Welcome back to our series on Japanese Business Philosophies. Last month, we focused on senpai-kohai, a concept that can be loosely understood as a mentor-mentee relationship. We looked at how this relationship is interdependent in Japanese society, and how one can be both at the same time. This month, we look at the Japanese concept of mottainai.
The concept of mottainai is one that has gained traction globally. At the 2009 United Nations Summit on Climate Change, Kenyan environmentalist, Wangari Maathai, used this Japanese term to promote environmental protection.
In fact, this concept is recognisable to many environmentalists as mottainai is linked to the 3Rs of “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle”. The Japanese term takes this concept further and conveys a sense of regret over waste, as well as a feeling of awe, expressing gratitude and appreciation for the gifts of nature. Mottainai is a sense of respect for resources as well as a commitment to reducing waste and promoting sustainability.
Worldwide, Nipro’s innovative, value-added products and technologies improve patient outcomes and healthcare. While doing this, we seriously take into consideration the impact of our products and technologies on the global environment. We work to solve social issues and contribute to the achievement of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Nipro is involved in many sustainability efforts globally, and we continue to develop more such initiatives. In this article, we will focus on a few of our more significant environmental conservation efforts in Japan, where we have our headquarters. These include, but are not limited to:
- Minimizing the environmental impact of waste by reducing the amount of industrial waste that we generate and promoting paperless operations.
- Promoting the efficient use of natural resources as part of our energy conservation measures. For example, at our Kondo plant, we have been using solar panels to generate power since FY2016. Furthermore, since April 2021, 100% of the electricity used in the plant has been based on renewable energy.
- Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases by introducing a biomass boiler at our Odate plant. Since FY2011, power has been generated by a turbine using biomass instead of fossil fuels. The steam produced by the biomass boiler is distributed to the plant 24 hours a day and is used for activities like air-conditioning in the plant, producing water for the sterilization of products, and the manufacturing processes.
- Environmental conservation activities with local communities like clean-up campaigns are held around our offices and factories. Furthermore, Nipro runs the water quality and biological survey of the Okami River along with companies based in the Konan region of Shiga Prefecture in Japan.
- Preventing water pollution while conserving water resources. We have installed dykes to prevent leakage of chemical materials and oils, as well as equipment that shuts drains to prevent such leakage from spreading outside of company facilities. In addition, we also reuse some of the water used in the manufacturing processes.
At Nipro, sustainability and continuity are part of our DNA. As providers of medical products and services that are directly related to the maintenance of human life and health, we are committed to fulfilling our corporate social responsibility to ensure a stable supply of products and services to all, while working to ensure conservation of resources.
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