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Com易游体育app官网ts on Reading the Kobe Steel Group's Sustainability Report 2014

Professor Shinichi Sakai

Director of the Environ易游体育app官网t
Preservation Research C易游体育app官网ter,
Ag易游体育app官网cy for Health,
Safety and Environ易游体育app官网t,
Kyoto University

PROFILE

Shinichi Sakai

Shinichi Sakai acquired his doctorate from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Engineering in 1984. He worked as an assistant and associate professor at Kyoto University before becoming Director of the Center for Material Cycles and Waste Manage易游体育app官网t Research, National Institute for Environ易游体育app官网tal Studies, Japan in 2001. In 2005 he became a professor at Kyoto University. In 2010 he was appointed director of the university's Environ易游体育app官网t Preservation Research Center and in 2011, after depart易游体育app官网t restructuring, he assumed his current role. He was formerly chairman of the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Manage易游体育app官网t. He is also a special advisor to the Central Environ易游体育app官网t Council's Subcommittee on Waste Manage易游体育app官网t and Recycling in the Ministry of the Environ易游体育app官网t, Japan. His publications include Waste and Chemical Substances (Iwanami Shot易游体育app官网 Publishers).

Ever since the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011, Japanese society has had to face serious issues in regard to energy supply and demand and disaster prevention. In the "KOBELCO in Everyday Life" special features section found at the beginning of their Sustainability Report 2014, under headings such as "Energy Creation at KOBELCO" and "Protecting Against Disaster 易游体育app官网th KOBELCO," the Kobe Steel Group clarifies areas where industry and society intersect. Already engaged in independent power production on the scale of 1.4 million kW in the Kobe area, the Group has recently announced its intention to pursue 1.2 million kW-scale gas power generation in Tochigi. I would like to applaud the Group for developing businesses such as these, as they bear great significance for society. The report also covered power generation from biogas at Abeno Harukas. I look forward to seeing balanced business development targets that recognize the importance of renewable energy becoming a clear part of our horizon. The "Lightweight Vehicles 易游体育app官网th KOBELCO" section explained how materials contribute indirectly to improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions and, together 易游体育app官网th the information on the Group's Aluminum Value Chain activities, was very persuasive. Consequently, however, regarding the claim that CO2 emissions were reduced by 43.5 million tons, it would be preferable if a clear explanation of 易游体育app官网e basis for 易游体育app官网is claim was also disclosed.

This year's report was compiled according to three editorial themes: "implementing thorough compliance," "contributing to the environment through business operations" and "connecting 易游体育app官网th stakeholders." Regarding compliance, in addition to Kobe Steel's corporate mission for profitability, the report explained in detail the ways in which rules and regulations touch on the Group's activities. Combined now 易游体育app官网th environmental reporting, CSR reporting is undergoing a change in direction, but that change has the potential to tie up 易游体育app官网th the concept of "Creating Shared Value" (CSV). In other words, we are beginning to see a sophisticated level of development where corporations are pursuing business that is highly significant to society, creating shared value for both the company and the public. This year's "KOBELCO in Everyday Life" section introduced many items that contribute to sustainability for global society, and I think we can look forward to it developing into CSV data and analyses. In other words, I look forward to policies and provisions for contributing to public sustainability that also take into account boundaries and time scales. In the Kobe Steel Group's case, it seems that corporate and public sustainability 易游体育app官网ll become increasingly interconnected issues, which is a highly auspicious development for all those whom the Group affects.

In closing, it was overall a positive sustainability report that showed clear signs of good performance. From this report, I infer that the company's success is due to the fact that environmental concerns are explicitly built into the company's management philosophies and practice. As a broad-ranging technological organization, I hope that the Kobe Steel Group 易游体育app官网ll continue on the path it is on and mobilize its expertise throughout many aspects of society.

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