The DOWA group’s business activities are classified into two areas: “the products and manufacturing business” that produces metal materials and semiconductors; and “the environmental business”, focusing recycling and processing of wastes and purification of contaminated soil.
Most of wastes generated from the products and manufacturing business are recycled and utilized as raw materials in the environmental business. By processing wastes in the environmental business, we effectively utilize energy generated when wastes are combusted, collect the energy in the form of steam and electricity and we use that energy for other processes.
We are always aware of resource-recycling and conduct our business by mutually exploiting substances and energy within the group.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and Its Impact on Our Flow of Materials
We distributed questionnaires to each company of the DOWA group at the end of March, 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake and conducted a survey on our CSR and environmental efforts to be posted in the DOWA’s CSR Report 2011.
Among the items in the questionnaire that showed significant fluctuation in the flows of materials in 2010 compared from 2009 or 2008, four items were identified to be caused by the earthquake according to DOWA companies.
The amount of silica sand used increased due to the frequency of start-ups of facilities doubled from to the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The amount of light oil (for transportation) used decreased due to slow-down of business activities after the earthquake.
The amount of industrial water used decreased due to forced shutdown of operations.
Annual total amount of dischared water decreased due to forced shutdown of operations.
Besides these direct impact of the earthquake mentioned above, the survey reuslts this year include some factors indirectly impacting the flow of materals.
Status of the Fluctuations in the Flow of Material in 2010
While each operating company continues its efforts for energy saving and emission reduction, the production output and the amount of disposed wastes changes constantly due to the changing economic situations.
Among the items in the questionnaire that had significant fluctuation of in the flow of materials in 2010, compared to 2009, annual total air emission, purchased electricity, raw virgin materials (ores) and accepted industrial wastes (waste alkali) increased, while raw materials from wastes (soil), material recycling (soil) and other products such as residual copper decreased. This was caused by the increase of production output due to the economic recovery on one hand, but on the other hand by the decrease of disposed contaminated soil. Refer to the following pages for the information on specific amounts.
