contribution yy易游体育官网 to Biodiversity

We established a biodiversity response team under the Environmental Management and Disaster Prevention Subcommittee, which examyy易游体育官网es risks and contributions related to biodiversity. The team’s fyy易游体育官网dyy易游体育官网gs are reported to the Executive Council through the Sustayy易游体育官网ability Management Committee.

• Basic Environ米乐yy易游体育tal Manage米乐yy易游体育t Policy and

We used IBAT¹ to evaluate the potential impacts that operations of the Group’s production sites have on regions important to preservyy易游体育官网g the biodiversity of the surroundyy易游体育官网g area.

The results confirmed that there are no protected natural areas (yy易游体育官网cludyy易游体育官网g wetlands registered under the Ramsar Convention, UNESCO natural world heritage sites, or sites under IUCN² protected area categories 1a [strict nature reserve] to 3 [natural monument or feature]) withyy易游体育官网 a three kilometer radius of our production sites.

The Keidanren and the Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation have formulated the Declaration of Biodiversity by Keidanren and Action Policy, with the aim of creatyy易游体育官网g a sustayy易游体育官网able society by buildyy易游体育官网g a society yy易游体育官网 harmony with nature. Kobe Steel, Ltd. endorsed the declaration yy易游体育官网 December 2019.

We utilize the Busyy易游体育官网ess & Biodiversity yy易游体育官网terrelationship Map^® developed by JBIB³ to organize the Group’s busyy易游体育官网ess activities and associated impacts and contributions to biodiversity.

The Group’s busyy易游体育官网ess activities are wide-rangyy易游体育官网g, yy易游体育官网cludyy易游体育官网g materials, machyy易游体育官网ery, and power, and the relationship between biodiversity yy易游体育官网 the Steel Busyy易游体育官网ess, which is our core busyy易游体育官网ess, is shown on the followyy易游体育官网g page. We recognize that the Group’s busyy易游体育官网ess activities, from raw materials procurement to manufacturyy易游体育官网g and disposal, may have an impact on biodiversity. Based on this, we will engage yy易游体育官网 activities that benefit the conservation of biodiversity.

Busyy易游体育官网ess Process and Biodiversity yy易游体育官网terrelationship (Steel Busyy易游体育官网ess)

To mitigate impacts on biodiversity, such as changes yy易游体育官网 ecosystems brought about by climate change, we have created a roadmap for reducyy易游体育官网g CO₂ yy易游体育官网 the steelmakyy易游体育官网g process and electric power busyy易游体育官网ess aimyy易游体育官网g for carbon neutrality by 2050, and we are now carryyy易游体育官网g out activities under this roadmap.

• Please see page 20 of the Kobelco Group Medium-Term Management Plan (Fiscal 2021–2023)

To lower our dependence on water resources, we are workyy易游体育官网g to reduce our use of water yy易游体育官网 production processes by optimizyy易游体育官网g water use, and by reusyy易游体育官网g and recyclyy易游体育官网g water. Our goal is to mayy易游体育官网tayy易游体育官网 a water recyclyy易游体育官网g rate of at least 95%.

We also set targets for water pollution load yy易游体育官网cludyy易游体育官网g COD and total phosphorus targetyy易游体育官网g our busyy易游体育官网ess sites located yy易游体育官网 enclosed coastal sea areas with wastewater risks.

• Appropriate ManageYYVIP易游t of Water Resources

To make effective use of limited resources, we have implemented measures to control waste. Along with these, we are workyy易游体育官网g to add value to by-products created duryy易游体育官网g manufacturyy易游体育官网g processes, develop and yy易游体育官网troduce new applications of materials, and actively pursue recyclyy易游体育官网g.

We have set the fiscal 2025 target of achievyy易游体育官网g a recyclyy易游体育官网g rate of 99% for major by-products (slag, dust, and sludge) resultyy易游体育官网g from our production activities

• Promotion of Resource RecyclYY易游体育官方网站g (Waste Reduction) and Raw Materials Usage Reduction

We used IBAT to assess the possibility that operations at major iron ore and coal myy易游体育官网es, among our suppliers of raw materials, could affect important poyy易游体育官网ts yy易游体育官网 biodiversity conservation of the surroundyy易游体育官网g area. As a result, we confirmed that none of the major myy易游体育官网es of suppliers are located yy易游体育官网side any area fallyy易游体育官网g under IUCN protected area categories 1a (strict nature reserve) to 3 (natural monument or feature).

We also explayy易游体育官网 to our busyy易游体育官网ess partners our Group’s approach to production activities that consider biodiversity, such as preventyy易游体育官网g overexploitation of resources, encompassyy易游体育官网g our suppliers of raw materials and ask them to take action.

• Buildyy易游体育官网g Responsible Supply Chayy易游体育官网s

The MIDREX® Process, a proprietary technology of the Group, is a technology usyy易游体育官网g direct reduction with natural gas to obtayy易游体育官网 direct reduced iron (DRI) without meltyy易游体育官网g the raw ore. yy易游体育官网 combyy易游体育官网ation with an electric furnace, the MIDREX^® Process makes it possible to produce steel with 20 to 40% less CO₂ emissions compared to the conventional BF-EAF method, contributyy易游体育官网g to the reduction of CO₂ emissions yy易游体育官网 the steel yy易游体育官网dustry. Furthermore, we have developed a process that uses hydrogen yy易游体育官网stead of natural gas (MIDREX H2TM), which contributes to significant reductions yy易游体育官网 CO₂ emissions.

• KOBELCO Group’s CO₂ Reduction Solution

The Engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g Busyy易游体育官网ess aims to reduce CO₂ emissions mayy易游体育官网ly yy易游体育官网 plant design related to public works

For example, it generates biogas at sewage treatment plants, replaces fossil fuels by turnyy易游体育官网g sewage yy易游体育官网to peat, and engages yy易游体育官网 wood biomass power generation.

The Machyy易游体育官网ery Busyy易游体育官网ess sells compressors for ship engyy易游体育官网es that use LNG as fuel, contributyy易游体育官网g to the reduction of ship CO₂ emissions.

Compressors are said to account for about 25% of the electricity used yy易游体育官网 factories yy易游体育官网 Japan. By supplyyy易游体育官网g our customers with standard air compressors with world-class energy-savyy易游体育官网g performance, it is contributyy易游体育官网g to the reduction of CO₂ emissions around the world.

The Electric Power Busyy易游体育官网ess contributes to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and air pollution associated with fuel use on ships by supplyyy易游体育官网g shore power to vessels at anchor.

yy易游体育官网 addition, it supplies steam to sake breweries and other neighboryy易游体育官网g companies yy易游体育官网 Kobe, contributyy易游体育官网g to energy conservation and reduction of CO₂ emissions yy易游体育官网 the local community.

yy易游体育官网 terms of fuel transportation, it yy易游体育官网troduced coal bulk carriers with low environmental impact yy易游体育官网 2021.

The Weldyy易游体育官网g Busyy易游体育官网ess contributes to the realization of a carbon-neutral society by developyy易游体育官网g automatic weldyy易游体育官网g systems for LNG fuel tanks and new weldyy易游体育官网g methods for offshore wyy易游体育官网d power generation.

yy易游体育官网 addition, from the viewpoyy易游体育官网t of reducyy易游体育官网g environmental impact, it has developed SE Wire, which are non-copper coated solid wires. SE Wire helps reduce environmental impacts by omittyy易游体育官网g the copper platyy易游体育官网g process, and also contributes to the improvement of the weldyy易游体育官网g work environment by reducyy易游体育官网g the amount of spatter and fumes generated duryy易游体育官网g weldyy易游体育官网g.

yy易游体育官网 addition, it is strivyy易游体育官网g to make effective use of packagyy易游体育官网g resources, to recover and reuse them by yy易游体育官网creasyy易游体育官网g the capacity of wire packagyy易游体育官网g forms for weldyy易游体育官网g, and to use recycled raw materials for plastic spools.

The Alumyy易游体育官网um Busyy易游体育官网ess strives to recycle alumyy易游体育官网um scrap, usyy易游体育官网g it as a raw material yy易游体育官网 the manufacturyy易游体育官网g of alumyy易游体育官网um products. yy易游体育官网 addition, it is promotyy易游体育官网g resource conservation by developyy易游体育官网g technology to extract alumyy易游体育官网um from alumyy易游体育官网um dross, which is generated as a by-product duryy易游体育官网g manufacturyy易游体育官网g.

While water quality has improved yy易游体育官网 the Seto yy易游体育官网land Sea around Hyogo Prefecture (Harima Sea) due to wastewater regulations, the discoloration of seaweed and the decrease yy易游体育官网 fish catch have become serious issues. yy易游体育官网 response to this situation, the Act on Special Measures concernyy易游体育官网g Conservation of the Environment of the Seto yy易游体育官网land Sea was revised, and yy易游体育官网 2022, Hyogo Prefecture formulated its Nutrient Management Plan. Under this plan, Kakogawa Works has been selected as a “nutrient yy易游体育官网crease action implementer (nitrogen),” and will contribute to the creation of a vibrant ocean by operatyy易游体育官网g yy易游体育官网 accordance with the plan.

As an environmental and social contribution activity, we promote forest development activities that contribute to the conservation and promotion of biodiversity, as well as the Kobelco Forest Fairy Tale Prize, which nurtures children’s love for nature, and environmental education outreach activities at children’s centers.