Environmental Compliance

Standards Management and Audits: Regular Internal Audits and Third-party Audits

There are 14 Casio sites which have obtained ISO 14001 certification.
Of these, three sites belonging to Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (Headquarters, Hamura R&D Center, and Hachioji R&D Center) began working under integrated certification in fiscal 2018.

Each of these sites regularly implements conditions management and improvement activities by measuring concentrations of dust, SOx, and NOx in exhaust emissions, based on voluntary standards and standards established by national and local governments. They also measure wastewater quality (water containing harmful substances). Moreover, the sites measure and report usage conditions for harmful atmospheric pollutants, as well as handling quantities and atmospheric emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

In addition, to address leaks of fluorocarbon gas, which is used in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment and has a global warming potential several thousand times that of CO₂, Casio works to ascertain filling and recovery volume by ensuring that all sites implement simple inspections and periodic inspections based on Japan’s Act on Rational Use and Appropriate Management of Fluorocarbons, as well as ensuring that they participate in database management.

Further, each site trains internal environmental auditors, conducts internal audits, and also undertakes regular third-party audits by external organizations. If there is any non-conformity, corrective measures are taken in accordance with internally specified procedures and continuous improvement activities are carried out.

With a view to strengthening Casio’s environmental risk management and improving its environmental performance in the future, internal environmental auditors are expected to play a role as front-line leaders of environmental compliance. Toward this end, they are enhancing their ability to perceive environmental risks, increasing their specialized knowledge of environmental laws and regulations as well as chemicals management, and also identifying issues and proposing improvements.

Compliance with Environmental Laws and Regulations Related to Casio Products

2. Regulations on energy efficiency for power consumption

Countries also have environmental laws and regulations on power source efficiency for products that connect to AC power. Starting in the development stage, Casio assesses whether a product subject to environmental laws and regulations meets requirements, and then submits requests for approval to the relevant authorities. 

Compliance Relating to the Proper Collection, Recycling, and Disposal of Used Products

Countries around the world also have regulations for the collection and recycling of used electrical and electronics products, packaging materials, and batteries. Companies must comply with the requirements of each law including product design to save resources and facilitate recycling, labeling and information provision to promote user participation in the sorted collection of products for recycling, as well as information provision for proper product disposal.

Casio evaluates products in terms of resource savings, ease of dismantling, recycling potential, and recycled material content. Confirmation is also made to see whether the recycling labels and displayed information meet legal requirements worldwide.

In response to the enactment of Japan’s Small Electronic Devices Recycling Act in April 2013, Casio has put together a project team including employees involved in every product category (such as designers), aiming to ensure products being developed are easily recyclable. Casio is asking intermediate processors and metal smelters who recycle used small household appliances to participate in interviews regarding dismantling methods and other issues. The lessons learned are being incorporated into product environmental assessments, helping Casio to develop products that are easy to recycle.

Compliance Relating to Energy Saving and Climate Change Measures

Casio has measures addressing regulations around the globe, but this section focuses on the steps Casio is taking to comply with the laws and regulations in Japan that apply to its relatively large business facilities.

1. Act on the Rational Use of Energy

Pursuant to the requirements of the Energy Conservation Law, Casio is taking various steps such as addressing the rational use of energy at the business level. Casio Computer Co., Ltd. and Yamagata Casio are both currently designated as specified businesses. Since fiscal 2010, Casio has been regularly submitting reports and medium and long-term plans on this issue. In accordance with the determination standards relating to the rational use of energy at plants and facilities, Casio has created the new position of energy management supervisor and has been promoting the rational use of energy and other measures.

2. Act on the Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures

Casio does not exceed the standards for emissions of greenhouse gases other than CO₂ arising from energy use set by Japan’s Act on the Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures. It is complying with requirements for the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, by regularly submitting reports under the Act on the Rational Use of Energy.

3. Environmental Regulations in Tokyo

Under the Tokyo Metropolitan Environmental Security Ordinance’s Carbon Reduction Reporting Program, if the total energy usage on a crude oil equivalent basis for a business’ several small and medium-sized facilities set up within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area reaches 3,000 kl/year or higher, the business must submit a report including the status of initiatives to save energy at each facility.
The requirement to submit a report and make information public in accordance with the Carbon Reduction Countermeasures Reporting Program does not currently apply to Casio. However, below are the reports Casio submitted previously (in Japanese).

> Tokyo Carbon Reduction Reporting Program on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government website (In Japanese)

Published Data of Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (In Japanese)
* Casio has been exempt from the requirement to submit reports since fiscal 2020, and no longer submits reports. It has been confirmed that the total energy usage on a crude oil equivalent basis at all relevant business sites has been less than 3,000kL/year since fiscal 2020.  

> Fiscal 2018
> Fiscal 2017
> Fiscal 2015
> Fiscal 2014

Compliance Relating to Environmental Information Disclosure

There is a growing international movement calling for the creation of information disclosure standards for companies.

Along with the need for Japanese standards to coincide with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), there is a movement calling for the provision of Management Commentaries (MC) as a form of disclosure of non-financial and corporate forecast information. In other words, companies will need to disclose non-financial data which describes the connections between the company’s current situation, business strategy, risks, and financial performance, and other relevant information.

In order to provide its stakeholders with the proper environmental information in a way that it is easy to understand, Casio has the following aims.

1. To adopt more accurate indices relating to environmental impact, and to provide comparable information
2. To provide non-financial information including environmental information that indicates the connections with corporate strategy
3. To explain the capability of environmental information to improve corporate performance

Along with working to disclose environmental information, Casio will promote international disclosure standards for non-financial information, and work towards standardization.

Compliance with Environmental Laws

Casio was not subject to any legal violations, penalties, fines, or lawsuits relating to the environment in fiscal 2022.