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Environmental Protection

GHG and Energy

The Mitsui Chemicals Group is striving to reduce GHG emissions and energy consumption by adopting a low-carbon manufacturing approach under its climate change policy.

*For details on our climate change policy, strategy, and implementing the recommendations of the TCFD, please click here.

GHG Emissions (Scope 1 and 2)

In response to increasingly serious environmental problems and growing demands for global decarbonization, the Mitsui Chemicals Group announced its 2050 Carbon Neutrality Declaration in November 2020, and set a Group target in June 2021 to reduce the Group's global GHG emissions by 40% (compared to FY2013) by FY2030. To achieve these targets, we will actively engage in the transition to low-carbon raw materials and fuels, energy conservation through the installation of highly energy-efficient equipment, and the adoption of renewable energy, as part of our efforts to build a decarbonized society.

The Mitsui Chemicals Group's GHG emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) have been calculated in accordance with the GHG Protocol since fiscal 2024. In fiscal 2024, although the number of overseas affiliates subject to calculation increased due to compliance with the GHG Protocol, emissions decreased compared to fiscal 2023, partly due to the suspension of operations at major plants caused by trouble.

Meanwhile, since fiscal 2007, Mitsui Chemicals has set a target of reducing GHG emissions through energy efficiency, and is continuing comprehensive energy conservation activities at its plants. This includes step-by-step enhancement of heat recovery and streamlining of the refining process. In fiscal 2024, we achieved a reduction of 28,000 tons, exceeding our target (a reduction of at least 20,000 tons from the previous year).

GHG Emissions Reduction Rate (Scopes 1 and 2) (Mitsui Chemicals Group)

*Compared to FY2013

*Calculated based on adjusted emissions that exclude temporary factors such as fluctuations in ethylene operating rates.

GHG Emissions reduction rate (Scopes 1 and 2)

GHG Emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) (Mitsui Chemicals Group)

Energy Consumption

With regard to Mitsui Chemicals' energy consumption, our target was to achieve a five-year average reduction rate of 1% or more in energy intensity. However, despite various energy efficiency measures in fiscal 2024, we were unable to offset the deterioration in energy intensity caused by the suspension of operations at major plants due to trouble and low capacity utilization, resulting in a 1.0% increase compared to fiscal 2023. We will continue to aim for a five-year average reduction rate of 1% or more, which is the target of the Energy Conservation Law. However, since it is difficult to evaluate long-term reduction efforts with a five-year average reduction rate because the base year shifts, we will use the benchmark target of the Energy Conservation Law (11.9 GJ/t or less energy consumption per unit production of ethylene at ethylene production facilities) and an energy consumption intensity of 92% or less, which is based on fiscal 2009, as reference indicators for our initiatives to reduce energy consumption.

Energy Consumption (Mitsui Chemicals Group)

GHG Emissions (Scope 3)

In order to identify GHG emissions throughout the entire supply chain, extending from purchasing raw materials to customer use and disposal, we calculate Scope 3 emissions for indirect emissions in addition to Scopes 1 and 2 emissions generated from our own business and production activities.

Until now, we have calculated and disclosed Scope 3 figures for Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. However, in order to more accurately grasp the environmental impact of the entire Group supply chain and use this information for evaluation and management, we have expanded the scope of calculations to include major consolidated subsidiaries from fiscal 2023 results. As we expand the scope of calculations, we are also working to improve accuracy by changing the calculation method.

Going forward, we plan to further expand the scope of our calculations to grasp emissions across the Group, evaluate the environmental impact of a wider range of supply chain, and promote efforts to realize a sustainable society.

GHG Emissions (Scope 3)

Breakdown of GHG Emissions (Scope 3) (Mitsui Chemicals Group, FY2024)

Category	Emissions (Thousands of tons CO₂eq/year)	Method of calculating emissions and reasons for excluding from the scope of calculation
1. Purchased goods and services	8,533	Emissions coefficient IDEA v3.4, National Institute for Environmental Studies, "Embodied Energy and Emission Intensity Data for Japan Using Input-Output Tables (3EID)" Calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Calculated based on the purchase volume and purchase price.
2. Capital goods	397	Emissions coefficient Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Emissions Intensity Database for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 3.5 (March 2025)” Calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Calculated based on capital expenditure.
3. Fuel- and energy-related activities (not included in scopes 1 or scope 2)	478	Emissions coefficient IDEA v3.4 Calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Calculated based on the amounts of fuel, electricity, and steam purchased.
4. Upstream transportation and distribution	91	Emissions coefficient and calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculation and Reporting Manual (Ver. 4.9, April 2023)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Transport weight and distance by means of transport.
5. Waste generated in operations	80	Emissions coefficient Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Emissions Intensity Database for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 3.5 (March 2025)” Calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation methods, etc. Calculated based on the amount by type of waste treated outside the Group.
6. Business travel	2	Emissions coefficient Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Emissions Intensity Database for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 3.5 (March 2025)” Calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Calculated based on the number of employees.
7. Employee commuting	8	Emissions coefficient Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Emissions Intensity Database for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 3.4 (March 2025)” Calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Calculated based on the number of employees and working days.
8. Upstream leased assets	Outside scope of calculation	The Group’s leased assets have already been accounted for under Scope 1 and Scope 2, so they are excluded from the calculation.
9. Downstream transportation and distribution	Outside scope of calculation	Transports from the Group to the customer (BtoB) are included in Category 4. In addition, because we are in the materials industry, we have a high ratio of intermediate products and are unable to grasp the distribution to the consumer. Therefore, given that it is impossible to reasonably calculate the transportation volume, these are excluded from the scope of calculation.
10. Processing sold products	Outside scope of calculation	As we are in the materials industry, we have a large proportion of intermediate products, and even customers have numerous potential applications. It is difficult to collect data from customers on the processing performed by those value chain companies and their emissions intensity. In addition, it is excluded from the calculation because it is impossible to accurately calculate the data using secondary data at this time.
11. Use of sold products	319	Emission factors and calculation methods Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Calculated based on the sales volume of Urea and CO₂ for dry ice, which fall under the category of direct use phase emissions.
12. End-of-life treatment of sold products	5,797	Emissions coefficient Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Emissions Intensity Database for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 3.5 (March 2025)” Calculation method Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Basic Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Supply Chains Ver 2.7 (March 2025)" Assumptions, allocation method, etc. Calculated based on product sales volume.
13. Downstream leased assets	Outside scope of calculation	The Company does not have such assets, so they are excluded from the calculation.
14. Franchises	Outside scope of calculation	The Company does not have franchises, so they are excluded from the calculation.
15. Investments	Outside scope of calculation	The group does not engage in investment businesses or provide financial services, so they are excluded from the calculation.
Total	15,702

Highly Efficient Gas Turbine Power Generation System for Self-Sufficiency

Mitsui Chemicals installed a highly efficient gas turbine power generation system in its Osaka Works and commenced operation in December 2020. This was a joint project with Daigas Energy Co., Ltd. under a grant from the 2018 Subsidy for Promoting Investment in Energy Saving provided by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The system increases the Works’ self-sufficiency in power. It also reduces fuel usage by the naphtha cracking furnaces in the ethylene plant by taking the high-temperature exhaust gas generated by the power generation facilities for use as the combustion air in the furnaces. This is reducing CO₂ emissions from Osaka Works by 70,000 tons per year (compared with fiscal 2016).

Energy-Saving Process Using LNG Cold Energy

Together with Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., Mitsui Chemicals and its consolidated subsidiary, Osaka Petrochemical Industries, Ltd. have adopted energy-saving process by using liquefied natural gas (LNG)-generated cold energy in the ethylene plant. This world-first energy saving process using LNG-generated cold energy on a large-scale at our ethylene plant commenced in October 2010.
To transport and store natural gas, it is liquefied by cooling it to -160°C. Liquefied gas is a good source of cold energy. During its liquefied state, LNG emits boil off gas which has auto-refrigeration properties. When returning LNG to its gas state, it continues to retain superior cooling abilities. At Mitsui Chemicals’ Osaka Works OPC ethylene plant, after thermal decomposition of naphtha (crude gasoline) at high temperatures, base materials such as ethylene and propylene are separated and purified by cooling the cracked gas. By efficient use of LNG cold energy from the adjacent OPC ethylene plant of Osaka Gas Senboku Works, a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions was possible.

CCU (Carbon Capture Usage) Technologies

Mitsui Chemicals took part in the CCU Project (CO₂ + H₂ ⇒CH₃OH +H₂O) lead by the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) (commissioned by NEDO), and developed a high activity catalyst. Refinement of this highly active catalyst eventually was tested by the pilot plant of CCU technology in Mitsui Chemicals Osaka Works in 2009. This was a verification test, producing 100 tons of methanol per year from hydrogen and CO₂ which was contained in the exhaust gases. We have confirmed the conversion ratio from CO₂ to methanol and the catalyst life and obtained necessary data items for creating a technological package. However, due to several issues that remained to be addressed concerning costs and availability of hydrogen source, this technology has not yet been commercialized. Nevertheless, we believe that this promising technology should greatly contribute to the realization of low-carbon society which is currently sought by the world.

Installation of Solar Power Generation Facilities

The Mitsui Chemicals Group has adopted renewable energy as a measure to reduce the Group's GHG emissions based on its carbon neutral strategy. In March 2024, we adopted the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model and installed a solar power generation system (power generation capacity: 950 kW) on an idle lot (approx. 8,300 m²) on the former site of a wastewater plant at our Nagoya Works. In the PPA model, the PPA operator installs the power generation equipment and the Nagoya Works purchases all the electricity generated. The Group will continue its efforts to further increase the ratio of electricity produced from renewable sources.

Solar power generation facilities installed at the Nagoya Works

Other Initiatives

Transition to Low-Carbon Raw Materials and Fuels – Fuel Conversion of Naphtha Crackers Using Ammonia

Transition to Low-Carbon Raw Materials and Fuels – Building Hydrogen and Ammonia Supply Chains Through Cross-Industry and Regional Collaboration

Carbon-Negative Technology – Successful Demonstration of Methanol and Para-Xylene Synthesis From CO₂