Environment
Environmental Management
Policies and Basic Approach
Mitsui & Co. has established, maintains, and operates an Environmental Management System based on our Environmental Policy, ISO14001 and various international guidelines. This system forms the basis for our efforts to solve environmental problems as we do business in various countries and regions around the world.
To promote initiatives that conserve the global environment in our business activities, we provide training and development opportunities for our employees and officers to enhance their ability to understand our Environmental Policy and act in accordance with it in their work. In addition, we will fulfill our accountability to society by proactively reporting our efforts and progress in dealing with environmental challenges.
Environmental Policy
We will strive to solve environmental problems through our group business activities in countries and regions around the world, in accordance with our Sustainability Policy and this Policy.
We also expect various stakeholders, including our business partners, to grasp and tackle environmental challenges in accordance with this Policy, and aim to achieve harmony with the environment in partnership with them.
- Compliance with Relevant Environmental Laws and Regulations
- In pursuing our business activities, we will comply with relevant environmental laws and regulations, international standards, and other such agreements made by our company.
- Environmental Issues Related to Business Activities
- Climate Change
We will act to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions arising from every aspect of our business, and also work to mitigate and adapt to climate change by pursuing opportunities that promote the shift to a decarbonized society and to reduce the negative impacts of climate change. - Water Resources
We will work to conserve water resources by reducing water consumption and improving the efficiency of water resource use. - Biodiversity
We will assess the environmental impact of our business activities and work to conserve biodiversity. - Pollution Prevention
We will act to reduce hazardous waste and pollutants and ensure the proper handling of any such materials, and strive to prevent air, water, ocean and soil pollution. - Sustainable Resource Use
We will improve the efficiency of how we use resources and energy, and reduce waste. By pursuing opportunities in the circular economy, we will work to generate economic growth while reducing our burden on the environment. - Technology Development and Business Creation to Reduce Environmental Impact
We will develop and promote technologies and new businesses that reduce environmental impact.
- Structure of the Environmental Management System
- We will set environmental targets, build a robust environmental management system to achieve them, and pursue continuous improvement and an appropriate sustainable governance structure through periodic review.
- Stakeholder Engagement
- We will place importance on stakeholder dialogue, and appropriately address environmental challenges relevant to our business activities.
- Remedy
- We will use appropriate processes to remedy any environmental impacts found to have arisen from our business activities or relevant supply chains.
- Education and Training
- We will provide training and development opportunities for our employees and officers to enhance their ability to grasp this Policy and act in accordance with it.
- Reporting
- We will continuously report our efforts and progress on addressing environmental challenges related to this Policy through our reports, websites, and other communication channels.
Formulated in 1998
Revised in August 2023
Makoto Sato
Representative Director, Senior Executive Managing Officer,
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO),
Chairperson of the Sustainability Committee
Goals and Targets
We have set environmental targets based on our Environmental Policy.
| Environmental Targets | |
|---|---|
| Maintenance of the Environmental Management System |
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| Compliance with Environmental Laws and Regulations |
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| Provision of information on the environment |
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| Responding to Environmental Challenges Related to Business Activities |
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Sustainability Governance and Oversight
Sustainability Committee
The Sustainability Committee works under the Executive Committee to plan, formulate and provide proposals on basic management policies, business activities, and corporate policies and strategies related to environmental management.
Please refer to the links below for more information on Mitsui’s Sustainability Management Framework and the activities of the Sustainability Committee.
Environmental Management System
In order for the Global Group to proactively tackle environmental and social issues through its business activities, we operate an environmental management system based on ISO14001 and various international guidelines. This system provides the framework for complying with environmental laws and regulations, preventing environmental risks, including those related to climate change, and promoting business oriented toward environmental conservation. Specifically, we have established a system to assess the impact that our business activities may have on the global environment and consider suitable countermeasures. In addition, the system is operated and managed by implementing the PDCA cycle, which involves evaluating and analyzing progress toward the set goals and periodically reviewing the plan.
ISO 14001 Certifications
As of March 31, 2025, 80 companies out of 294 consolidated subsidiaries acquired ISO14001 certification. In the Global Group, we acquired ISO 14001 certification in 1999. A maintenance audit took place in November 2022 and the latest certification is valid through February 22, 2026.
Note1: ISO certified sites: Mitsui Tokyo Headquarters
Note2: Ratio of ISO 14001 certified sites: 100%
Note3: Scope of registration: Overall business activities in a general trading company
External Audit
Each year, the Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA) carries out an ISO 14001 certification audit. Since acquiring certification, we have undergone annual audits in a three-year cycle: maintenance audits in the first and second years, and a renewal audit in the third year. We underwent a maintenance audit in the fiscal year ended March 2024, for which we successfully renewed the certification. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, we were subject to a maintenance audit, and maintained our certification.
Internal Environmental Audit
Every year, we hold an internal environmental audit based on ISO 14001. As part of this audit, we have designated some departments as high priority and others as low priority. The designations were decided based on the prioritized management criteria in consideration of environment-related laws and regulations, and in accordance with the amount of environmental/social risk and the business content. In the fiscal year ended March 2025, we carried out internal environmental audits on 20 departments - all 18 high-priority departments and 2 departments selected from the low-priority group. No non-conforming matters or matters requiring improvement were identified, and we confirmed that the environmental management system is operating properly. Part of the internal environmental audits involves the Corporate Sustainability Division working alongside the Sustainability Promotion Officers in each department to verify and appraise each department's legal compliance, progress with targets, level of contribution, and processes, and to link this to ongoing and further improvements to the environmental management system.
Management of Global Group Subsidiaries
In our Group, consolidated subsidiaries are designated as Environmental Priority Management Subsidiaries based on comprehensive selection criteria that take into account such factors as the type of industry and impacts on the environment and ecosystem. We regularly review our Environmental Priority Management Subsidiaries, and as of March 31, 2025, we have selected 18 key subsidiaries from among our 294 consolidated subsidiaries, that need environmental priority management. We require that these companies attain international standard ISO 14001 or introduce and operate environmental management systems of an equivalent standard in accordance with international guidelines, and promote the establishment of reliable management systems. In addition, we require our ordinary management subsidiaries that are not Priority Environmental Management Subsidiaries to establish and maintain a system that ensures they identify and evaluate compliance with environmental laws and regulations that apply to them.
Response to Environmental Accidents
If an environmental accident occurs, we promptly report it to the relevant departments, identify the root cause, consider appropriate corrective and preventive measures, and thoroughly implement those countermeasures to prevent recurrence. In the fiscal year ended March 2025, there were no environmental accidents at non-consolidated or consolidated subsidiaries.
Sustainability Risk Management
To respond appropriately to changes in social conditions and business models and to manage risks in an integrated manner from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, we are operating under an effective risk management system that incorporates risk areas related to the environment, society, governance, etc., into the promotion review items of each business.
Please refer to the links below for more information on sustainability risk management.
Sustainability Risk Management: Process of Managing Environmental and Societal Risks
Initiatives
Compliance with Environment-Related Laws and Regulations
Our efforts to fulfill our corporate social responsibilities and keep pace with their expansion include creating compliance assurance mechanisms based on our environmental management system. We also use training programs and other methods to ensure that our employees understand and comply with various environmental laws and regulations in Japan and overseas.
At the start of each fiscal year, officers in each department identify environment-related laws and regulations that are relevant to the operations of their units, and conduct a compliance assessment every half year. An internal environmental audit is also carried out every year to check whether environmental management systems are being applied effectively. Mitsui and the subsidiaries whose activities could have significant environmental impacts have acquired certification under ISO 14001 or equivalent standards, thus establishing secure and effective environmental law compliance mechanisms.
Major Environmental Laws and Regulations
In promoting its business activities, the Mitsui & Co. Group complies with various environmental laws and regulations, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
Act on Rationalization of Energy Use and Shift to Non-fossil Energy/Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures/Act on Waste Management and Public Cleaning/Act on Special Measures Concerning Promotion of Proper Treatment of PCB Wastes/Act on Rational Use and Proper Management of Fluorocarbons/Water Pollution Prevention Act/Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act/Act on the Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging/Act on Promotion of Recycling and Related Activities for Treatment of Cyclical Food Resources/Air Pollution Control Act/Offensive Odor Control Law/Act on the Regulation of Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances/Act on the Assessment of Releases of Specified Chemical Substances in the Environment and the Promotion of Management Improvement/Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act/Fire Service Act/Industrial Safety and Health Act/REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations.
Compliance with the Energy Conservation Act and the Global Warming Countermeasures Act
Regarding compliance and environmental conservation, we comply with the Act on Rationalization of Energy Use and Shift to Non-fossil Energy, promote energy conservation and conversion to non-fossil energy at our business sites, improve energy use related to transportation, and develop environmentally friendly business activities. In addition, carbon credits (J-credits, etc.) generated within the Group are used to report the amount of non-fossil energy used and to adjust GHG emissions.
Environment-Related Training
While working to accelerate environmental initiatives across the global group, we must raise the environmental awareness of each of our officers and employees at all levels. We do this for officers and employees of Mitsui, its subsidiaries, and its affiliated companies through initiatives such as holding regular seminars and environment law training sessions. Furthermore, we also run programs to provide specialized knowledge through ISO14001 Provisional Auditor Training and the like.
Lectures and Training Seminars Held in FY Mar/2025
| Title | Number of Attendees | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Seminars on Environmental Laws and Regulations | Approx. 140 | Officers and employees of Mitsui |
| Training on business laws and specific environmental issues: Chemicals Business Law/Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act (7 times) |
Approx. 1,400 | Officers and employees of Mitsui and affiliated companies |
Initiatives and achievements at Mitsui offices (Head Office, Offices, Branches in Japan, etc.)
| Period | Initiatives | Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| FY March 2026 |
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| FY March 2025 |
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| FY March 2024 |
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