1. No category

Kumon Group
Environmental Management
GUIDEBOOK
This guidebook comments on the concept and background of the
Environmental Philosophy and Environmental Policy of the KUMON Group.
Contents
Environmental
Philosophy and
Environmental Policy
p. 2 – 14
#
®
Reference material
p. 15 – 20
Environmental Philosophy & Policy
Kumon Group Environmental Philosophy
In order to solve global environmental
problems it is necessary to combine the
knowledge of people from all around the
world. The Kumon Group strives to develop
individuals who will make a contribution
to society. Accordingly, the Kumon Group
believes that one of our core values is to fulfill
our responsibilities and obligations in regard
to solving global environmental problems.
The Kumon Group views the preservation
of the global environment as an important
challenge to be met as we carry out our
business activities. We will incorporate
this environmentally-friendly vision into
our business planning and will work on a
permanent basis to protect our precious
planet and sustain its natural resources for
current and future generations.
Kumon Group Environmental Policy
The Kumon Group will endeavor, throughout all our business activities, to conserve natural resources and to preserve the natural
environment through the development of human resources.
1. T
he Kumon Group will strive to recognize how our business activities affect the environment. We will work to conserve energy and
resources, as well as to carry out recycling, in order to reduce the amount of waste we produce. Our overriding aim is to prevent
damage to the environment and to reduce pollution.
2. T
he Kumon Group will work together with associated parties and business partners in order to reduce the impact of our activities
on the environment. At the same time, we will act positively to protect the environment by promoting activities aimed at forest
regeneration.
3. T
he Kumon Group will operate in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations in all of the countries and regions in which we
have business activities, and will permanently work to preserve the environment.
4. T
he Kumon Group will strive to make each and every Kumon Associate more aware of environmental issues through educational
and consciousness-raising activities. At the same time, as a responsible corporate citizen, we will make information related to the
environment publicly available.
#
®
2
KUMON Group Environmental Philosophy:
In order to solve global environmental problems it is necessary
to combine the knowledge of people from all around the world.
The Kumon Group strives to develop individuals who will make
a contribution to society. Accordingly, the Kumon Group believes
that one of our core values is to fulfill our responsibilities and
obligations in regard to solving global environmental problems.
The Kumon Group views the preservation of the global environment
as an important challenge to be met as we carry out our business
activities. We will incorporate this environmentally-friendly vision
into our business planning and will work on a permanent basis to
protect our precious planet and sustain its natural resources for
current and future generations.
#
The KUMON Group Environmental
Philosophy is based on the Kumon
Philosophy, THE KUMON WAY, and the
NEXT 50 Grand Design. It encapsulates
the primary environmental management
concept of the Kumon Group.
Kumon Philosophy:
Human resource development
Contribution to society
THE KUMON WAY (excerpt):
“…we will fulfill our responsibility
and obligation to the global
community.”
NEXT 50 Grand Design (excerpt):
Need to respond to global
problems
Need to remain aware of
environment.
®
3
KUMON Group Environmental Philosophy:
In order to solve global environmental problems it is
necessary to combine the knowledge of people from all
around the world. The Kumon Group strives to develop
individuals who will make a contribution to society.
Accordingly, the Kumon Group believes that one of
our core values is to fulfill our responsibilities and
obligations in regard to solving global environmental
problems.
The Kumon Group views the preservation of the
global environment as an important challenge to be
met as we carry out our business activities. We will
incorporate this environmentally-friendly vision into our
business planning and will work on a permanent basis
to protect our precious planet and sustain its natural
resources for current and future generations.
Mankind is now facing numerous global environmental problems, including
climate change, deforestation, and reduction in biodiversity.
We bear a responsibility to work to solve these problems in order to leave
behind a beautiful and abundant planet for our children.
#
®
4
Kumon Group Environmental Policy
The Kumon Group will endeavor, throughout all our business activities, to conserve natural resources and to
preserve the natural environment through the development of human resources.
1. T
he Kumon Group will strive to recognize how our business activities affect the environment. We will work
to conserve energy and resources, as well as to carry out recycling, in order to reduce the amount of
waste we produce. Our overriding aim is to prevent damage to the environment and to reduce pollution.
2. T
he Kumon Group will work together with associated parties and business partners in order to reduce
the impact of our activities on the environment. At the same time, we will act positively to protect the
environment by promoting activities aimed at forest regeneration.
3. T
he Kumon Group will operate in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations in all of the
countries and regions in which we have business activities, and will permanently work to preserve the
environment.
4. T
he Kumon Group will strive to make each and every Kumon Associate more aware of environmental
issues through educational and consciousness-raising activities. At the same time, as a responsible
corporate citizen, we will make information related to the environment publicly available.
The KUMON Group Environmental Policy expresses the manner in which the KUMON Group
will carry out environmental management and the range of areas covered.
#
®
5
Kumon Group Environmental Policy: Preface
6
Kumon Group Environmental Policy
The Kumon Group will endeavor, throughout all our business activities, to
conserve natural resources and to preserve the natural environment through
the development of human resources.
Environmental Policy: preface
We, based on the Kumon philosophy, will strive to make a contribution to the
community through human resource development, and we will work towards
the creation of a sustainable society.
2
1
Low carbon society
Sustainable
society
Large reductions
in greenhouse gas
emissions
o
Climate change,
energy, and
resources
o
o
3
4
Recycling society
Recycling of resources
according to the
3R rule
o
5
Climate change
and biosphere
Society in harmony
with nature
Receive and pass on
the benefits of
nature
Biosphere and burden
on the environment
o
6
o
7
SOURCE: Ministry of the Environment, Second Plan for Promotion of a Sustainable Society
7
Environmental Philosophy & Policy
2
1
Low carbon society
Large reductions
in greenhouse gas
emissions
o
Climate change,
energy, and
resources
Sustainable
society
o
o
3
4
Recycling society
Recycling of resources
according to the
3R rule
o
5
Climate change
and biosphere
Society in harmony
with nature
Receive and pass on
the benefits of
nature
Biosphere and burden
on the environment
o
6
o
7
8
Environmental Philosophy & Policy
KUMON Group
Environmental Policy:
1. Internal reductions
The Kumon Group will strive to recognize
how our business activities affect the
environment. We will work to conserve
energy and resources, as well as to
carry out recycling, in order to reduce
the amount of waste we produce. Our
overriding aim is to prevent damage to
the environment and to reduce pollution.
We will work to generate quantitative data concerning
our impact on the environment. We will use only the
necessary. Amount of resources in an efficient manner.
We will aim to reduce our impact upon the environment.
Paper usage
INPUT
Electricity Usage
#
Amount of paper
put out for recycling
OUTPUT
Amount of industrial
waste discharge
®
9
2011 Summary of sharing information regarding
environmental management activities with Associates
(Total 3,212 frequency)
What’s been done up until now
Internal / Reduction
(1,069 frequency)
(1,844 frequency)
• digital distribution
and storage of data
• digitalization of
ledgers, forms, etc.
• reduction in volume
of copy paper used
• increase efficiency
of work procedures
• electricity savings
• recycling
freq.
freq.
10
Environmental Philosophy & Policy
KUMON Group
Environmental Policy:
The Kumon Group will work together
with associated parties and business
partners in order to reduce the impact of
our activities on the environment. At the
same time, we will act positively to protect
the environment by promoting activities
aimed at forest regeneration.
2. Environmental preservation
with outside partners
1) W
e will strive to make Instructors, students,
parents and outside partner companies aware of
our environmental activities, and work to make a
contribution to wider society.
2) T
he KUMON Group uses a great deal of paper.
Therefore, we will focus on activities dealing with forest
preservation.
Forests can be preserved for the future if the cycle of
planting, raising, and harvesting is repeated. Forests
are renewable resources.
11
2011 Summary of sharing information regarding
environmental management activities with Associates
(Total 3,212 frequency)
External / Reduction
External / Preservation
(188 frequency)
(111 frequency)
• Consciousness raising
for Instructors,
students, and parents
• Cooperation with
partner companies
(digitalization)
freq.
• Forest preservation
activities
• increasing greenery,
tree planting
freq.
12
Environmental Philosophy & Policy
KUMON Group
Environmental Policy:
3. Compliance
The Kumon Group will operate in
compliance with the applicable laws and
regulations in all of the countries and
regions in which we have business
activities, and will permanently work to
preserve the environment.
1) Global environmental problems cannot be solved
on the level of nation or region. Therefore, countries
around the world have signed international treaties
to work together to meet these challenges. In
accordance with this, countries have adopted related
environmental laws.
2) As the activities of the KUMON Group spread around
the world, we pledge to comply with the laws and
regulations of the countries and regions in which we
operate.
#
®
13
Environmental Philosophy & Policy
KUMON Group
Environmental Policy:
4. Environmental communication
The Kumon Group will strive to make
each and every Kumon Associate more
aware of environmental issues through
educational and consciousness-raising
activities.
1) An increase in the consciousness of the importance
of environmental preservation for each Associate will
help us better implement all of the activities of the
KUMON Group.
At the same time, as a responsible
corporate citizen, we will make
information related to the environment
publicly available.
2) We will provide information to the public about the
environmental management activities of the KUMON
Group, as well as other environmentally-related
information.
#
®
14
Reference material:
Kumon Group Environmental management activities
Global environmental problems: Population and energy
A variety of environmental problems have resulted from the
dramatic increase in population and the accompanying rise
in per capita usage of energy. Today it is widely recognized
that fossil fuels exist in only limited amounts. In order that
future generations will have access to resources, we must
strive to create a low-carbon society by using resources
efficiently. Therefore we must reduce our energy usage
by conserving energy. Through recycling we can change
people’s ways of thinking and behavior patterns.
Electricity costs: 80,000 yen, usage 2,900 kWh, CO2 emissions?*
Businesses have played a role in the development of
society through their economic activity. However, business
activity has resulted in environmental problems. A major
social responsibility of businesses is to put in place an
environmental policy. They are increasingly being asked to
act in ways that preserve the global environment.
Electricity usage is generally looked at from the point
of view of 1) costs, and 2) usage. How about the factor
of CO2 emissions? How much of a burden do these
emissions place on the planet? Looking at situations from
an environmental standpoint is fundamental to the concept
of environmental management.
* 2,900 kWh = approximately 1.6t-CO2
Environmental management strives to preserve all of the
ecosystems on earth and to create a sustainable society.
Therefore, from the point of sustainability, the limited
nature of resources and waste disposal areas, as well
as the ability of natural renewal must be considered. As
we work to balance corporate profits and environmental
conservation, all of these considerations will play a role
in making the economic activities of the Kumon Group
environmentally sustainable.
#
®
15
Reference material:
Kumon Group Environmental management activities
Environmental management activities of the Kumon Group
The Kumon Group’s environmental management activities
will be two-part in nature: 1) from internal to external,
and 2) from reductions to preservation. The two tracks will
serve as our starting point as we move ahead and plan to
take concrete steps.
The environments surrounding each Associate, each
team, each department, each company, and each region
are all different. Therefore, in order to establish common
objectives and put into practice on a permanent basis our
corporate culture, which is embodied in The Kumon Way,
we are planning to set up group discussions throughout
the Kumon Group where we can gather and share our
opinions and proposals.
From internal to external/From reductions to preservation
Internal reductions will include efforts to make procedures
paperless and reviews of the way procedures are presently
carried out. We will examine our daily activities with a focus
on reducing the usage and waste of energy and resources.
Then, we will work with partners from outside of Kumon
with a focus on implementation of beneficial environmental
activities that will complement our internal reductions.
First, we must build a foundation based on internal and
external reductions. We strongly encourage all Associates
to contribute their ideas to help the Kumon Group develop
a company culture focusing on concrete activities that
contribute to the improvement of our environment.
SOURCE: FACTOR vol.1 (issued in December, 2010)
#
®
16
Reference material:
Paper and forest resources
Paper is a renewable resource!
The raw materials of paper are
wooden pulp and waste-paper pulp.
Wood can be reproduced through the
forest cycle, starting from planting
to growing, and then utilizing them
as a resource after chopping them
down. The cycle then begins again at
the planting stage. This means that
forests are a renewable resource.
Paper is collected as wastepaper after being used, which is
manufactured to waste-paper pulp and
then again utilized as a raw material
in papermaking. Paper is a renewable
resource that can effectively be used
through such a recycling process.
Paper made of such raw materials as Kumon worksheets for Math, English,
waste-paper pulp and wooden pulp and Japanese studied in Japan are
generated from forest certified wood, all made from this environmentallythinned wood, and nitens wood is called friendly paper.
“environmentally-friendly
paper.”
Controlled
natural wood
and certified
wood
Cutting
Wood
chips
Recycling
of forests
(Conservation of forest
resources)
Planting / certified wood
Fresh pulp
Papermaking
(ECF bleaching)
Waste-paper
pulp
Planting
Recycling
of paper
Paper for
copying /
printing
(Utilizing effective resources)
Collecting
Using
Growing
Burning /
landfill
Used paper
(waste-paper)
[Related Information] For Paper and forest resources, please refer to e-learning Paper and Forest Resources 1) Forests and 2) Paper.
SOURCE: KUMON Green News vol.4 (issued in Sep, 2011)
17
Reference material:
Paper and forest resources
Controlled
natural wood
and certified
wood
Cutting
Wood
chips
Recycling
of forests
(Conservation of forest
resources)
Planting / certified wood
Fresh pulp
Papermaking
(ECF bleaching)
Waste-paper
pulp
Planting
Recycling
of paper
Paper for
copying /
printing
(Utilizing effective resources)
Collecting
Using
Growing
Burning /
landfill
Used paper
(waste-paper)
[Reference] E-QIX “Paper satisfying the Green Purchasing Law and Environmental Balance”
18
Reference material:
Compliance
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and Compliance
In recent years, the concept of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) has become widely recognized. CSR
is related to a multiplicity of areas such as society, the
environment, work, human rights, quality, compliance,
data security, risk management, etc. Legal compliance is
of paramount importance from a corporate point of view.
Kumon Group companies within Japan have worked to be
in compliance with copyright laws, data privacy laws, and
other relevant laws. It is also very important for us to clarify
the relevant regulations dealing with the environment. By
doing so, we can make clear what is being demanded of us
by society, and ensure that our daily work procedures are
in accordance with these regulations.
SOURCE: FACTOR vol.2 (issued in January, 2011)
19
Reference material:
Compliance
Environmental regulations affecting the KUMON Group
CA: Ontario Stewardship
PH: Code of Sanitation
GB: Climate Change Act
PH: Presidential Decree 825
GB: Energy Act
PH: Tobacco Regulation Act
DE: Federal Control of Pollution Act
PH: Recycle Waste Act
DE: Water Waste Levy Act
MY: Environmental Quality Act
DE: Law of Chemical Substances
SG: Environmental Public Health Act
DE: Refuse Disposal Act
HK: Waste Disposal Ordinance
DE: Federal Water Act
HK: Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance
DE: Federal Nature Conservation Act
CN: Environmental Protect Law of the PRC
ES: Law on Environmental Liability
JP: Energy Saving Act
ES: Law on Waste
JP: Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law
ES: Smoking Law
ZA: Paper Recycling Law
JP: L
aw for Promotion of Sorted Collection and
Recycling of Containers and Packaging
TH: Air and Noise Pollution
AU: Energy & Utilities Administration Act
IN: Renewable Energy Act
AU: National Waste Policy
PH: Ecological Solid Waste Management Act
RHQ data, 2011
20