Biodiversity
Basic Approach
The operations of the ENEOS Group may impact the environment surrounding our operation and production sites. Given the nature of our business, we consider biodiversity conservation to be an important effort, as stated in the ENEOS Group Code of Conduct.
We carry out initiatives with attention to biodiversity in all aspects of our business activities. These initiatives include the implementation of environmental impact studies when establishing new operation and production sites in order to obtain an accurate understanding of local ecosystems, including plants, birds and other animals, and marine life.
In addition, ENEOS, which has many production sites, has established the Energy Group* Guidelines on Biodiversity.
Energy Group*Guidelines on Biodiversity
Basic Stance
We will carry out initiatives with attention to biodiversity in every aspect of our business activities, under the recognition that our business activities are deeply related to the Earth’s biodiversity.
Action Policy
- 1.We will ascertain and analyze the impacts of our business activities on biodiversity and strive to make improvements.
- 2.We will promote activities that contribute to biodiversity preservation, such as nature protection and environmental education.
- 3.We will disclose and share information on our efforts to preserve biodiversity.
- *ENEOS and its Group companies
Structure
For information on our structure, see Environmental Management.
Material Issues, Plans and Results
Fiscal 2022 Targets, Results and Progress
Evaluation:Achieved/Steady progressNot achieved
| Material ESG Issue | Initiative | Target (KPI) | Results/Progress | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understanding and management of biodiversity risks | Identification of biodiversity risks and examination of responses | Understand risks at manufacturing sites (increase number of sites subject to risk confirmation) |
|
|
Understanding Biodiversity Risks
The Group has identified biodiversity risks as a material ESG issue and established the target “understanding risks at manufacturing sites.” The results of our initiatives to achieve this target are reported to the Executive Council and the Board of Directors at least once a year.
We utilize the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT), available to the general public, to understand risks at our manufacturing sites. In fiscal 2022, we added seven overseas sites to the number of sites subject to risk confirmation and investigated the risks at a total of 27 sites1, including the 20 sites from the previous fiscal year. As a result, we verified that there were no protected areas within a five-kilometer radius of our manufacturing sites that fall under the categories of strict nature reserve, wilderness area, national park, or natural monument or feature (see table below for categories Ⅰa, Ⅰb, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ).
Going forward, we will review the results of risk assessments every three years. In addition, in the event that new protected or conservation areas are identified due to the expansion of scope of data or other factors, we will obtain detailed information from external organizations and assess the impacts on our operations.
- 1ENEOS: 17 (11 in Japan, 6 overseas), JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration: 3 (1 in Japan, 2 overseas), and JX Metals: 7 (6 in Japan, 1 overseas).
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Protected Area Categories
| CategoryⅠa CategoryⅠb |
Strict nature reserve Wilderness area |
Protected areas that are managed for academic research or protection of wilderness |
| Category Ⅱ | National park | Areas managed for protection of functioning ecosystems and recreation |
| Category Ⅲ | Natural monument or feature | Areas managed for protection of special natural features |
| Category Ⅳ | Habitat/species management area | Areas managed for conservation by additional management |
| Category Ⅴ | Protected landscape or seascape | Areas managed for landscape protection and recreation |
| Category Ⅵ | Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources | Areas managed for sustainable use of natural ecosystems |
Major Initiatives
Participation in Initiatives
Endorsement of the Declaration of Biodiversity by Keidanren
ENEOS Holdings endorses the Declaration of Biodiversity by Keidanren, which states the aim of “realizing a sustainable society through building a society in harmony with nature.”
Participation in the Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity (JBIB)
ENEOS has been a member of the Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity (JBIB), a consortium of businesses actively working to conserve biodiversity in Japan, since 2013.
Participation in Call to Action
In December 2020, ENEOS Holdings joined the Call to Action of the global coalition Business for Nature*.
The Call to Action calls on governments around the world to adopt ambitious policies to reverse nature loss in the decade up to 2030, under the concept that “healthy societies, resilient economies, and thriving businesses rely on nature,” with many enterprises around the world having declared their support to date.
- *Spearheaded by organizations such as the World Economic Forum, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the International Chamber of Commerce, Business for Nature is a global coalition established with the aim of encouraging businesses to take action toward nature conservation and restoration and drawing on businesses’ aspirations for nature conservation and restoration to influence policy decision makers.
Participation in the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity
In April 2022, ENEOS Holdings joined the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity.
The 30by30 Alliance is a voluntary alliance launched in April 2022 by 17 organizations representing the industrial, private, and governmental sectors, including the Ministry of the Environment. Its objective is to reach the 30by30 target for Japan, which aims to conserve or protect 30% of land and sea areas by 2030, one of the proposed targets in the first draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
In October 2023, the central greenbelt of the Negishi Refinery, one of the Group’s manufacturing sites, was certified as an Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM)-certified site*, a Ministry of the Environment certification system for achieving the 30by30 target.
- *A new system that began in fiscal 2023 to recognize areas where the Ministry of the Environment certifies that “biodiversity is being conserved through private sector initiatives,” as the 30by30 target cannot be achieved solely through the inclusion of protected areas such as national parks.
Major Initiatives in Japan
The Group carries out activities at its manufacturing sites for the conservation of vibrant biodiversity as one way of participating in community efforts to protect biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem networks in large green areas around the sites. At our other business sites as well, we carry out environmental conservation activities suited to the surrounding environments.
We also carry out activities such as regular environmental training for employees and community contribution activities related to environmental conservation.
Status of Certifications Related to Biodiversity
| Type | Scope | Acquired |
|---|---|---|
| ABINC certification* | Central greenbelt at ENEOS Negishi Refinery | February 2020 |
Green Area Management: Initiatives at the ENEOS Negishi Refinery
The ENEOS Negishi Refinery is one of Japan’s largest oil refineries, with an area of 2.2 million square meters and a circumference of around 12 kilometers. The area in which it is located has a network of ecosystems with a diverse array of organisms inhabiting an expansive greenbelt that includes Sankei-en and Negishi Forest Park. The Negishi Refinery carries out activities for the conservation of biodiversity utilizing the greenbelt (approximately 60,000 square meters), a hub for the area’s ecosystem network, at the center of the premises.
Ecosystem surveys were begun in fiscal 2013, and in surveys to date, the presence of over 150 types of living organisms has been confirmed.
In fiscal 2018, we began holding interactive events and using goat grazing to weed the greenbelt areas, further enhancing these areas with the expansion of these efforts. Since fiscal 2019, we have been stepping up maintenance and management of the green areas.
The Negishi Refinery was granted certification by ABINC* in February 2020. In fiscal 2022, the refinery participated in a certification verification program of the Ministry of the Environment and was evaluated as being equivalent to an Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM)-certified site. In October 2023, the refinery was officially recognized as an Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM)-certified site.
- *ABINC certification is awarded on the basis of the JBIB Guidelines for Sustainable Business Sites and the JBIB Land Use Scorecard developed by the Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity (JBIB).
Seaweed Bed Creation: Initiative at the ENEOS Sakai Refinery
The ENEOS Sakai Refinery is located in the Sakai-Semboku Coastal Industrial Zone in the inner part of Osaka Bay. Osaka Bay is an enclosed sea area, and the inner part of the bay has a water quality that makes it difficult for living things to thrive, as nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus flowing in from the land tend to stagnate, resulting in red tides.
The refinery is working to create seaweed beds so that a variety of creatures can live in the waters. It has installed algae seeds and blocks for the epiphytic growth of algae on the seawall of the refinery, and is monitoring their growth.
By creating seaweed beds, we can expect multi-dimensional effects such as improving water quality through the absorption of nutrients and the supply of oxygen, increasing places for the spawning and growth of marine life, and accumulating blue carbon through the photosynthesis of algae.
This initiative was selected as a model Sato-umi development project by the Ministry of the Environment in fiscal 2022. A sato-umi is a coastal area where biological productivity and biodiversity has increased through human interaction.
Forest Stewardship and Afforestation Activities
Group companies are involved in forest stewardship activities that contribute to the preservation of biodiversity.
ENEOS implements forest stewardship activities called ENEOS-no-Mori at six locations across Japan in partnership with local governments and the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization (NLAPO).
Since 1998, JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration has implemented a forest stewardship project called JX Nakajo Forest for the preservation of pine trees on and around the site of its Nakajo Field Office in Niigata Prefecture.
JX Metals is working to maintain and improve the natural environment by continually engaging in afforestation activities such as tree planting and thinning, mainly at the sites of its closed mines.
Providing Sustainable Seafood Menu Options at the Employee Cafeteria
Since 2019, the Company has been offering sustainable seafood* menu options once a month at the ENEOS Building employee cafeteria, used by the Company and its Group companies. In 2020, we began offering sustainable seafood menus at the employee cafeterias of some of our refineries.
Through this initiative, we are working to raise awareness about biodiversity conservation and environmental conservation among Group employees through food, a part of everyday life.
- *The seafood has met the MSC’s global standard for sustainability or ASC’s global standard for responsibly farmed seafood.
Major Initiatives Overseas
Measures for Ballast Water (Seawater)
Oil tankers from Japan bound for oil-producing countries carry ballast water (seawater) as weight to maintain stability for unloaded voyages. However, this ballast water contains microorganisms and plankton from Japanese waters that are carried to the waters of oil-producing countries, where, if released, they can disturb the balance of local ecosystems.
Since 2004, the Group has replaced this ballast water while still at sea, and installed water treatment systems* for ballast water on its new vessels in an effort to avoid disturbing the ecosystems of the coastal waters of oil-producing countries. In fiscal 2022, we completed installation of ballast water treatment systems on all of the Group’s 15 tankers.
Furthermore, we release ballast water from ships using methods compliant with international treaties.
- *Systems that keep the level of aquatic organisms in ballast water within certain standards prior to release.