Environmental Conservation
Social Background
At COP 21, held in 2015, participating nations adopted long-term targets to control the rise of the Earth’s average temperature, and in 2016 the Paris Agreement went into effect. Japan, too, has announced medium- and long-term goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are common rules for the 21st century international community and used as benchmarks, also contain goals concerning the environment, such as No. 13, ”Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts,“ recognizing environmental issues as a common problem for the whole world.
Corporations must not only deal appropriately with social issues concerning the environment, such as responding to climate change, but are also expected to contribute in various ways, including through their business.
Objective of Activities for Protecting the Natural Environment
The Hitachi High-Tech Group is promoting environmentally-friendly business and management based on the Hitachi Group’s environmental vision. While also contributing to environmental preservation via its business, through the efforts of its employees and their families Hitachi High-Tech continues to promote activities to protect natural ecosystems and to contribute to local environmental preservation.
Initiatives
1. Afforestation Efforts
Using the Forestry Agency’s ”Incorporated Forests“ system, Hitachi High-Tech has borrowed ca. 2.3 ha of national forest in Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Naming this national forest the ”Hitachi High-Tech Yasato Forest,“ Hitachi employees and their families planted 5,600 Japanese cypress and other saplings in April 2005 and the company will be engaged in efforts to care for these trees over a period of 60 years.
Hitachi High-Tech Fielding, too, has used the same system to borrow land in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture (since 2002, 1.8 ha) and in Inabe City, Mie Prefecture (since 2003, 1.0 ha). That land was used to conduct tree planting at the Hitachi High-Tech Fielding Hitachi Forest (Hitachi City) and the Hitachi High-Tech Fielding Inabe Forest (Inabe City), respectively. Hitachi High-Tech will continue to continuously raise forests until the seedlings have grown and can be logged, in order to contribute to protecting the natural environment and preventing global warming.
2．Protecting Biodiversity
With continuing economic growth, places around the world are experiencing various forms of development, such as urbanization, while destruction and pollution of the natural environment, as well as excessive use of resources, are increasing and causing a crisis for the Earth’s biodiversity. Our Group collaborates and cooperates with local communities and environmental nonprofit organizations, and the like to actively engage in efforts to protect biodiversity.
Since FY2016, activities to protect biodiversity have been included in all Group companies‘ environmental action plans in order to increase awareness of the issue across the entire Group. We are actively engaging in a variety of activities. For example, the Woodland of Hitachi High-Tech Science on the grounds of the Hitachi High-Tech Science Fuji Ooyama Works is being improved as a nature restoration activity. Employees in the Tokyo suburbs are engaging in forest improvement activities combined with hands-on learning at the Takao Forest Nature School, participation in nature observation, and so on.
3．Local Clean-up Activities
As one of activities for protecting the natural environment, our group business locations regularly carry out clean-ups of their surroundings and adjacent areas.
In the Hitachi High-Tech Naka Area, employees on their way to work are picking up trash in the vicinity of the works. In FY2023, employees of Hitachi High-Tech Manufacturing & Service and Hitachi High-Tech Fielding Corporation conducted clean-up activities at each of their business locations.