The availability of high-quality fresh water is one of the important factors for us in conducting business activities. We are making efforts for reducing water use so as to mitigate the load on limited water resources.
As for water risks, the Environmental Management Committee leads and conducts surveys on the risks, and identifies/analyzes/evaluates the business risks. Risk evaluation at important sites that use large volumes of water is conducted using the WRI AQUEDUCT risk assessment tool of the World Resource Institute. As of the end of FY2021, none of our company’s important sites operate or conduct water intake in areas categorized as being at “extremely high risk” for water stress*. We continue to operate in areas where it is possible to use good quality fresh water as needed for business operations, and our business activities are therefore not affected. In the Water Security survey conducted by CDP, a U.K.-based nonprofit organization, we received “B” in FY2018, “A-” in FY 2019 and FY2020, and “A”, a highest rating, in FY2021.
*Water intake at factories and research institutes accounts for approximately 90% of the total use (FY2021), and for each sites, water stress categories are as follows. Low-medium: Yamaguchi Plant, Minase Research Institute, Fukui Research Institute, Joto Pharmaceutical Product Development Center, Medium to high: Fujiyama Plant, Tsukuba Research Institute.
Note that ONO Pharma Korea is located in the “high risk” area, but its main business is clinical development and sales, so their water use is mainly domestic water at the business office, not factories and research facilities that use relatively large amounts of water.
| Risk Factors | Period | Details | Impact | Management Method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory risk |
Restrictions on use of good quality fresh water | Long-term | Use of good quality fresh water becomes impossible, restricting production and research activities. | Increase in operating costs |
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| Risk from physical impact | Rationing/shortage of good quality fresh water | Long-term | Use of good quality fresh water becomes impossible, restricting production and research activities. | Increase in operating costs |
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| Decline in water quality | Long-term | Use of good quality fresh water becomes impossible, restricting production and research activities. | Increase in operating costs |
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| Flooding and/or heavy rain disaster | Long-term | Facilities are flooded due to flooding or heavy rainfall in the vicinity of a production site. | Increase in operating costs |
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| Other risks | Reputation risk | Short-term | A poor external evaluation of our handling of water exerts an adverse impact on the share price. | Decline in share price | Appropriate external publicity on the results of our activities |
| Opportunity Factors | Period | Details | Impact | Management Method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opportunity from physical impact |
Water shortage |
Long-term | Demand increases for existing pharmaceutical products that can be used without water, or new drug development opportunities lead to positive impact on revenue. | Increased demand for existing drugs and services, new drugs and services |
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We have posted details such as the water-related risks and opportunities, water intake and wastewater volumes at CDP Water (Japanese only). They can be confirmed at the CDP website (A CDP ID is required).
To achieve our Environmental Vision for the “Realization of a water recycling society”, medium-term environmental target that we have set in FY2019 will be updated to new target from FY2023. Please see here for the new target.
From FY2019 to FY2022, to achieve our previous medium-term target of “Reducing water resource consumption (water intake) per production volume unit by 15% by FY 2030 (compared to FY 2017),” we set an annual goal to "Reduce water resource consumption (water intake) below that of the previous year" and we were working vigorously to reduce water consumption in business activities. The volume of water intake in FY 2021 was 219.4 thousand m3, a 10.7% reduction (26.2 thousand m3) compared to FY 2020, and we therefore achieved the target for the fiscal year.
Specific initiatives to reduce water consumption include the following: installation of highly airtight doors and stopping the use of running water traps as insect repellent, reduction of cooling water by adjusting the preset temperature of the heat drain tank, optimize sterilization process of pharmaceutical water in the plant, stopping the spraying of water or changing the preset temperature of the spraying water on air-cooling chillers and total heat exchangers in the laboratory. We also install water-saving sanitary equipment when a site is expanded, reconstructed, or renewed.
Incidentally, the water intake per production volume unit in FY 2021 increased by 25.6% compared to FY 2017. This is mainly due to a decrease in the number of boxes produced, which is used as a denominator for calculation. High-dose formulations of main products, which were not available in FY 2017, were added in FY 2018. The number of boxes produced, which is the denominator for calculation, was greatly reduced, because the number of boxes produced was apparently calculated as smaller even with the same amount of production.
We will update the contents of this page after fixed FY 2022 data.
Water intake (water resource consumption) and water intake per production volume unit
Wastewater
| Site name |
River in the area |
Wastewater drainage destination |
FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water intake volume |
Waste- water volume |
Water intake volume |
Waste- water volume |
Water intake volume |
Waste- water volume |
Water intake volume |
Waste- water volume |
Water intake volume |
Waste- water volume |
|||
| Fujiyama Plant | Fuji River | River | 205.6 | 148.6 | 240.2 | 178.4 | 185.0 | 145.1 | 157.8 | 125.0 | 138.7 | 110.2 |
| Joto Pharmaceutical Product Development Center | Yodo River | Sewer | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| Yamaguchi Plant | Fushino River | River | - | - | 8.2 | 8.2 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 18.6 | 17.7 | 21.6 | 20.0 |
| Minase Research Institute | Yodo River | Sewer | 51.3 | 51.3 | 41.2 | 41.2 | 39.1 | 39.1 | 33.7 | 33.7 | 31.5 | 31.5 |
| Fukui Research Institute | Kuzuryu River | Sewer | 38.7 | 5.2 | 31.3 | 5.0 | 27.3 | 5.7 | 13.7 | 2.6 | 6.6 | 1.9 |
| Tsukuba Research Institute | Lake Kasumigaura | Sewer | 8.1 | 8.1 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Head Office and other sites in Japan (including tenant locations) | Rivers/lake in the areas where major business sites are located*1 | Sewer | 15.9 | 15.9 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| total | 325.1 | 234.6 | 348.0 | 259.9 | 296.7 | 235.2 | 245.6 | 200.8 | 219.4 | 184.5 | ||