Sumitomo Chemical recognizes that environmental and climate change problems present the Group with business opportunities, such as an increase in demand for products and technologies that help solve issues related to the environment and climate change by, for example, reducing GHG emissions. To seize these kinds of opportunities, the Environmentally Friendly Product Designation Committee (Sumika Sustainable Solutions Designation Committee) designates the Group’s products and technologies that contribute to such issues as global warming countermeasures, reducing environmental burden, and effective use of resources, as Sumika Sustainable Solutions (SSS) and encourages their development and widespread adoption.
We have also set targets based on sales revenue from SSS-designated products, and we have been monitoring the progress of our efforts using those KPIs. In addition, we include contributions to the creation of social value and SSS designation in the selection criteria for our employee commendation system.
Going forward, the Group will continue solving issues in order to build a sustainable society by devoting its attention to promoting the development and widespread use of SSS-designated products and technologies.
Note: The Environmentally Friendly Product Designation Committee (Sumika Sustainable Solutions Designation Committee) was established under the Responsible Care Committee.
The Process of SSS Designation
Environmentally Friendly Product Designation Committee
In fiscal 2022, the eighth year of this initiative, the number of SSS-designated products and technologies totaled 71, amounting to approximately 682.8 billion yen in terms of sales revenue. New designations were given to such products and technologies of Sumitomo Chemical and the Sumitomo Chemical Group as gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial wafers for high frequency 5G communication applications, ecologically friendly pouch containers for liquid shower herbicides to replace spray containers, BENICA Natural Spray insecticide using only natural derived ingredients, organism-based crop protection products that can be used in eco-friendly agriculture, and SumiLarv® 2MR and WALS®, which contribute to vector control. The Company is now aiming to achieve sales revenues of 1,200 billion yen from SSS-designated products and technologies by fiscal 2030.
Sales Revenue of SSS-designated Products
(Billions of yen)
FY2022 | |
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Sales revenue of the Sumitomo Chemical Group | 2,895.3 |
Sales revenue of SSS-designated products | 682.8 |
Designation Requirements by Category
Category |
Designation Requirements |
Responses to the SDGs |
---|---|---|
Addressing Climate Change |
①Contributing to reducing GHG emissions |
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②Products, components, and materials used for the creation of new energy sources |
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③Using biomass-derived raw materials |
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④Contributing to adapting to the impacts of climate change |
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Reducing Environmental Impact |
⑤Contributing to reducing waste and toxic substances, and contributing to reducing environmental impact |
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⑥Contributing to reducing environmental impact in food production |
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Effective Use of Resources |
⑦Contributing to recycling and energy-saving |
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⑧Contributing to the efficient use of water |
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Others |
⑨Other contributions to building a sustainable society |
(depending on the item) |
Note: Depending on the features of products and technologies, identification requirements may not fully correspond with contribution to the SDGs.
FY2022 Percentage of Products and Technologies in Each Certification Field
Sumitomo Chemical was awarded the Grand Prize in the 52nd Annual JCIA Technology Awards (May 2020) from the Japan Chemical Industry Association for its technology that enabled “the development and commercialization of a process for manufacturing propylene oxide (PO) using cumene, which has low environmental impact and is free from co-products” and in the 54th Annual Awards (May 2022) for its technology that enabled “the development and commercialization of a process for manufacturing sodium using hydrochloric (HCl) acid, which has low environmental impact.” In addition, Sumika Chemical Analysis Service, Ltd. was awarded the 21st Annual Environmental Technology Award (April 2021) from the Kinka Chemical Society for its “simple sampling technology for hydrogen quality evaluation for fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs).” These technologies have been certified as Sumika Sustainable Solutions.