Green procurement

The main materials for chemical products are salt, fluorites and potassium chloride. Salt is imported mainly from Australia, fluorites from China, and potassium chloride from Canada.
We manage our procurement based on AGC Group's Integrated Green Procurement Guideline and also with our own guidelines for the management of chemical substances, in order to comply with related regulations such as PRTR.

• The Integrated Green Procurement Guideline(Corporate Information)

Flow of chemicals at AGC Group

Reducing Energy Consumption in the Manufacturing Process

Recycling CO₂ emitted from the manufacturing process

AGC Chemicals Company has been recovering and recycling CO₂ emitted from the glass manufacturing process by using caustic soda, one of our major products.
We recover low level CO₂ in the gas exhausted from the glass manufacturing process and mix it with caustic soda to synthesize soda ash, a material for glass. By adopting this synthesis method, we contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions in the glass manufacturing process. In addition, using synthesized soda ash instead of the natural soda ash now in use allows us to reduce CO₂ emissions from the procurement and manufacturing of soda ash by approximately 20%.
In 2009, we completed the necessary tests and quality checks at the Asahi Glass Kashima Plant and are now examining the feasibility of introducing this synthesis method across AGC Group.

Flow of chemicals at AGC Group

Environmentally Friendly Products Providing Solutions to Climate Change

Developing solvents and coolants with low ODP and GWP

In 1997, the ASAHIKLIN AK225 (ozone depletion potential [ODP]: 0.03) was the only commercialized substitute for CFC-113 (ODP: 0.8 and GWP: 6,130) in regard to electronics substrate cleaning agents and won a Best-of-the Best Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Moreover, the ASAHIKLIN AE-3000 achieved zero ODP and its GWP was reduced to as low as 580. AGC Group is now making efforts to develop fluorinated solvents and coolants with one-digit GWP.

• ASAHIKLIN Series

Flow of chemicals at AGC Group

Recovering and Recycling CFCs

AGC Chemicals Company manufactures HCFCs and HFCs as substitutes for CFCs. To fulfill its responsibility as a manufacturer of these products, which are supplied to home electric appliance manufacturers and automakers, the Chemicals Company has been recovering and recycling used CFCs at Asahi Glass Chiba Plant since 1997. As the GWP of CFC's is in the hundreds to ten thousand times higher than that of CO₂, recovering and recycling greatly contribute to the prevention of global warming. In fiscal 2009, we recovered and decomposed approximately 685 tons of CFCs.

Flow of chemicals at AGC Group