Environmental Protection System

Environmental Protection Structure

To ensure efficient and sustained environmental preservation activities, each manufacturing site of Kioxia Group in Japan has established environmental preservation procedures overseen by a general manager with clearly defined responsibilities and authority. An Environment Management Committee deliberates environmental preservation issues across the entire spectrum of environmental activities, including environmental management systems, policies and objectives. We have also established a Compliance Committee to ensure full compliance with environmental laws and ordinances.

Environmental Protection Structure (Using Kioxia Corporation’s Yokkaichi Plant as an Example)

EMS: Environmental Management System

Measures to Prevent Pollution at Environmental Management Facilities

Kioxia Group has established “Environmental Structural Guidelines” for facilities such as wastewater treatment plants. These are aimed at preventing and reducing the risk of contamination caused by chemical leaks.

Examples

Waste gas scrubber
Structures and specifications aimed at ensuring stable processing

Overhead piping
Reduces the risk of soil contamination (no buried piping)

Drainage dike
Prevents wastewater from leaking underground or into public water areas

Wastewater treatment
Stable processing system that prevents discharge of wastewater

Double piping joints
Monitoring and prevention of liquid leakages

Six-sided inspections
Six-sided inspections quickly uncover abnormalities at an early stage

Status of Water and Air Quality Management

In each of our domestic manufacturing operations, we monitor water and air quality on a daily basis using voluntary standards that are more stringent than the prevailing legal requirements, in order to minimize the environmental impact of our business operations.

Around-the-clock automated monitoring is conducted in respect of legally regulated items such as NOx (nitrogen oxide), SOx (sulfur oxide), T-N (total nitrogen), T-P (total phosphorus), COD (chemical oxygen demand), SS (suspended solids), F (fluorine), and pH (power of hydrogen) levels.

To further strengthen our monitoring of water and air quality, we also voluntarily control items not subject to legal restrictions through sampling conducted at Analysis Centers located within our manufacturing plants. Our plants in Japan test around 56,000 air and water samples per year. In FY2024, Kioxia Group was not subject to any government fines or penalties related to conservation of the environment in respect of issues such as water or air quality. Please refer to the environmental reports for more detailed results.

Environmental Initiatives at Kioxia Corporation’s Yokkaichi Plant

Environmental Initiatives at Kioxia Iwate Corporation

Environmental Considerations in the Construction of New Buildings

Prior to constructing manufacturing facilities, Kioxia Group considers the impact of the construction on the surrounding environment, conducts an environmental assessment, and takes all necessary precautions. Additionally, after construction is completed, we monitor various parameters in the surrounding environment such as noise and wastewater levels, and conduct surveys of the ecosystem to ensure that the surrounding environment has not been adversely affected by the construction.

The construction of Kioxia Iwate Corporation’s second fabrication facility (Fab2) was the largest project of its kind in Kitakami City, where the company is located. Careful measures were taken during construction to mitigate potential impacts on the surrounding environment. To ensure that dust, noise, wastewater, waste, lighting, soiling of road surfaces, and other construction-related impacts did not affect the daily lives of local residents, we worked closely with construction contractors from the preparatory stage through to project completion. We conducted bi-weekly environmental patrols, installed temporary noise barriers and wastewater treatment facility at the construction site, thereby preventing pollution and accidents in the surrounding area.

Temporary wastewater treatment facility (foreground)

Environmental Facility Audit

Kioxia Group’s audit teams conduct regular environmental audits of its manufacturing sites based on the following principles: the three “Zen (all)” approach (all aspects, all facilities, all staff), the three “Gen (actual)” approach (actual place, actual product, actual reality), and visual control approach (look, visualize, show).

The environmental facility audits conducted by in-house auditors target eight facilities, including wastewater treatment plants subject to legal regulations. The audits ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations as well as the measurement and management of regulated substances, and adherence to the “4S” approach (sorting, straightening up, sanitation, sweeping) at each facility. Preventive measures and improvements are implemented in order to address any identified issues. Additionally, through our in-house auditor training program, we develop experts focused on risk management and improve the quality of their audits.