CSR at the Chemicals, Forest Products & General Merchandise Company

CSR at this Division Company

Caring for the Natural Environment and Ensuring the Safety of Chemical Substances

We constantly strive to improve the quality and safety of our products in a broad scope of business areas, and ensure a smooth and stable supply of products and services that precisely respond to the needs of our customers. We do this while giving maximum consideration to the environment, thus contributing to everyone's quality of life.

Satoshi KikuchiPresident, Chemicals, Forest Products & General Merchandise Company

CSR Action Plans

Key points of our FY2012 action plans

We will promote increased business in internationally certified forest products and low-formaldehyde products as well as lithium-ion batteries as an environment-friendly business. We will also work as a Group to bolster supply chain management through efforts to secure traceability for suppliers and strengthen education and training in chemical product-related laws and safety.

Click here for details of our CSR action plans

Examples of Key Initiatives

Initiatives in Lithium-ion Battery-related Business

The Chemicals Division is focusing on lithium-ion batteries, where demand is expected to grow for use in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, with business advances made to date in the area of component and materials production.
As a step in securing lithium resources, ITOCHU Corporation invested in U.S.-based resource development company Simbol Materials in fiscal 2011. Simbol is developing and promoting operations whereby lithium compounds are produced by extracting lithium from used geothermal brine at geothermal power plants in southern California. Simbol’s manufacturing technology is being further developed and refined ahead of commercial production.
Using the unique advantages found in geothermal brine, such as the carbonated gas and heat it contains, not only enables competitive production of lithium compounds but also enables an environmentally friendly business with a reduced carbon footprint.

Geothermal brine well in southern California

CSR Initiatives by Major Group Companies

Promoting Protection of Water Resources and Resource Recycling

ITC Green & Water Corp.

ITC Green & Water Corp. has been working for some 30 years to develop and improve technologies for cleaning organic effluent such as livestock wastewater. The company has leveraged its expertise in wastewater treatment to create a new business with a system for improving substratum and water quality in dam reservoirs and ports that have become polluted due to oxygen depletion. The company also operates an environmental solutions business that contributes to resource recycling with its integrated treatment system, from wastewater treatment to making effective use of sludge. One example is an initiative to compact organic sludge, which had conventionally been treated as waste, and compost or convert it into fuel.