October 10, 2023Environment & CSR
First in Japan's Waterfront Industrial Area, Rare Orchid Conservation Area of AGC Yokohama Technical Center Certified as a Natural Symbiosis Site by the Ministry of the Environment
AGC (AGC Inc., Headquarters: Tokyo; President: Yoshinori Hirai), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals, and high-tech materials, has announced the area where AGC Yokohama Technical Center (Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama) conducts conservation activities and is home to rare orchid species has been certified as a “Natural Symbiosis Site*1” by the Ministry of the Environment. The certification will be effective as of October 25. This is the first case of certification in a waterfront industrial zone in Japan. The certification of natural symbiosis sites is part of the Ministry of the Environment’s “30 by 30” initiative, an international endeavor to conserve at least 30% of a country’s land mass as a natural environment area by 2030. Certified areas are registered in an international database as sites that contribute to biodiversity conservation (OECM*2) separate from national parks and other conservation areas.
At the AGC Yokohama Technical Center (former Keihin Plant), where the “Rare Orchid Conservation Area” is located, trees mainly from beech family such as Itajii chinkapin were planted in the 1980s to create a green space. It is thought that since then, a combination of favorable conditions, such as limited entry by humans and moderate pruning of trees, have by chance created a suitable environment for the native growth of rare orchid species.
When it was decided to build a new retaining wall in 2021 as part of the site redevelopment project, the wall was to be built in a green space where rare orchids (the golden orchid, silver orchid, and sword-leaved helleborine) were growing naturally. Several employees who were concerned about the loss of these orchids started activities to transplant and preserve them. Since then, a team including experts and landscaping companies has been formed to continue conservation efforts. The area has been certified as a “Natural Symbiosis Site” in recognition of these efforts.
The AGC Group has set “promotion of sustainability management” as one of the key strategies in its medium-term management plan AGC plus-2023 and one of the social values it seeks to create is “contribution to the realization of a sustainable global environment.” The AGC Group participates in the “30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity,” and to contribute to the achievement of international goals, it will undertake further endeavors to conserve and restore biodiversity and contribute to the achievement of a nature positive world.
Notes
*1 Areas where biodiversity is being conserved through private sector efforts, etc.
*2 Abbreviation of Other effective area-based conservation measures
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