Formulation of the “Furukawa Electric Group Environmental Vision 2050”
- Furukawa Electric Group will contribute to the future of a sustainable earth -

March 4, 2021

  • We have formulated the “Furukawa Electric Group Environmental Vision 2050” as our long-term environmental vision to contribute to the future of the global environment
  • This will contribute to a carbon-free society, a water and resources recycling society and a society in harmony with nature throughout our value chain
  • And will contribute to “the realization of a truly affluent and sustainable society,” the corporate philosophy of the Furukawa Electric Group

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Head Office: 2-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Keiichi Kobayashi) has formulated the “Furukawa Electric Group Environmental Vision 2050,” looking ahead to 2050.

Background

Furukawa Electric Group established the “Furukawa Electric Group Vision 2030” (in order to build a sustainable world and make people’s life safe, peaceful and rewarding, Furukawa Electric Group will create solutions for the new generation of global infrastructure combining information, energy and mobility) and is promoting ESG management aimed at increasing medium to long-term corporate value centered on ESG (Environment, Social, and corporate Governance) under this corporate philosophy: “Drawing on more than a century of expertise in the development and fabrication of advanced materials, we will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through continuous technological innovation.” After establishing “Environmental Targets 2030” in 2019, we expressed support for the recommendations of the “Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)” in January 2020, and were selected as a “Climate Change A List” company, the highest ranking, by CDP, an international environmental NGO, in December last year.
Furukawa Electric Group feels strongly that it is no longer possible to overlook the problems of the intensification of abnormal weather due to climate change and marine plastics of recent years and that we also need to strengthen our efforts further. In relation to the environmental area in particular, we reached the conclusion that an environmental vision looking ahead to 2050 was required in order to take measures aimed at awareness of ultra-long-term issues and their resolution from 2030 on.
With the “Furukawa Electric Group Environmental Vision 2050,” we will continue the measures based on “Environmental Targets 2030” and strengthen the “creation of environmentally-friendly businesses” and the “development of business activities that consider climate change,” important management issues (materiality) in the “Furukawa Electric Group Vision 2030.”

Details

Environmental Vision 2050

Through the provision of environmentally friendly products and services and recycling-based production activities, contribute to the realization of a sustainable society throughout the value chain

  • Contribute to a carbon-free society
    Aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the value chain
    (Greenhouse gas emissions from business activities (Scope 1 & 2): Challenge target of zero emissions in 2050)
  • Contribute to realizing a recycling-based society for water & resources
    Minimize water usage, and promote the use of recycled materials, including waste plastic, throughout the value chain
  • Contribute to society in harmony with nature
    Minimize the impact on ecosystems through value chain management that includes raw materials
    Scope 1: Direct emissions from the company’s plants and offices
    Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the electrical power and heat paid by the company

Contribute to a carbon-free society

In addition to energy-saving activities at works and plants, we are promoting the use of renewable energy such as the hydropower that we have been using for a century and solar power generation throughout the group both in Japan and overseas. We are advancing the transition to renewable energy including the installation of solar power generation facilities at Furukawa Electric’s Copper Foil Division in Japan and some of the Furukawa Electric Group’s manufacturing bases in Mexico, China and India, and using electricity derived from geothermal power generation at the Furukawa Electric Group’s manufacturing base in the Philippines.
Throughout the group, we are working on the development of technology and business that will solve the problem of global warming due to carbon dioxide based on the development of technology that applies core technologies in metals and polymers to secure carbon. We will aim from now on to increase the use of recycled materials such as metals and plastics, and to reduce greenhouse gases throughout our value chain.

Contribute to realizing a recycling-based society for water & resources

We will increase our reuse of water in manufacturing processes, promote the reuse, etc., of metals including copper, the main resource of the Furukawa Electric Group, and contribute to resolution of the problems of marine plastics and resource depletion. In addition, we are using technologies that reuse disposable plastics in reinforced plastics that apply Furukawa Electric’s core technologies in polymers, and will work in future on the use of plastic rubbish, which is difficult to recycle.

Contribute to society in harmony with nature

We conduct management of chemical substances, etc., that is also considerate of the impacts on ecosystems throughout our supply chain, from the procurement of materials to product manufacturing and the provision of products and services. We will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society that co-exists with the natural environment through the provision of environmentally friendly products and services, including the use of plastic rubbish, which is difficult to recycle.

Related News Releases (Furukawa Electric's Approaches to Climate Change and Assessments Thereof)

Furukawa Electric website "Sustainability" page

Furukawa Electric Group’s efforts towards the SDGs

Based on the corporate philosophy of “Drawing on more than a century of expertise in the development and fabrication of advanced materials to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through continuous technological innovation,” the Furukawa Electric Group is conducting business activities centered on four core technological capabilities (metals, polymers, photonics and high frequency). Moreover, keeping in mind the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” adopted by the UN, we formulated the “Furukawa Electric Group Vision 2030,” which clarified the business areas of the Furukawa Electric Group, and are advancing efforts aimed at “creating solutions for the new generation of global infrastructure combining information, energy, and mobility to build a sustainable world and make people’s life safe, peaceful, and rewarding.