Toray Group is carrying out zero emission initiatives as it works toward the realization of a sustainable, recycling-based world. Under the Fifth Medium-Term Environmental Plan, the Group worked to achieve its fiscal 2020 targets for rates of simply disposed waste,¹ landfill waste,² and recycled waste,³ which have been set as indicators for measuring progress toward attaining zero emissions.

1. 1 Simply disposed waste rate = (incineration +landfill) / total waste
2. 2 Landfill waste rate = landfill waste / total waste
3. 3 Recycling rate = (recycled resources + resources with monetary worth) / (total waste + resources with monetary worth)

In recent years, Europe in particular has embraced a business model aligned with the concept of a circular economy, which is a resource circulation policy aimed at reducing the procurement of natural resources and the production of waste. Adding to its previous initiatives, Toray Corporate Business Research, Inc. now publicizes its survey results regarding the circular economy as part of its economic trends survey.

Simply Disposed Waste Rate

The simply disposed waste rate for Toray Group was 20.8%, down 3.8 percentage points year on year. The result was that the Group met its target under the Fifth Medium-Term Environmental Plan of 22.5% or less. In fiscal 2020, the Group was able to return to the level before fiscal 2018 because the waste disposal associated with the merger of plants by group companies in Japan that occurred in fiscal 2019 was duly completed. Going forward, the Group will keep striving to reduce the simply dispose waste rate.

Landfill Waste Rate

The landfill waste rate for Toray Group was 2.4%, down 5.9 percentage points year on year, but falling short of the target 1.3% or less. The target was not achieved because, in fiscal 2020, there was a temporary generation of waste that could not be treated as industrial waste at group companies in Japan. The landfill waste rate is expected to decrease in fiscal 2021 and beyond.

Recycling Rate

The recycling rate for the Toray Group was 86.2%, down by 0.2 percentage points year on year, but achieving the target 86% or higher. The rate increased at group companies in Japan with the completion during the previous fiscal year of all the simply disposed waste associated with the closing of plants in the previous year as well as a decrease in the absolute amount of simply disposed waste in fiscal 2020. At group companies outside Japan, the recycling rate was at the same level as fiscal 2018, as the amount of valuables decreased compared to the previous fiscal year.

Toray Group considers a plant to have achieved zero emissions when the amount of simply disposed waste accounts for 1% or less of the total waste it generates. Under the Fifth Medium-Term Environmental Plan, the Group worked on its fiscal 2020 target of achieving zero emissions at 45 or more plants. In fiscal 2020, the number of plants with zero emissions totaled 48, at 28 companies, achieving the target.

Companies and Plants Achieved Zero Emissions Target in Fiscal 2020

Toray Industries, Inc. 13 plants at 1 company	Shiga Plant, Seta Plant, Ehime Plant, Nagoya Plant, Tokai Plant, Aichi Plant, Okazaki Plant, Mishima Plant, Chiba Plant, Tsuchiura Plant, Gifu Plant, Ishikawa Plant, Nasu Plant
Group companies in Japan 24 plants at 17 companies	Toray Coatex Co., Ltd., Maruichi Fiber Co., Ltd., Toray Monofilament Co., Ltd., Toray Hybrid Cord, Inc., Toray Engineering Co., Ltd. [Shiga, Numazu], Toray Precision Co., Ltd., Du Pont-Toray Co., Ltd. [Tokai], Dow Toray Co., Ltd. [Fukui], DuPont Toray Specialty Materials Kabushiki Kaisha, Soda Aromatic Co., Ltd. [Koriyama], Toray Opelontex Co., Ltd., Toray Plastics Precision Co., Ltd. [Okazaki, Mishima, Koriyama], Suido Kiko Kaisha,Ltd., Toray Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd. [Moriyama, Tokai, Matsuyama], Toray Advanced Film Co., Ltd. [Takatsuki, Nakatsugawa, Fukushima], Toray Medical Co., Ltd., Toray KP Films Inc
Group companies outside Japan 11 plants at 10 companies	P.T.Easterntex, P.T.Toray Polytech Jakarta, Penfabric Sdn. Berhad［M2］, Toray Polytech (Foshan) Co., Ltd., Toray WBD Membrane Technology (JS) Co., Ltd., Toray Advanced Film Kaohsiung Co., Ltd., Toray Advanced Materials Korea Inc. ［M5、Anseong］, Toray BSF Coating Korea Limited, Toray Kusumgar Advanced Textile Private Limited

Note: Information in brackets refers to the names of the plants.