We promote environmental initiatives under the creed of "Creating a prosperous society through business activities in harmony with the environment." Most of our products, such as limestone, silica rock, iron and steel slag, nickel ultra fine powder, and lithium nickelate, are derived from mineral resources. Such a business model requires environmentally responsible business activities.

For example, quicklime used in steelmaking processes is derived from calcined limestone, which contains other essential auxiliary materials for removing non-ferrous components in iron ore, such as silica and alumina. We are particularly engaged in environment conservation activities such as planting vegetation at mining sites and conserving energy during quicklime production. Iron and steel slag combined with these non-ferrous components is recycled as raw cement material and other construction materials to help conserve resources and reduce CO₂ emissions. As you can see, limestone is effectively utilized as raw materials in new products (iron and steel slag) after use as quicklime in steelmaking processes. Iron and steel slag is designated as a specified procurement item in public works under the Green Purchasing Law (products that contribute to reducing environmental impact).

Nickel ultra fine powder is used as material for internal electrodes in multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). MLCCs store electricity temporarily while also cutting out noise, and so these devices are critical components of electronics devices such as smartphones. We strive to conserve rare metals and other precious resources by improving raw material yields as well as improving functionality of products in accordance with customer needs.

We have established a specialized Environment Management Department to manage all of the company's environmental initiatives. Every year, this department establishes/revises our environment management policies and identifies challenges and issues. The department manages the status of initiatives. We also receive more specialized environmental audits from our parent company, JFE Steel Corporation, to help improve our ability to manage these initiatives. Five of our domestic plants have acquired ISO14001(2015) certification.