Environment

Reducing Waste and Recycling Resources

• Reducing Industrial Waste Sent to Final Landfill and Increasing Recycling Rate
• Proper Disposal of Industrial Waste
• Response to the Plastic Resource Circulation Act
• Promotion of the 3Rs
• 3R Initiatives

To make effective use of limited resources, we work to reduce and recycle industrial waste through 3R(*1) initiatives. At Kaneka and our Group companies in Japan, we are also working toward achieving zero emissions(*2), defined as keeping final landfill disposal below 0.5% of total waste generated.
In addition, across the Kaneka Group we are promoting the recycling of waste and waste plastics and cutting landfill volumes, with a goal of improving our resource recycling rate(*3) by 1% each year and using resources more efficiently.

*1 3R: Reduce, reuse,recycle.

*2 Zero emissions: final landfill disposal volume at Kaneka of less than 0.5% of total generated waste.

*3 Recycling rate: Volume of generated industrial waste that is recycled (total figure for industrial waste that is subject to reuse, recycling or heat recovery).

Note: For data of indicators related to climate change and environment protection, we have received third-party assurance to ensure the reliability and transparency of Data Sheet 2025 .
For indicator data, some calculation methods have been changed. For details, please refer to “Calculation Methods for Data of Indicators related to Environment.”
The reporting scope covers Kaneka, 51 Group companies in Japan, and 16 overseas Group companies. For a list of companies, please see “Reporting Organizations.”

Reducing Industrial Waste Sent to Final Landfill and Increasing Recycling Rate

In FY2024, Kaneka Group generated 107,373 tons of waste, an increase of 11,962 tons from the previous fiscal year. Although coal consumption decreased from the previous fiscal year, the increase in soot and dust generation was mainly due to the use of coal with a high ash content.
Kaneka’s final landfill volume was 11,549 tons in FY1996. In FY2024, it had decreased substantially to 5.9 tons.
The final landfill rate was 16.33% in FY1996, but declined to 0.008% in FY2024, marking 18 consecutive years of zero emissions for Kaneka. Additionally, the final landfill rate for Kaneka and Group companies in Japan was 0.26%, we have achieved zero emissions.
In FY2024, Kaneka Group external recycling volume totaled 65,527 tons, and the recycling rate improved by 3.8 percentage points from FY2023 to 61.0%.

Waste Generated(*4)

Volume of Waste Sent to Final Landfill(*4)

Rate of Waste Sent to Final Landfill

External Recycling

*4Calculations for overseas Group companies include waste for which the classification as industrial waste is unclear.

*5In FY2024, certain overseas Group companies changed their method of measuring the amount of waste generated to a method required by local laws and regulations.

*6In FY2024, certain overseas Group companies changed their method of calculating disposal classifications to a method required by local laws and regulations.

Waste Flow: From Generation to Landfill (FY2024 results at Kaneka)

Proper Disposal of Industrial Waste

We regularly visited waste disposal subcontractors and conducted surveys based on a checklist to ensure that waste was being properly processed by waste disposal subcontractors.

Response to the Plastic Resource Circulation Act

Status of Plastic Waste Generation and Reduction Targets

In FY2024, the amount of plastic waste generated and disposed of externally as industrial waste was 2,701 tons at Kaneka (a 57.3% increase from the previous fiscal year), 2,680 tons at group companies in Japan (a 4.8% increase), and 5,381 tons in total for Kaneka and its group companies in Japan (a 25.9% increase).
Kaneka is working to reduce plastic waste generation and improve its recycling rate, with a target of achieving a 1% annual reduction in plastic waste generation.

Status of Plastic Waste Generation (FY2024)

(Tons)

Promotion of the 3Rs

We are taking actions across the company to reduce waste, recognizing that this ties into the maintaining and improving the natural environment in terms of saving resources, cutting costs, and reducing CO₂ emissions, among other benefits.
Kaneka and Group companies in Japan are pursuing activities to reduce waste and recycle materials, mainly through a 3R approach at our various production facilities. We also facilitate continuous improvement activities through process analysis at Group companies in Japan using Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA).

3R Initiatives

Initiatives by Kaneka

We are continuously working on several initiatives to reduce plastic waste emissions: (1) stabilizing manufacturing processes to improve yield; (2) process recycling of waste generated in manufacturing processes; (3) Reduction of emissions by reviewing the use of unnecessary plastic materials; (4) examining measures to prevent scale generation during plastic manufacturing; and (5) thorough sorting to recycle plastic waste. We are also working to reduce waste by converting plastic waste into valuable materials and to recycling plastic waste that would otherwise be outsourced for incineration.

Initiatives by Group Companies in Japan

Group companies in Japan are actively working to reduce plastic waste emissions through several initiatives: (1) reusing packaging materials used within processes; (2) preparing the appropriate amount of packaging materials to minimize waste; (3) reducing defective products (plastic waste) by improving yield; (4) reusing scrap generated during manufacturing; (5) reviewing raw material containers; and (6) ensuring thorough sorting to recycle plastic waste.