Site Reports

The Tokushima Site primarily consists of pharmaceutical plants and research and development facilities. It has the greatest environmental impact of all of our sites, but continual efforts are being made to reduce this impact through ISO 14001 activities.

Waste generated from manufacturing and R&D is thoroughly sorted and recycled to reduce the amount of waste. Since 2020, the site has been promoting further recycling to reduce the amount of simple incineration and landfill. To address wastewater, a new wastewater treatment facility, which had been under construction since August 2022, was completed and started operation in June 2024.

In July 2019, the site introduced CO₂-free electricity to some of its business activities to reduce CO₂ emissions. At the same time, it is steadily upgrading air-conditioning and lighting systems to energy-efficient equipment and LED lights. The site will continue to raise the awareness of each employee and reduce CO₂.

In addition, in cooperation with other Otsuka group companies, the Tokushima Site contributes to the local environment by supporting the "Tokushima Cooperative Forestry Project," participating in hands-on environmental education for elementary, junior high, and high school students through the "Adopt Eco School," and participating in the "Komatsu Coast Cleanup Campaign" and "Imagire Industrial Park Cleanup Campaign," which are local cleanup activities.

Going forward, the site will continue to actively engage in environmentally responsible activities befitting a business site with close ties to the local community.

In 2013, Kitajima Site, located in Kitajima-cho, Tokushima Prefecture, was completed to serve as a global production base for anticancer drugs. In 2016, construction finished on a new investigational drug manufacturing facility, and progress is being made in Taiho Pharmaceutical's global business by further expanding manufacturing facilities at the site. In November 2017, construction was completed on a welfare and administrative building on the plant premises. The building’s first and second floors are occupied by Otsuka Business Support Co., Ltd. and Heartfull Kawauchi Co., Ltd., companies responsible for administrative operations within the Otsuka group. The third floor hosts the employee cafeteria, which features an outdoor terrace and is inspired by the concept of "Mentally and Physically Beautiful."

The Kitajima Site contributes to the efforts of the Otsuka group to address issues related to carbon neutrality, circular economy, and water neutrality, which are the group’s most important environmental material topics, in order to preserve the environment and reduce environmental impact.

As a good corporate citizen, the Kitajima Site, with the active participation of its employees, engages in the following social contribution activities.

1. Make adjacent walkways open to the public
2. Make parks on the premises open to the public
3. Cleanup activities on neighboring sidewalks (four times a year)
4. LED illuminations during Christmas season to new year
5. LED illuminations for Pink Ribbon Promotion

The Kitajima Site stocks emergency stockpiles so that it can function as a temporary evacuation shelter in the event of a disaster. In addition, it accepts visitors for plant tour, uses electric vehicles, and has installed a solar power generation facility. The site is dedicated to maintaining a stable supply of high-quality pharmaceutical products, which are produced in a seismic isolation plant. It will continue to fulfill its social responsibilities, serving as a plant that is loved by the local community and friendly to both people and the environment.

The Saitama Site manufactures drug substances for ethical drugs and conducts research and development. In 2001, the site became the first within Taiho Pharmaceutical to acquire ISO 14001 certification. All employees are engaged in environmental activities using the environmental management system. Since a wide variety of waste is generated in the manufacturing process and R&D of drug substances, the site is pursuing optimum recycling methods for each type of waste.

The site is also actively engaged in social contribution activities, and all employees participate in cleanup activities around the premises four times a year. They also participate in the Kanna River Clean-up Campaign, a cleanup activity for riverbeds and their surrounding areas implemented by local governments, to contribute to the beautification of the local environment. In addition, since 2013, the site has been conducting activities to recycle waste and contribute to society by selling empty cans and PET bottles from employees' homes to recycling companies and donating the proceeds to the Japan Committee, Vaccines for the World’s Children (JCV). In October 2015, the site began participating in a project of Shaplaneer, Citizen’s Committee in Japan for Overseas Support. By collecting used stamps, the project helps children around the world suffering from poverty. In January 2020, the site invited a blood donation bus from the Saitama Red Cross Blood Donation Center to come and offer voluntary blood donation opportunities. The site will continue to work hard to reduce environment impact and contribute to society.

The Okayama Site was operated by two companies, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Okayama Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a subsidiary, until December 2019. However, in January 2020, Okayama Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. took over Taiho Pharmaceutical’s TIOVITA Drink 100mL series-manufacturing business, so the Okayama Site is now operated by a single company. As a result, the system for environmental initiatives has been renewed.

All of the Okayama Site's businesses were rolled into the subsidiary. Environmental initiatives have been incorporated into the organizational structure of ISO 14001 Environmental Management System as a site of Taiho Pharmaceutical, the parent company, and positive initiatives have been steadily achieving results.

The site is working to reduce CO₂ emissions by taking steps such as those shown below, and efforts are underway to make it an environmentally friendly site.

1. Boiler fuel converted from heavy oil A to natural gas in 2017.
2. Carbon neutral city gas introduced in January 2022.
3. Electricity, which is essentially CO₂ free, introduced in April 2022, using environmental value derived from renewables.
4. 100kW photovoltaic power generation facility introduced in September 2023, when the warehouse began operating.

The Okayama Site conducts business activities in an area that is blessed with an abundant natural environment facing Setonaikai National Park. Landscaping efforts are made accordingly, such as establishing a biotope.

In recent years, environmental initiatives, such as CDP and ESG investing, have become a key indicator in investment decisions, and investors' requests are increasing year by year. With environmental initiatives as one of the pillars of our corporate management, we aim to further develop as a company that can help build a sustainable, recycling-oriented society and contribute to the well-being of patients.

In June 2021, the Inuyama Plant introduced electricity that makes use of non-fossil certificates and is virtually CO₂-free. This is expected to reduce 100 tons of CO₂ emissions, or approximately 60% of the annual emissions of the plant. The manufacture of herbal extracts from medicinal plants at the Inuyama Plant generate certain residues. These wastes are outsourced to specialist contractors and recycled as compost.

As part of its social contribution initiatives, the plant as a whole is proactively involved in the collection of stamps for overseas healthcare assistance and the collection of empty contact lens boxes to reduce CO₂ emissions.

In the industrial park where the Inuyama Plant is located, the plant participates in the Zero-Waste-Campaign organized by local communities in cooperation with affiliated companies and local residents every year, and conducts clean-up activities with local residents.

Going forward, the plant will continue to actively work to reduce environmental impact.

The Tsukuba Area of the Research Division is actively working on research to develop new drugs. Its energy-saving measures include upgrading utility facilities to high-efficiency equipment and improving the operation of cryogenic equipment, all part of the effort to conserve energy to reduce environmental impact.

Specifically, the area introduced high-efficiency turbo-refrigerators and implemented efficient operation of steam boilers to reduce CO₂ emissions.

In September 2020, it introduced electricity that is virtually CO₂-free using the environmental value derived from renewable energy that does not emit CO₂. In September 2021, the area introduced carbon neutral city gas as part of its efforts to create environmentally friendly facilities.

As for waste, the area has launched unified control of some common general-purpose items (consumable parts and reagents) used in experiments, thereby reducing the amount of waste caused by expiry of these general-purpose items, and is making various other efforts to reduce waste.

In January 2020, the company began purchasing Green Electricity Certificates at all office divisions, including Hanno's training centers, to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. In addition, since there are no large-scale facilities at these offices, we are working to reduce CO₂ of commuting and business trips by promoting work-style reforms such as the use of web conference systems and telecommuting as an energy-saving measure possible by changing worker behavior.

The training center in Hanno also provides training for new employees, who receive environmental education when they join the company, so that they understand the importance of environmental initiatives in their future business activities.