Sustainability is the accumulation of sincerely implemented initiatives

Sustainability does not consist of splendid slogans. I believe that it consists of adherence to initiatives that are sincere even if not sophisticated, while maintaining a perspective of how to incorporate “responsibility to the future” into our tasks to the greatest extent over the course of one day, meaning today.

We cannot accomplish a transformation all at once, and neither is it the case that the Company can squeeze out all the necessary solutions by itself. Before everything else, we will work in cooperation with communities to introduce energy with low environmental impacts, while moving forward, step by step, with measures that the Company can achieve by itself, such as the thorough implementation of energy-saving activities, the development of environmentally friendly products, and the untiring pursuit of recycling. We believe it is precisely such steady repetition that will make the shaping of a sustainable future possible.

Our “steady steps forward” (specific examples of initiatives)

• 1. Local generation and production of energy achieved through collaboration with Koriyama City (January 2026: beginning of activities to obtain Green Power Certificates)

  We use the environmental value created by electricity derived from biomass at the waste-processing plant at Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture, which even for Japan is considered an advanced model of public-private collaboration.

  • Community contribution: local companies use the energy value generated within the region, thus supporting the economic cycle.
  • Accelerated decarbonization: useful for the shift to carbon neutrality for our “NI-CoLabo” technology development site, and the rollout of low-carbon products.

• 2. Recycling technology that converts discarded solar power panels into resources (October 2025: success in recycled glass fiber trial)

  We succeeded in a trial for recycled glass fiber for strengthening plastic that uses raw material obtained from the cover glass of solar power panels, the large-scale disposal of which is expected to become an issue in the future.

  • Realizing the circular economy: our aim is to reduce landfill of industrial waste, and cut down on use of natural resources.
  • Development of products that contribute to the environment: we are also moving forward with applying this to our proprietary flat glass fiber (FlatFiber), to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing processes.

• 3. Hydrogen fuel combustion test at Fukushima Factory (October 2023: taking on the challenge of using next-generation energy)

  With the aim of achieving carbon neutrality for the glass melting furnace of the future, we are forging ahead with the design of manufacturing processes that use next-generation energy, including hydrogen.

  • Process innovation: following the demonstration test at the Fukushima Factory, we plan to accelerate various aspects of verification in preparation for even larger-scale combustion testing of hydrogen as a fuel going forward.

Going forward, we will cooperate closely with local communities as we continue to advance steadily, and contribute to the building of a sustainable society. I ask for your continued guidance and support during that process.