FY2021 Site Reports > Zeon Corporation – Kawasaki Plant

Zeon Corporation – Kawasaki Plant
Kawasaki Plant Profile
Main Products
Synthetic rubbers, synthetic latex
Established in 1959, Kawasaki Plant was the first plant in Japan to mass-produce synthetic
rubber. It manufactures heat- and oil-resistant synthetic rubber used in automobile engine
peripheral components. Synthetic latex is used in products such as rubber gloves, cosmetic
sponges, and non-woven fabric. Kawasaki Plant produces many relatively high-value-added
products in small quantities.

Aerial view of Kawasaki Plant

Environment and Safety Policy
The Kawasaki Plant has formulated the following environment and safety policy, based on
being a petrochemical plant that handles high-pressure gases as well as hazardous and poisonous substances, and which islocated in the Keihin Industrial Zone.
1. With the participation of all employees, we are committed to maintaining safe and reliable operations and to being a plantthat is trusted by everyone in the local community.
2. We identify all sources of danger in the workplace, and by reducing and eliminating them, we aim to achieve zerooccurrence of environmental and safety incidents and occupational accidents.
3. We strive to continuously reduce environmental impacts in all work processes and to prevent environmental contamination.
4. We comply with environment- and safety-related laws and regulations, agreements, and internal rules and regulations; wealso strive to maintain and improve our level of environmental and safety performance.
5. We conduct activities to prevent damage and reduce the extent of damage in the event of a major earthquake and tsunami
striking the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
6. We strive to maintain and improve the physical and mental health of all employees, and to create a vibrant and engaging
workplace.
7. We set targets and conduct activities in the areas of the environment, safety, and occupational health and safety; we aim toimprove our various management systems on an ongoing basis.

Plant Policy by the Plant Manager
In its 2030 vision, Zeon Corporation has set itself the goal of becoming “a company that lives up
to societal expectations and the aspirations of employees.” The Kawasaki Plant will be living up tosociety’s expectations by fulfilling its role as a member of the local community. Although the regularcleanups of the Tonomachi-Yako Route, an important road running through our area, and theevents that our employees plan and hold for local enterprises and for local residents’ associations,have had to be put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we intend to start holding these
events again once the pandemic is under control. Going forward, we will strive to coexist inharmony with the local community to build trust and alleviate concern.
Kawasaki Plant ManagerNoboru Watanabe

Safety Initiatives
PolicyEnsuring safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to eliminating accidents and incidents with the involvement of allemployees. We have been integrating companywide safety activities since FY2016 with the goal of continuously improving oursafety operations.
Specific Initiatives
1. Safety education including accident case studies and hands-on experiential education
2. Various safety activities including reviewing and eliminating near-miss accidents-1-FY2021 Site Reports > Zeon Corporation – Kawasaki Plant

Environmental Impact Reductions
PolicyWe are working to reduce our emissions of hazardous chemical substances and waste, conserve energy, and more
effectively use resources in cooperation with other plants in our industrial complex.
Scope of Environmental Management System(1) Organizational unit : Departments of the Kawasaki Plant, Zeon Corporation
Function: Manufacturing of synthetic rubbers, synthetic latex, and electronic materials
Physical boundary : The entire area of the Kawasaki Plant, Zeon Corporation, 1-2-1 and 1-2-2 Yako, Kawasaki-ku,Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture(2) Organizational: Business processes from raw materials procurement through to manufacturing, packaging, storage
activities
and shipping, and utility operations including wastewater discharge from the R&D Center
Products and: Synthetic rubbers, synthetic latex, electronic materials and products, providing information toservices
customers, and responding to complaints from customers and local residents(3) Authority and: Head Office divisions (including design and development), partner companies (product logistics,capacity ofdisposal of industrial waste, etc.), vendors (companies supplying raw materials, etc.)
managing andinfluencingorganizations
Specific Initiatives
1. Climate change-We have installed the latest gas engine cogeneration system as a way to conserve resources and energy.
-We provide a steady supply of excess electricity to external users.
-We are developing processes that effectively use steam and waste heat to continue reducing our environmental impact.
2. Reducing emissions of hazardous chemical substances
・We have installed butadiene and acrylonitrile recovery equipment.
・We are making improvements to equipment to prevent steam containing acrylonitrile from escaping from openings inproduction equipment.
・We are studying technologies to reduce acrylonitrile emissions to 1 ton or less.
3. Reducing waste
・We are separating and reusing resources (recycling and heat recovery) to reduce our industrial waste.
・We are implementing steps to reduce the amount of industrial waste we generate in the first place.
4. Reducing impacts on water quality
・We are reducing nitrogen compounds in our wastewater.
・We are making technology improvements to increase stability in managing load fluctuations.
5. Environmental data * “0” indicates less than 0.5 tons, and “0.0” indicates less than 0.05 tons
Kawasaki Plant

FY2016FY2017FY2018FY2019FY202023,04021,94025,121

20,40821,086

1.9

2.1

2.5

1.9

1.8

11,007

10,78012,551

10,006

10,385

4

3

3

2

3

Consumption (tons)

43,95444,01250,36840,45741,491

Emissions (tons)

19.0

17.5

17.2

16.9

15.4

56,33042,734

51,83645,81343,640

Butadiene consumption (tons)
Hazardous
substances

Butadiene emissions (tons)
Acrylonitrile consumption (tons)
Acrylonitrile emissions (tons)

Substances
subject tothe PRTR
Act
Industrial
waste

Amount generated before compacting(tons)-2-FY2021 Site Reports > Zeon Corporation – Kawasaki Plant

Amount generated after compacting(tons)

4,704

3,293

4,198

3,738

3,626

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

CO2 emissions (tons)

24,324

26,53130,87828,98829,285SOx emissions (tons)

0.1

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.1

NOx emissions (tons)

5.9

7.7

8.5

11.8

9.9

0.5

0.6

0.6

1.1

0.6

3,244

3,143

3,467

3,200

3,207

2,030

2,029

2,272

2,078

2,070

4256

52

48

47

0.24

0.2

0.20.2

0.2

72

103

110

101

90

Consumption (crude oil equivalent, kL)

14,136

12,23814,607

12,897

13,726

Unit consumption index (FY1990 = 100)

77%

69%

72%

81%

80%

82,27179,88391,394

72,67877,036

Amount sent to landfills (tons)

Atmosphericemissions

Soot emissions (tons)
3

Water resource consumption (1,000 m )(industrial water + groundwater + waterworks)

Total wastewater discharge (1,000 m3)
Wastewater

COD emissions (tons)
Total phosphorus discharge (tons)
Total nitrogen discharge (tons)

EnergyProduction equivalent (tons)

Relationship with Employees
PolicyWe aim for employees to individually develop and improve the skills they need to perform their duties and to cultivate a spiritof cooperation among employees as we implement systematic and ongoing development of self-reliant human resources able
to think and act autonomously.
Specific Initiatives
・Education at the Monozukuri Training Center at Mizushima Plant for employees in their first to third years of employment
・Internal group trainings
・On-the-job training and other vocational education
・Education offered by external parties
・Support for personal development

Relationship with the Local Community
Specific Initiatives
1. Publicization by the local government authority of measures aimed at
reducing CO2 emissions
Kawasaki City is implementing a Low-carbon Industrial Area Project, based on theRinkai-bu Vision (which was announced in March 2017). The “Initiatives Aimed at
Reducing the Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Enterprises Located in Kawasaki City’s
Coastal District” pamphlet issued by Kawasaki City Government outlines thecurrent status of low-carbon initiatives in this district, which it is intended will help
to enhance awareness and understanding of Kawasaki City’s Rinkai-bu (CoastalDistrict) as a whole.

Pamphlet issued by Kawasaki CityGovernment (from the Kawasaki Citywebsite)

Pamphlet issued by Kawasaki City Government(from the Kawasaki City website)-3-

FY2021 Site Reports > Zeon Corporation – Kawasaki Plant

2. Enterprise experience program initiative in collaboration with a senior highschool in Kawasaki City
The Kawasaki Plant participated (in July 2021 in the Seminar and Exhibition Boothproject which formed Part 1 of the Kawasaki City Rinkai-bu Workstyle Program.
This program, which targeted first-year students at Kawasaki City High School for
Science and Technology, comprised a series of activities taking place throughout
the year, with inputs in the form of information about enterprises located inKawasaki City’s Rinkai-bu (Coastal District) that gave students opportunities toexperience business activity for themselves, and outputs in the form ofpresentations given by the students about what they had learned, etc. Participationin this program gave the Kawasaki Plant the opportunity not only to publicize its
corporate activities, but also to build linkages with talent cultivation and recruitment
activities.

-4-

Presentation materials (from the Kawasaki City
website)