovery in the park.
6. Forest management, afforestation, silviculture, etc.
As part of efforts for forest recycling, Oji Paper operates industrial tree plantations at 11 locations in six countries outside Japan: Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, China, Laos, and Brazil. The company's goal is to expand from its current 170,000 hectares of plantation to 300,000 hectares by 2010. Although the goal of overseas plantations is to develop forest resources as raw material for papermaking, using denuded land outside Japan for tree plantations also makes a major contribution to the environment by promoting vegetation recovery, the prevention of soil erosion, and absorbing and fixing CO2 to help slow global warming.
The Oji Paper Group maintains and manages 700 forests in Japan, totaling 190,000 hectares of company-owned forest. This equals 0.76% of Japan's entire forest area, or an area the size of Osaka Prefecture. The forests of Oji Paper are not just natural resources, but an important element of environmental conservation, as they contribute to society by protecting land, preserving water resources, benefiting human health and recreation, and absorbing and fixing CO2. According to calculations by the Forestry Agency of Japan, the value of these company-owned forests in terms of public benefit is about 580 billion yen per year.
Oji Paper is also a leading corporate partner in the Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) afforestation project in Chongqing, China, which seeks to prevent flood damage and protect the ecology near the Yangtze River.
The Oji Paper Group has worked to plant trees that protect Vietnam's coastline and trees that protect China's Loess Plateau under projects funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA) grants from the Japanese government.
7. Other
The Oji Paper Group is looking into afforestation projects based on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol. A Proposed New Methodology submitted to the CDM Executive Board was officially approved in 2007, a world-first for the paper industry. This methodology is used to measure CO2 credits created through afforestation activities, the purpose of which is sustainable forest production. In Madagascar, desolate grassland areas are growing due to excessive logging for fuel wood and slash-and-burn agriculture. By creating sustainably managed forests on otherwise barren lands, the Oji Paper Group's afforestation project is expected to help slow global warming and contribute to society and the environment in Madagascar, while also generating raw material for papermaking.