Establishment of chemical substance risk management system
 (Ricoh Group/Global)
The Ricoh Group is promoting the establishment of a chemical substance risk management system on a global scale based upon the concept of risk management. The risk management system the Ricoh Group aims to establish will satisfy the following four requirements:
(1) safety data will be available for all the chemical substances used in the manufacturing processes of Ricoh products and discharged/emitted into the environment, and the amounts used and discharged in respective processes can be confirmed and managed;
(2) the risks of chemical substances on the employees/local residents and the environment, as well as the global environment, will be evaluated; (3) efforts for management and reduction will be made to eliminate risks exceeding acceptable levels;
and (4) information on risks based on the results of such evaluation will be shared with the related parties through good communication, and agreements reached. We aim to establish such a system by fiscal 2010.
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Schedule of activities for establishment of risk management system
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| Hazard indicator |
Hazard classification in GHS*1 |
| Evaluation method |
Risk = hazard class x exposure amount x amount (used or emitted into the environment) |
| Evaluated substances |
All the chemical substances (whether they are harmful or not, risks should be judged based upon amounts used, emissions into the environment, exposure amounts, etc.) |
| Managed group |
Global (Ricoh Group) |
| Action |
Clarification of material balances (PRTR calculation method)
Registration of MSDS (including GHS hazard classification)
Risk evaluation
Risk management/reduction
Realization of risk communication
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- *1
- GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals): classification of chemical substances in compliance with the internationally standardized rules according to their types of harmfulness and degrees.
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Chemical substance control and information disclosure
(Ricoh Group/Global)
The Ricoh Group uses its chemical substance control system to monitor data on chemical substances used, discharged, and disposed of at business sites.
The system is designed to promote reduction in the use of chemical substances, to prepare materials for PRTR reporting, and to speedily respond to inquiries from around the world concerning the amount of chemical substances used.
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Chemical substance control system
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Efforts for complete elimination of chlorine organic solvents
  (Yamanashi Electronics Co., Ltd./Japan,Thailand)
Chlorine organic solvents are chemical substances used for the production of organic photoconductors, or imaging components of copiers and printers. As they carry considerable risks for the environment and human beings,
the Ricoh Group completed the elimination of chlorine organic solvents from all production processes for organic photoconductors in fiscal 2005, including those produced by companies outside the Group on consignment. Yamanashi Electronics Co., Ltd., however, which joined the Group in November 2006, still used chloroform and dichloromethane, which are chlorine organic solvents, in some of its lines for producing organic photoconductors.
We have been striving to reduce the amounts of chlorine organic solvents used and discharged since the latter half of fiscal 2006. Furthermore since fiscal 2008, we have been working to develop a solvent formula that does not use chlorine organic solvents.
In the production of organic photoconductors, formulation of solvents is an important skill that can cause delicate differences in quality, so it is necessary to let our business partners know if there are any changes.
We set about the development of a new formula in fiscal 2008 and provided explanations for our suppliers on our plan for changes. In fiscal 2009, we plan to strive to establish a formula and change the structure of production lines by unifying formulas applied at two plants in Yamanashi and two plants in Thailand.
Complete elimination of chlorine organic solvents at Yamanashi Electronics is expected to be realized by the end of fiscal 2010.
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