Guidelines for corporate action
Companies must carry on their business activities to contribute to the establishment of a new economic social system for realizing an environmentally protective society leading to the sustainable development.
Companies should always consult the guidelines below in carrying on their activities. They must work to (1) protect the global environment and improve the local living environment, (2) take care to protect ecosystems and conserve resources, (3) ensure the environmental soundness of products and (4) protect the health and safety of employees and citizens.
- Companies shall establish an internal system to handle environmental issues by appointing an executive and creating an organization in charge of environmental problems.
- Environmental regulations shall be established for company activities, and these shall be observed. Such internal regulations shall include goals for reducing the load on the environment. An internal inspection to determine how well the environmental regulations are being adhered to shall be carried out at least once a year.
- All company activities, beginning with the siting of production facilities, shall be scientifically evaluated for their impact on the environment, and any necessary countermeasures shall be implemented.
- Care shall be taken in the research, design, and development stages of making a product to lessen the possible burden on the environment at each level of its production, distribution, appropriate use, and disposal.
- Companies shall strictly observe all national and local laws and regulations for environmental protection, and where necessary they shall set additional standards of their own.
- When procuring materials, including materials for production, companies shall endeavor to purchase those that are superior from such viewpoints as conserving resources, preserving the environment, and enhancing recycling.
- Companies shall employ technologies that allow efficient use of energy and preservation of the environment in their production and other activities.
Companies shall endeavor to use resources efficiently and reduce waste products through recycling, and shall appropriately deal with pollutants and waste products.
In order to help solve global environmental problems, companies shall endeavor to develop and supply innovative technologies, products and survices that allow conservation of energy and other resources together with preservation of the environment.
- Companies shall seek appropriate means for the domestic and overseas transfer of their technologies, know-how and expertise for dealing with environmental problems and conserving energy and other resources.
- In participating in official development assistance projects, companies shall carefully consider environmental and antipollution measures.
- If environmental problems ever occur as a result of an accident in the course of company activities or deficiency in a product, companies shall adequately explain the situation to all concerned parties and take appropriate measures, using their technologies and human and other resources, to minimize the impact on the environment.
- Even when a major disaster or environmental accident occurs outside of a company's responsibility, it shall still actively provide technological and other appropriate assistance.
- Companies shall actively publicize information and carry out educational activities concerning their measures for protecting the environment, maintaining ecosystems, and ensuring health and safety in their activities.
- The employees shall be educated to understand the importance of daily close management to ensure the prevention of pollution and the conservation of energy and other resources.
- Companies shall provide users with information on the appropriate use and disposal, including recycling, of their products.
- As community members, companies shall actively participate in activities to preserve the community environment and support employees who engage in such activities on their own initiative.
- Companies shall promote dialogue with people in all segments of society over operational issues and problems seeking to achieve mutual understanding and strengthen cooperative relations.
Companies developing operations overseas shall observe the Ten-Points-Environmental Guidelines for the Japanese Enterprises Operating Abroad in Keidanren's Basic Views of the Global Environmental Problems (April 1990) (see Attachment).
- Companies shall work to provide information gained from their experiences to administrative authorities, international organizations, and other bodies formulating environmental policy, as well as participate in dialogue with such bodies, in order that more rational and effective policies can be formulated.
- Companies shall draw on their experience to propose rational systems to administrative authorities and international organizations concerning formulation of environmental policies and to offer sensible advice to consumers on lifestyles.
- Companies shall cooperate in scientific research on the causes and effects of such problems as global warming and they shall also cooperate in the economic analysis of possible countermeasures.
- Companies shall actively work to implement effective and rational measures to conserve energy and other resources ever when such environmental problems have not been fully elucidated by science.
- Companies shall play an active role when the private sector's help is sought to implement international environmental measures, including work to solve the problems of poverty and overpopulation in developing countries.
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