Shigeki Hiraoka
General Manager, MS Coordination Group
CSR Office

In the Aspirations for 2020 announced in February 2010, the AGC Group is committed to "giving consideration to environmental friendliness not only of products but also for overall production processes and business activities" as an "enterprise making contributions to a sustainable society." To this end, we will build a system that pays even greater consideration to the global environment through our business operations.
We have long been continuing activities for the integrated environmental management system (Integrated EMS), 3Rs,*1 soil remediation, and reduction of substances regulated by the PRTR Act and volatile organic compounds (VOC). In particular for 3Rs, Asahi Glass (unconsolidated) achieved Zero Emissions*2 in 2009. We will globally foster our Zero Emissions activity by means of the Integrated EMS.
Moreover we will focus more on "delivering technology solutions for climate change," raised in our management policy Grow Beyond. Specifically, we will continue measures for energy conservation and climate change, provide more environmentally friendly products, dealing with lifecycle CO₂ and the carbon footprint as well as emissions trading systems and CDM/JI.*3 We will also strive to manage chemical substances systematically and implement appropriate measures for biodiversity conservation, which we should persistently promote as a responsibility of a manufacturer and based on the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR).
We will also make further contributions to the creation of a sustainable society, winning further trust from society, while keeping in mind the Earth's limited resources and our responsibility to avoid passing on any negative legacy to the next generation.

Guy van Marcke
Environment, Standardization & Safety Director
CSR Office
AGC Glass Europe

In Europe, the main environmental challenges relate to climate change and reduction of CO₂ emissions. AGC Glass Europe (AGEU) has therefore developed a two pillar environmental policy: Processes (rational energy use and reduction of greenhouse gases) and Products (development of products with a positive impact on the environment during their lifetime). This policy is fully in line with "delivering technology solutions for climate change," which is stated as one of the most important targets in the AGC Group management policy Grow Beyond.
In manufacturing processes, AGEU became the first company to introduce an oxy-fuel float furnace in Europe, which together with many other measures helped the company decrease its CO₂ emissions by 6.5% between 2007 and 2010. Other actions include multi-modal transportation of raw materials and products, installing photovoltaic panels on plant roofs, producing electricity from the heat of the flue gas, and buying renewable electricity.
Regarding products, AGEU develops many products that save and generate energy and reduce CO₂ during their lifetime: high performance coatings, triple glazing units, solar glass, etc. In the near future, the environmental impact of the products will be "visualized" through life cycle analyses.