Clean Factories - Chemical Substance Management at Factories

• Chemical Substances Management Rank Guidelines Version 3 (for Factories)

To reduce the risk of environmental pollution involved in the use of chemical substances, Panasonic began to manage chemicals by preparing Version 1 of the Chemical Substances Management Rank Guidelines (hereinafter, "Rank Guidelines") in 1999, based on a survey of 327 substance groups by four Japanese electrical and electronics-related associations. In fiscal 2002, we expanded this list to include substance groups specified by the Japanese Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Law, and several other substances groups based on hazard assessments.^* This resulted in our Rank Guidelines Version 2.1, covering 509 chemical substance groups. To define the objectives of chemical substance management more specifically, separate "product" and "factory" versions of the Rank Guidelines were prepared. In fiscal 2005, we further upgraded the Rank Guidelines to Version 3 (546 substance groups) by taking into consideration the Occupational Health and Safety Law in Japan, and various other laws and regulations on chemical substances, in addition to the PRTR Law and our own hazard assessments. In Version 3, substances requiring "reduction" were redefined as those to "Reduce the amount released/transferred" from the previous definition of those to "Reduce the amount used." Substances requiring "management" were redefined as those necessary to "Manage the amount used, released/transferred, and review the rankings regularly" from previous definition of "Reduce the amount released/transferred."

• * Hazard assessment: An assessment system to classify chemical substances into ranks, based on cancer-causing assessments by various international organizations, the U.S. and Japan

[Related Data File]

• Reduction of Key Reduction-Target Substances
• Breakdown of release/transfer of Key Reduction-target Substances
• Breakdown of substances requiring management
• (Japan)Reduction of chemicals use in production facility improvement
• (Japan)Reduction in the use of solvents and waste reduction by improving the manufacturing process

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• Green Procurement Information