Water resources are irreplaceable resources for our earth and are indispensable to the production activities of the Kureha Group. We recognize that the conservation of these resources is a vital global issue and address conservation as one of our material issues.

Kureha's main production site, our Iwaki Factory, uses large amounts of water in its chemical product manufacturing processes (heating, cooling, cleaning, removal of by-products, etc.). This accounts for the majority of our Company's water usage. While the risk of water shortages (water stress) in our water intake is low, we fully recognize that wastewater discharged from our treatment facilities into river and sea areas can impact the environment and local communities. Accordingly, we strive to properly manage wastewater in compliance with all laws and regulations and to thereby reduce our impacts on the environment.
At the Iwaki Factory, we comply with the emission standards set by the Water Pollution Prevention Act and local ordinances. In February 2022, the factory renewed a pollution control agreement with Iwaki City and set stricter limits on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). The factory continues to operate well within those values.At each of our manufacturing sites, we are working to reduce our environmental footprint by making a daily effort to maintain stable operation of wastewater treatment equipment. We are also working to ensure thorough wastewater management by making improvements to our machines and updating our water quality monitoring equipment.
Our Plastics Processing Factory (Ibaraki), located in the Lake Kasumigaura basin, conducts monthly water quality inspections along with daily patrols and continuous pH monitoring of wastewater, in accordance with emission standards ordained in the Water Pollution Prevention Act and the applicable local ordinance. At the Plastics Processing Factory (Hyogo), too, we conduct voluntary water quality analysis and in fiscal 2022 began continuous monitoring of wastewater pH to continue proper management. Since groundwater is pumped and used in industry in both districts, we also keep the amount of water collected within the limits set by the Industrial Water Act and local ordinances related to pumping groundwater.