Voluntary Initiatives to Reduce Atmospheric Emissions of Chemical Substances

As a corporate group that does business in the chemicals sector, Toray Group places the highest priority on reducing emissions of chemicals into the atmosphere in order to reduce its environmental impact.
The Group is working to achieve its targets for reducing atmospheric emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and substances specified under Japan's Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Law (PRTR Law). Under Toray’s CSR Roadmap 2022, which covered the period from fiscal 2020 to 2022, the Group aimed to reduce its VOC atmospheric emissions by 70% or more each year compared to fiscal 2000, until fiscal 2022. Starting in fiscal 2020, the Group has been focusing on making reductions at group companies and plants with high atmospheric emissions of PRTR-applicable substances and VOCs, while following up on their progress. Under CSR Roadmap 2025, which covers the period from fiscal 2023 to 2025, the Group aims to reduce its annual VOC atmospheric emissions by 72% or more compared to fiscal 2000, until the end of the period. In order to achieve this goal, group companies with high VOC atmospheric emissions as of the end of fiscal 2022 are being targeted, and efforts are being made to further reduce emissions at these companies.

In fiscal 2022, Toray Group’s atmospheric emissions of PRTR Law-specified substances were 821 tons. Although these emissions decreased at Toray Industries, emissions increased by 105 tons compared to the previous year at group companies in and outside of Japan. This was mainly due to increased production to meet demand during the post-pandemic economic recovery, and due to the startup of new factories. As a result, the Group achieved a 68.7% reduction compared to the base year of fiscal 2000, falling just short of the 70% reduction target.
Some substances covered by the PRTR Law pose particular concerns regarding their effects on human health. For these substances, the Group will continue to promote voluntary reductions in atmospheric emissions while paying close attention to legal and regulatory trends in the countries and regions where applicable manufacturing sites are located.

In fiscal 2022, Toray Group’s atmospheric VOC emissions were 1,157 tons, up 30.3% (269 tons) compared to the previous fiscal year.
The emissions were 70.9% below the base year of fiscal 2000, achieving for the second consecutive year the CSR Roadmap 2022 target of a 70% reduction compared to the base year.
The main reason for the increase in VOC emissions was a recovery in production at group companies outside Japan, and the startup of new plants. Covering the period from fiscal 2023 to 2025, the CSR Roadmap 2025 establishes an annual reduction target of 72% or more compared to fiscal 2000, until the end of the period. To achieve this goal, the Group is targeting companies with high VOC atmospheric emissions as of the end of fiscal 2022 and is working to further reduce emissions.