A Message from the President
With rapid deterioration in the environment and depletion of natural resources, the model of civilization that prevailed in the 20th century, based on mass production, mass consumption and massdisposal, has been discredited for its inefficient consumption of energy and resources. For Japan,
the 1990s have been called the “lost decade”, but they were also a decade which saw significant
changes in legislation, together with significant development of the environmental infrastructure fora “resource- and environment-friendly society”--a term denoting a sustainable society that decreases environmental impact and increases resource productivity.
Within these changes in the structure of society, Furukawa Electric and its associated group ofcompanies, as partners in the effort to achieve this sustainable society, have adopted environmental
preservation as their most important management value, and are taking active steps to resolve theproblems that it entails.
Furukawa Electric and its group are involved in a number of core areas of business, including
Telecommunications, Plastic, Cables and Wires, Nonferrous Products, Electronics-related Productsand Others. And we are old hands at taking active measures to recycle our main raw materials,
and to recover and reuse plastics. The use of CFC- and lead-free reflow ovens and CFC-SubstituteCompatible Magnet Wire in an effort to halt ozone layer depletion, and of wires and cables made of
eco-materials to eliminate halogen and reduce environmental impact all contribute to the realizationof a more affluent society while at the same time promoting conservation of the earth's resources
through energy- and resource-saving. We also intend, through development of sophisticated recycling technologies and environment-friendly products, to make a contribution to protecting theearth’s environment and conserving its resources.
In terms of concrete actions relating to the environment, the Furukawa Electric Group has embarked on a program setting forth explicit targets that specify the levels and timeframes that mustbe achieved in each category. The most important objective for fiscal year 2002 was to acquire
ISO14001 certification for all our operating facilities. In March, 2003, according to schedule, theNikko Sheet Plant became the last of our 11 facilities to reach that goal. It was also the year inwhich an operational basis for green procurement was established throughout the Group.
With respect to reducing the use of organic chlorine compounds, on the other hand, it has notbeen possible to achieve “complete elimination within the year”, but with the development of replacement technologies we have been able to set a date for complete elimination within fiscal 2003.
We have also embarked on active programs of environmental
preservation, to reduce energy use, achieve zero emissions, andestablish systems for the management of chemical substances,
as well as on the dissemination of environmental information.
Here we present a report summarizing our actions on environmental preservation focusing on fiscal year 2002. It is ourhope that readers will reach some understanding of the activities of Furukawa Electric and its associated group of companies
with respect to environmental preservation, and that you willpass on to us your frank opinions and suggestions.

Hiroshi Ishihara, President1