Environment

Basic Approach to the environment

Maruho has established an Environmental Policy and Environmental Action Guidelines, and as a member of society, actively promotes activities to protect the regional and global environments, such as reducing environmental impact of its R&D, sales, and production activities. At the same time, Maruho pursues business activities in harmony with the global environment by raising the environmental awareness of its employees.
The Hikone and Nagahama plants have obtained certification under the international standard ISO 14001 for theirenvironmental management systems, which allows for continuous improvement activities through the PDCA cycle, and are working to reduce environmental impact.

Environmental Policy

Maruho is committed to protecting, preserving, and improving the global environment through environmentally friendly business activities based on our mission “More smiles, brighter life for you.”

Environmental Action Guidelines

1.We will promote corporate activities with consideration for the protection of the global environment and continuously work to resolve environmental issues.
2.We will set clear goals for our environmental promotion activities and maintain and improve an effective promotion system to achieve these goals.
3.We will comply with the environmental laws and regulations of each country and region in which we operate.
4.We will conduct systematic education and awareness activities to promote environmental awareness among all employees.
5.We will proactively disclose information about our activities to promote environmental measures and deepen our relationship of trust with society.

Environmental promotion framework

Maruho holds meetings of the Environment Committee twice a year and confirms that the environmental management system of each business site is functioning appropriately.
We established the Environment Committee to appropriately and effectively promote initiatives related to environmental issues. Through the Environmental Measures Promotion Liaison Committee, we collect information on environmental issues and report issues in promotion activities to the chairperson as necessary, and promote understanding of promotion activities and within the company.

Environmental materiality

Climate change countermeasures

In March 2023, Maruho established the goal of achieving net-zero CO₂ emission by fiscal 2050. To achieve this, we will make efforts to bring in innovative technology and gather information. We have set an intermediate goal of reducing CO₂ emissions to 6,534 tons or less by fiscal 2030, or a 46% reduction compared to the fiscal 2013. In FY2024 (April 2024 to March 2025), we began receiving electricity through off-site PPAs^* at our Hikone and Nagahama plants and switched 35% of the electricity used at both and the Kyoto R&D Center to carbon-free. At the same time, we are continuing to promote energy-saving initiatives, such as changing the operation of freezers and heat sources at our plants and adjusting air conditioning settings. We are also gradually switching our company vehicles to hybrid cars, with the adoption rate now at 95% as of the end of FY2024. Maruho’s CO₂ emissions for fiscal 2024 totaled 12,214 tons, marking a reduction of 18.4% compared to the previous fiscal year.
* A type of power purchase agreement (PPA), in which consumers enter into a contract with a PPA operator to receive electricity from off-site solar power generation facilities.

Recycling-oriented society and resource conservation

At Maruho, we will toward the more effective utilization of resources and the realization of a recycling-oriented society by implementing the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle). In fiscal 2024, we reduced the final disposal amount of industrial waste by 91.9% compared to the fiscal 2015, with a recycling rate of 88.5% for all waste and 78.5% for waste plastic. In addition to efforts at plants that generate large amounts of waste, we are promoting recycling across the entire company, including reducing paper usage at each business site, reusing office supplies, and selling laboratory equipment that would otherwise be discarded to support scientific research in Japan.

Cleanup campaign

At the Hikone Plant, a cleanup campaign is held each year between April and June and between August and October to collect trash in the area surrounding the plant. This was the first year that our partner companies also participated in the campaign.

Cleanup campaign

SPOGOMI

We held SPOGOMI^* with the aim of fostering a sense of social contribution among employees.
We picked up litter following the rules set by the Japan Spogomi Federation.
The weight of the trash collected was more than 1 kg per person, for a total of 72 kg.
Teams worked together in a friendly atmosphere.* This event, which originated in Japan, incorporates a sports element into picking up litter, making it a fun way to clean up the environment. Participants form teams and compete for points based on the type and amount of litter they pick up.