Measures against Climate Change

Santen strives to help mitigate climate change by reducing its CO2 emissions, utilizing low-carbon resources and energies, and other means.

Information on measures against climate change is disclosed in the Environmental Data Book.

Santen Group Guidelines for Environmental Conservation

Santen has established the “Santen Group Guidelines for Environmental Conservation” in order to promote and develop environmental conservation activities globally.

Environmental Management System

Santen has established environmental conservation systems integrated with business activities at all Group companies. We address various environmental challenges and promote environmental conservation initiatives through every single employee's autonomous activities and promotes efforts to contribute to achievement of a low-carbon and recycling-based society. At the operational sites in Noto and Shiga, we have acquired ISO 14001 certification, which is the international standard for environmental management systems, and conduct environmental audits. The Suzhou Plant in China also acquired ISO 14001 certification in February 2019 and has started operations in accordance with the ISO 14001 requirements.

Acquisition of ISO 14001 Certifications

Organization Area Acquisition date

As integrated organization

  • Shiga Product Supply Center
  • Noto Plant
  • Claire Co., Ltd
 Manufacture of Medicinal Chemicais Cleaning of Aseptic and Dust-free Gownings December 2014
Suzhou Plant(China) Production of pharmaceuticals February 2019

Environmental Audit

Each workplace takes the initiative in conducting regular internal audits to check whether the environmental management system is appropriately operated. Additionally, Santen accepts on-the-spot audits by commissioned companies of the process of commissioned production, providing good opportunities to learn about other companies' efforts, and contributing to improving our environmental measures.

Environmental Vision for 2050 and Environmental Targets for 2030

Santen has established “Santen Vision for the Earth 2050” to fulfill its social responsibilities and strengthen the business foundation for its sustainable growth, with full recognition of conserving the global environment as one of the most important challenges. Under the vision, Santen will make a full commitment to the following two areas in all countries and regions of its operation. The first commitment area is “Measures against Climate Change”, which are aimed at the achievement of carbon neutrality toward the Realization of a Carbon-free Society mainly through technological innovation toward an energy shift and thorough reuse and highly efficient use of resources at plants and other facilities. The second commitment area is “Environmental Load Reduction”, which is aimed at the Establishment of a Recycling-based Society mainly through the full utilization of sustainable resources and materials based on technological innovation for all products.

Santen Vision for the Earth 2050 Happiness with Vision, Happiness with the Earth. Measures against Climate Change. Realization of Carbon-free Society. CO2 Virtually Zero Emissions of Greenhouse Gas.Environmental Load Reduction. Establishment of Recycling-based Society.Water resource, Resource saving,Plastic. Full use of sustainable Resources & Materials.

Environmental targets for 2030 to achieve “Santen Vision for the Earth 2050”

Theme Targets
Measures against Climate Change
Contribution to a carbon-free society
  • 100% shift of company-owned vehicles to electric vehicles (HVs, PHVs, EVs, and FCVs) by 2025
  • 100% shift of power used at plants and laboratories in Japan to renewable energy-based power by 2023
  • Facilitating wider use of transportation means with low environmental loads, including railroads, for commuting and business trips, and encouraging remote work and meetings
  • Promoting the initiative through engagement of major suppliers (in CO2 emissions reduction)
Targets
  • Scope 1 and 2 emissions(* 1): 50% reduction by 2030 versus 2019 (SBTi’s(* 2)official validation as a target set in line with the Paris Agreement's(*3)1.5℃ target for 2050)
  • Scope 3 Category 1 emissions(*1)(non-consolidated): 15% reduction by 2030 versus 2019 (SBTi’s official validation as a target set in line with the Paris Agreement's 2℃ target for 2050)
Environmental Load Reduction(Measures for water resource and resource saving)
Conservation of limited resources, including water as the life of eye drops
  • Effectively utilizing resources through measures such as continuous reuse of water resources
  • Promoting the conversion of waste into valuables and waste recycling by continuing to completely separate waste by type
  • Ensuring the sharing and upscaling of good practices among operational bases
Targets
  • 12.4 m3/10,000 bottles of water consumption or less per unit of production
  • 98% or higher recycling rate
Environmental Load Reduction(Measures against plastic)
Reduce and shift from plastic, and become plastic-free
  • Reducing plastic consumption
  • Shifting from plastic to paper, biomass plastic and other new sustainable materials
  • Developing new sustainable materials through innovation toward solutions to technological challenges and the challenge of ensuring stable procurement
Targets
  • 60% of plastic eye drop containers being produced from biomass plastic in 2030
  • 15% reduction in plastic used for wrapping and package by 2030 versus 2019
  1. Scope 1 emissions: Direct GHG emissions from sources owned or controlled by a company (fuel combustion and industrial processes)
    Scope 2 emissions: Indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased energy, such as electricity, heat, and steam
    Scope 3 Category 1 emissions: Scope 3 emissions denote indirect GHG emissions, other than Scope 1 and 2 emissions, resulting from a company's value chain activities, which are not owned or controlled by the company. Among them, Category 1 emissions are emissions from all purchased goods and services.
  2. SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative): A joint initiative to encourage companies to set and achieve science-based targets for GHG emissions reduction in line with the Paris Agreement
  3. Paris Agreement: An agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which has set the target of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2℃ above pre-industrial levels, and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (CO2) Emissions

Santen has adopted a policy of continuing its efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, which account for the majority of greenhouse gases emitted by the group, into the future even as our production grows, and has set a medium-term target of 10% reduction of group-wide CO2 emissions in FY2020 compared with FY2005. As a result of proactive efforts to replace old combustion-based equipment with non-combustion-based equipment, and saving a larger amount of energy by introducing high-efficiency equipment, we succeeded in reducing CO2 emissions in FY2020 to 31,320 tons, 18% lower than in FY2005. The consolidated emissions per unit of revenue were 125tons per billion yen, 27% lower than in FY2016. We also appropriately control CFC gases that can affect global warming, and our CFC gas emissions are below the legal and regulatory standards for reporting in Japan, where we generate most of our CFC gas emissions.

With regard to our operations in Japan, which account for 77% of our total CO2 emissions, we have participated in the low-carbon society action plan of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association of Japan since 2013, and have been striving to achieve our medium-term target of reducing FY2020 CO2 emissions from our domestic operations by 30% from FY2005. Santen’s domestic CO2 emissions in FY2020 were 24,224 tons, 32% lower than in FY2005.

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (CO2) Emissions from our Supply Chains

In Japan, we assess not only Greenhouse Gas (CO2) emissions from Santen, but also those from Scope 3, in other words, our supply chains resulting from the purchase of raw materials, the distribution of products, and the movement of employees and strive to reduce CO2 emissions. In FY2020, Scope 3 CO2 emissions, which we began estimating in FY2016, amounted to 176,819 tons, 3.3% higher than in FY2019, and the emissions per unit of revenue were 950 tons per billion yen, a 1.3% higher compared to FY2019.

Grasping the Overview of Environmental Impact and Environmental Accounting

Santen the overview of environmental impact, comprised of input such as energy usage, input of materials, and input of water resources, and output such as release into the air and water, and the release of waste and other materials. Santen also grasps and analyzes the costs of environmental conservation efforts (investments and costs) and their effects (economic effects and environmental conservation effects) to promote effective activities for mitigating environmental impact.

Santen’s non-consolidated environmental conservation costs of FY2020 include a total investment of 53.8 million yen and a total cost of 285.4 million yen, leading to 71.5 million yen of economic effects produced through environmental conservation.

Environment-related Accidents and Complaints

There was no accident that causes environmental pollution, i.e. soil contamination, and no infraction of laws or regulations related environmental issues, at our business sites in Japan or other countries in FY2020.