Water Resources

The Idemitsu Group's water risks are managed in group-wide risk management as part of ''risks due to changes in the external environment surrounding our business,'' ''risks due to natural disasters and accidents,'' and ''risks related to climate change and environmental regulations.'' 
Under the "Environmental Conservation Policy," we set goals and conduct wastewater treatment to meet national and local government standards in order to prevent pollution, use Resources effectively, maintain biodiversity, and other aspects of our environmental management system. We are incorporating it into practice.

The Group strives to understand water Resources usage on a global scale, and is identifying water-stressed areas of its business sites with reference to Aqueduct information from the World Resources Institute (WRI). None of the Group's domestic sites are located in water-stressed areas, but the combined water withdrawal ratio for the seven Refineries/Complexes accounts for 98% of the Group's total. Therefore, we will thoroughly manage water quality in Japan and work to reduce water usage and use Resources more effectively through the recycling of water Resources.
The Group also operates in countries and regions where water Resources are not necessarily abundant. Water Resources issues around the world are becoming more serious, and it is said that there are situations and regions where safe drinking water cannot be obtained. Recognizing this situation, we have begun initiatives looking overseas and have published water stress maps.

99% of the total water intake by the Group is from Refineries/Complexes. Because Refineries/Complexes use large amounts of water, they are not only complying with wastewater standards but are also working to reduce water consumption.
In Refinery oil refining process, refineries require a certain amount of water (seawater and fresh water) to cool process fluids. The fresh water (warm water) used for cooling is circulated through an air-cooled cooler to be cooled and reused as cooling water for process fluids, thereby reducing the burden on the environment. As a business that uses water, we will continue to strive to further recycle water Resources. Approximately 94% of the water taken in by Refineries/Complexes is seawater, and approximately 6% is water for industrial use, meaning that the recycling rate of industrial water in fiscal 2023 will be 94%.

●Industrial water recycling

At Aichi Complex we share cold water within the petrochemical complex to reduce water usage. By effectively using the cold water discharged from the LNG vaporizers of the neighboring CHITA LNG Co.,Ltd. as process cooling water, we are contributing to a reduction in the amount of water withdrawn throughout the Chita region.

●Cold water distribution through collaboration within the complex

In the use of water Resources, it is also important to control the quality of the water used when it is returned to the environment. When wastewater is discharged, it is treated in multiple facilities to raise the water quality to a level that does not adversely affect the environment, and then returned to the natural environment. As a result of these constant efforts, there were zero violations of laws and regulations regarding water quality control of wastewater in FY2023, based on the definition of environmental anomalies^*.