Responses to Other Environmental Issues

Appropriate Management of Chemical Substances

Basic Attitude

For a pharmaceutical company that handles a variety of chemical substances, their appropriate management is a vital social responsibility. At Nippon Shinyaku, we ensure to responsibly manage all chemicals, and a dedicated committee, established in compliance with the company’s Basic Regulations on the Management of Chemical Substances, clarifies the company’s policy in this regard so that chemicals are managed correctly by all departments. Thanks to our IT system that enables a comprehensive and exhaustive inspection of the status of legal and regulatory compliance concerning chemical substances, we maintain a responsible management mechanism concerning all chemicals handled in-house in conformity with the latest applicable laws and regulations. Furthermore, we regularly assess workplace risks, including those related to chemical substances, from the perspective of occupational health and safety to realize the highest level of workplace safety.

PRTR Method-based Management

In the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) system provided for by the Chemical Substances Control Act,*1 business operators that handle one ton or more of any Class I designated chemical substances per year are required to report the amount of these chemicals handled to the Japanese government through the local governments of their locations. The corresponding chemicals we handle are acetonitrile and n-hexane in the Head Office area and acetonitrile at the Discovery Research Laboratories in Tsukuba. We file all required reports and notices, demonstrating our appropriate management of all designated chemicals.
The manufacturing plant for highly active solid formulations, completed in July 2017 at the Odawara Central Factory, is equipped with the latest triple containment structure. In this structure, highly active chemicals are contained first by equipment, second by air current and chamber pressure, and third by the building itself, thereby preventing leakage into the external environment. Through these measures, we aim to take maximum care for safety, quality, and environmental protection, as well as maintaining the performance of our equipment.

  • *1: The unabridged title of the law is the Act on Confirmation, etc., of Release Amounts of Specific Chemical Substances in the Environment and Promotion of Improvements to the Management Thereof.)

PRTR-designated Type 1 chemicals (quantities handled)*

Communication on the Environment

Participation in community-based initiatives for the environment

We take part or cooperate in various community-based initiatives for the environment. Moreover, we make donations to environment-related causes and dispatch speakers and lecturers to schools.

Voluntary cleanup programs

We organize cleanup programs mainly in the Head Office area, at the Odawara Central Factory, and at the Discovery Research Laboratories in Tsukuba to help make the local communities cleaner and more beautiful.

Donations

We make donations to various environment-related causes, including the donation of proceeds from the sale of scrap metal and paper waste to the Nippon Shinyaku Kira-Kira Mirai Kodomo Bokin (Children’s Bright Future Fund).

Yamashina Botanical Research Institute

The Yamashina Botanical Research Institute routinely holds tours by appointment, tours for university students studying pharmacology and pharmacists, indigo dyeing workshops for elementary school students, public holiday tours, and other events designed to raise awareness of conserving the diversity of useful plants.