Furukawa Electric Group has set "Contribute to society in harmony with nature " as part of its Environmental Vision 2050 and is promoting initiatives for biodiversity conservation. Additionally, we have established comprehensive guidelines for biodiversity conservation activities, and we conduct our activities based on these guidelines.
As initiatives beneficial to ecosystems, we promote the conservation of rare flora and fauna and procurement based on the Furukawa Electric Group Green Procurement Guideline*. Additionally, as initiatives to reduce harmful impacts, we engage in activities to reduce single-use plastics and participate in local cleanup efforts.
* Furukawa Electric Group has established the Green Procurement Guideline, which indicate that the Group will preferentially and continuously procure environment-friendly products that contribute to biodiversity conservation, forest preservation, and resource saving.
Since FY2015, as part of our contribution to local communities, Furukawa Techno Research Co., Ltd., a group company, has initiated cultivation activities for Pulsatilla cerna (designated as Endangered Class II*1) at the Yokohama Works. In FY2016, the plants were shared with the Hiratsuka Works and Chiba Works, where cultivation activities have been undertaken. In FY2020, the plants were further shared with Furukawa Automotive Systems Inc. (Furukawa AS), and through the efforts of the cultivation team, the plants successfully bloomed. The harvested seeds and plants have been distributed to various sites of Furukawa AS, contributing to the protection of Pulsatilla cerna.
At Furukawa AS, headquartered in Shiga Prefecture, our efforts to promote biodiversity conservation through an environmental management system based on ISO14001, the cultivation of the Endangered Class II Pulsatilla cerna, and local cleanup activities were recognized. In FY2020, we received the highest three-star rating under the Shiga Biodiversity Initiatives Certification Program*2.
*1 “Endangered class II” refers to species with an increased risk of extinction.
*2 Shiga Prefecture established the Biodiversity Shiga Strategy in 2015, which is based on the philosophy of “utilizing the inherent strength of nature and protecting life across generations”. The prefecture has been evaluating the efforts of businesses to conserve biodiversity through Shiga Biodiversity Initiatives Certification program since 2018.
While the usage of plastics just keeps expanding for their high workability and physical properties, we are facing issues such as plastics in the seas and oceans, constraints on resources/disposals, and climate change. Under the "Environmental Vision 2050", the Group works on cable recycling business, R&D for recycling technology, and environmentally friendly design (use of recycled plastic raw materials, facilitating disassembly and sorting, etc.). In addition, the entire group will work to reduce the amount of new plastic materials and single-use plastics as stated in the "Environmental Targets 2030".
