Environmental Management

Basic Policies for Environment

Environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss are serious global problems that threaten the health and well-being of people worldwide. Our research, development, and manufacturing activities require the use of energy, water resources, and chemical substances. Recognizing our responsibility for the environmental impacts associated with these operations, we are committed to reducing environmental burdens across all aspects of our business.
Item 6 of our “Declaration of Conduct” states that we will “Positively address global environmental issues.” To contribute to building a sustainable society as well as the sustained growth of Sumitomo Pharma Group, we have identified “Promotion of environmental initiatives” as one of our Material Issues.
With approval from the Board of Directors, we have established our “Basic Environmental Policies,” which outline our vision and approach, and are implementing environmental initiatives across the company.

For more information on Basic Environmental Policies, please see "Basic Environmental Policies."

Environmental Goals

Based on the Basic Environmental Policies, we have set Medium- to Long-term Environmental Goals and formulated corresponding Medium-term Environmental Plans and Annual Implementation Plans to achieve these goals. The Environmental and Safety Committee regularly reviews progress and drives continuous improvement.

For more information on details of our Environmental Goals, please see "Environmental Goals and Performance."

Environmental Management System

We have the Environmental Safety Committee, which meets annually, to promote environmental initiatives across the company under the Basic Environmental Policies. Chaired by the Executive Officer in charge of Environmental and Safety, the committee consists of the environmental management supervisors of each site, the Head of Human Resources, and the Head of Corporate Governance. The committee formulates Medium- to Long-term Environmental Goals, Medium-term Environmental Plans and Annual Implementation Plans, and regularly reviews progress.
We also hold the Environmental and Safety Managers' Conference, chaired by the Head of Corporate Governance, twice a year to discuss practical issues related to environmental activities. Each site additionally maintains its own environmental and safety committee.
Important matters are reported to the President, who issues necessary directives, and items deemed necessary are submitted to the Management Committee. Environmental initiatives are also reported to the Board of Directors at least once a year as part of our sustainability efforts.

Environmental Management Structure

Environmental Management System

Each site has its environmental management system with reference to ISO 14001 and carries out systematic operations and continuous improvements to reduce environmental impacts and environmental risks. At the Suzuka and Oita Plants, ISO 14001 certification has been obtained, and operations are conducted in accordance with the international standard.

ISO 14001 Certified Facilities

Company	Facility
Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.	Suzuka Plant
	Oita Plant

Environmental and Safety Audits

We conduct regular environmental and safety audits at all of our sites to assess compliance with relevant regulations as well as overall environmental performance. Through these audits, we ensure strict regulatory compliance and strive for the continuous improvement of our management practices.

Environmental Accidents and Legal Violations

In fiscal 2024, there were no environmental accidents or serious violations of environmental laws and regulations. We have not paid any significant environment-related criminal fines nor non-criminal fines in the past five fiscal years.

Development of Environmental Conservation Systems

To minimize environmental impact throughout the entire product lifecycle (procurement, production, marketing, logistics, usage, disposal, and transportation), we have established policies and guidelines and actively promote green procurement, logistics, product development, and facilities design.

Green Procurement

In line with our Green Procurement Basic Policy, we operate the Sumitomo Pharma's Green Procurement Guidelines for office supplies and other items, prioritizing the selection of environmentally friendly products. In fiscal 2024, the green procurement ratio of office supplies reached 50%. We will continue to promote the use of environmentally friendly products by encouraging green purchasing among employees and expanding the range of applicable items.

Green Logistics

Based on our Green Logistics Guidelines, we are working to reduce environmental impact during transportation and storage processes at our distribution centers and production sites. In fiscal 2024, we implemented 43 initiatives, including the provision of external power supplies for the air conditioning of refrigerator trucks, requests to turn off vehicle engines while on premises (distribution centers), efficient distribution of shipped products (Suzuka Plant), and the use of ships for transportation and combined shipping to reduce CO₂ emissions(Oita Plant).

Green Product Development

We have set out Green Product Development Rules and Manuals, and our Research and Development Division and Supply Chain Division are advancing environmentally conscious product design and manufacturing. In fiscal 2024, we implemented 26 initiatives, including process optimization, reducing energy and organic solvents usage through the application of high-speed methods in liquid chromatography analysis (Research and Development Division), improving production efficiency and reducing environmental impact by increasing batch sizes in existing manufacturing processes, reducing the waste of protective gear by establishing new cleaning methods for use in the facility for handling highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (Suzuka Plant), and reducing packaging material usage by standardizing outer cartons for our products (Oita Plant).

Green Facilities Design

We apply our guidelines for green facilities design at the Supply Chain Division, research laboratories, and the Osaka Head Office to enhance energy efficiency and promote effective resource utilization in our facilities.
In fiscal 2024, we implemented 16 initiatives, including updating the post-processing section of the PTP packaging line, replacement of equipment dryers (Suzuka Plant), introducing a membrane separation method for producing high-purity water (Oita Plant), replacement of a gas absorption chiller (Central Research Laboratories), replacement of a steam absorption chiller, and switching to LED lighting (Osaka Research Center).