Environmental Management

The NTN Group has acquired third-party certification globally for ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems. Our environmental management organization is structured to promote the compliance with environmental laws and regulations of each country and continually improve environmental performance.
For business sites in Japan, multi-site certification is acquired, and all business sites work together to achieve environmental targets under the top management led by directors in charge. We also organize sectional subgroups to address individual environmental issues. For example, the Energy-saving/Resource-saving Sectional Meeting studies and promotes energy-saving measures for reducing CO₂ emissions as well as measures to introduce renewable energy. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, the Company-wide Environmental Management Committee met four times and the Energy-saving/Resource-saving Sectional Meeting met twice.
To maintain or improve the management system, a "on-site audit (annual)" by on-site auditors and a mutual "cross audit (every three years)" by business units are conducted.

■Environmental management frameworks chart

The NTN Group conducts rank-based and function-based environmental education of various kinds. For example, our rank-based education programs include basic education at new employee induction training; practical education after workplace assignment; and education for newly appointed managers upon promotion in order to work on environmental issues at each workplace from the perspective of risk-benefit management. Our function-based education programs include education for sales divisions and distributors serving as a contact point for customers on the survey regarding environmentally hazardous substances that may be contained in our products. This program allows participants to learn about how to respond to customers as well as about relevant laws and regulations. Another such program is a training session to develop internal auditors for the environmental management system. Moreover, during the Environment Month every year in June, we rigorously train all employees on important environmental measures of the year, and provide education for raising their environmental awareness. In addition to conventional group training, we are also focusing on environmental education using e-learning. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, under review, we launched the environment course (beginner course), which summarizes environment issues that have a significant impact on us, as teaching material for e-learning. We are focusing our efforts on creating a mechanism that enables environmental issues to be easily understood by employees who are not engaged in environmental management.

In order to raise environmental awareness, the NTN Group companies in Japan have distributed an "Environmental Policy Card" for all employees (including those stationed at business sites such as temporary staff, subcontractors, and permanently assigned contractors). Moreover, every year in June, which is set as Environment Month in Japan, we identify and implement priority initiatives for each business site. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, KUWANA WORKS carried out the following activities: (i) environmental education for all employees in the factory, (ii) implementation of activities (energy- saving patrol) to check the power off of non- operating equipment, (iii) dissemination of environmental topics that affect our company (Publication of environmental news), (iv) activities to raise environmental awareness (posting of environmental posters) and (v) cleanup activities around the factory (cleaning campaign).

In the fiscal year ended March 2020, there were no cases of serious penalties and sanctions under environmental laws and regulations. In Japan, there were two cases of violation of emission standards of the Water Pollution Control Law, and we implemented corrective measures.

The NTN Group conducts emergency response drills at all its business sites to minimize damage in the event of hazardous materials or waste leaks.

■Emergency response drill in a river assuming an oil leak (KUWANA WORKS)

As for serious leak accidents that the Group caused in the fiscal year ended March 2020, there was one accident where NTN DRIVESHAFT, INC. (USA) leaked oil into a stream. As an emergency response, we immediately removed the leaked oil, and as a result, the local environmental management bureau confirmed that there was no impact on neighboring agricultural work and groundwater.