Environmental Education and Communication

Participating in Local Environmental Education

In the NGK Group Environmental Policy, we have established priority initiatives for education and public relations activities, and conduct ongoing environmental education and awareness activities aimed at increasing employee environmental awareness. Our aim is to deepen the understanding of environmental problems among each employee to inculcate an awareness of environmental conservation activities. We also conduct environmental events and provide information to a wide range of stakeholders, including lectures at high schools and universities, to increase environmental awareness.

Offering Guest Lectures at Nearby High Schools

At the request of Ai Chi Mirai Forum, an NPO that provides opportunities to learn about global problems such as environmental pollution, poverty, and war, NGK employees regularly visit schools in Aichi Prefecture to give lectures. In such classes, we introduce corporate initiatives and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), and give students an opportunity to think about themselves and the environment.

University Lectures

The Business Ethics Research Center (BERC) is a general incorporated association that supports the research and adoption of a wide array of business ethics. As part of its activities in FY2023, NGK employees served as endowed BERC lecturers and visited universities to deliver lectures. These lectures introduced NGKs philosophy, corporate strategy, and efforts towards carbon neutrality to students.

Sharing Information with Other Companies

The EPOC (Environmental Partnership Organizing Club) ^* subcommittee led by NGK holds seminars and field trips several times a year on themes related to corporate environmental management (such as low carbon, resource recycling, biodiversity, water resources, and laws and regulations relating to the environment), and disseminates information to its members. In FY2023 we held 3 seminars and 1 study session.

The EPOC: A voluntary organization consisting mainly of companies in the Chubu region of Japan, which was established in 2000. Its purpose is to spread information regarding the environment with the aim of building a recycling-oriented sustainable society. NGK has been involved in the planning and management of this organization since its establishment. EPOC currently has approximately 253 members. (As of May 10, 2024)

Page top

Employee Environmental Training and Skills Development

Environmental Expert Training

In FY2021, to strengthen compliance, we created training materials which could be accessed on-demand. We created five training materials covering topics such as the Air Pollution Control Act and Water Pollution Prevention Act, and around 6,200 people have attended lectures since they began in October 2022.
We have also rolled out these contents to our group companies in Japan, and around 2,000 people have utilized them.

Special Environmental Training

Every year, we invite outside experts to introduce our employees to examples of corporate initiatives which address carbon neutrality, resource recycling, and living in harmony with nature.

Promoting the Acquisition of Qualifications

To continue conducting environmental conservation activities in compliance with laws and regulations, we make an effort to develop and increase the skills of legally qualified personnel. We provide support in each department for the acquisition of environment-related legal qualifications targeting managers engaged in pollution prevention required for the management of each site.
We systematically educate Qualified Energy Managers in the Engineering Department, and Special Controlled Industrial Waste Managers and others involved in waste-related activities in the Environmental Management Department and other business groups.

Qualifications Acquired as of March 31, 2024 (NGK)

Support for Acquisition of Eco Test Certification

With the aim of ensuring that each employee acquires a strong environmental awareness and a wide range of knowledge with respect to the environment, NGK supports employees in sitting the Eco Test^* by lending them reference materials and subsidizing test-related expenses.
To date, a total of 898 people—approx. 20% of all NGK employees—have passed the test.

The Eco Test is an environmental and social certification test administered by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry focused on a wide-range of environmental issues.

Eco Test Certification

Environmental Data Collection

NGK Eco Point System

NGK promotes its Eco Point System in an effort to contribute to regional environmental improvement. Employees earn points for environmental behavior conducted at work and in the home, a portion of which is converted into cash and donated to local government-managed funds (environmental funds).
In addition to NGK’s three sites in Nagoya, Komaki and Chita, and the Ishikawa Plant, the system was introduced to the Tokyo Main Office and Osaka Branch and sales offices in FY2016.

Page top