Protecting the precious environment
Energy & CO₂

CO₂ emissions

In order to reduce CO₂ emissions in the construction stage, we are rigidly enforcing the prevention of vehicle idling and appropriate maintenance of construction machinery and vehicles, etc. at each construction site.

Initiatives to reduce CO₂ emissions at construction sites

The Haseko Group is promoting the following initiatives at certain sites to reduce CO₂ emissions at construction sites. Going forward, we will continue to increase the number of cases of adoption and promotion of these initiatives, while taking the scale and location of project into consideration.

Reducing CO₂ based on industrial waste disposal contractor designation system

Industrial waste generated at construction sites are separated by item (e.g., wood waste, waste plastics, mixed waste) and disposed of by designated companies. Among them, mixed waste has been substantially reduced but are generated over a long period of time from commencement of construction to completion at the site.

From among 6 designated companies and 12 plants in the Tokyo region and 6 designated companies and 11 plants in the Kansai region, we select a disposal contractor that is close to the site and thereby reduce the waste transportation distance, which translates into improved waste collection and transportation efficiency as well as lower CO₂emissions.

Reducing CO₂ through effective on-site use of soil generated from construction

Nearly approx. 90% of CO₂ emissions generated at construction sites is attributable to the use of light oil, so the usage of light oil substantially affects the reduction of CO₂ emissions.

In recent years, soil landfill sites have become further away, so CO₂ emissions generated during soil transportation tend to increase.

At construction sites, we use the soil generated from excavating works as backfill soil on the site to the greatest extent possible in an effort to reduce the number of dump trucks carrying the soil outside the site and thus reduce CO₂ emissions.

Most of the surplus construction soil carried outside the construction site is disposed of in the form of landfills, which may cause the destruction of the environment. Reducing the transportation volume of surplus soil will also help protect the environment.

Oji 5-chome by JV including Daiwa House (Tokyo region)

In the construction project of Oji 5-chome by JV including Daiwa House (completion name: Premist Oji Kamiya), approximately 1,295 ㎥ of 9,632 ㎥ of the earth and sand excavated to remove roots from the ground was temporarily stored at the site.

Nishinomiya City Edagawacho PJ New Construction (Kansai region)

In the new construction of “Nishinomiya City Edagawacho PJ (provisional name)” (completion name: Laurel Court Nishinomiya Koshien), part of earth excavated to remove roots from the ground was stored at the site and diverted to backfill soil, by work adjustment. A total of approximately 1,390 ㎥ of it was diverted, resulting in fewer dump trucks to transport it out of the site and a CO₂ emissions reduction of about 39 tons.

Reducing rainforest-sourced materials and environmental burden

Plywood for concrete formwork is made of materials sourced from rainforests. Loss of vast rainforests means losing a huge CO₂ absorber, so there is an urgent need to preserve them also from the viewpoint of biodiversity.

In the construction division, we are advancing our efforts to use precast concrete (PCa) units for handrails and edges of corridors and balconies, decorative columns, exterior stairs, floors and PCa for edges of corridors, in addition to employing the ALC method for non-load bearing walls. We also use steel formworks and plastic formworks where possible in order to reduce the use of plywood formworks made of rainforest wood.
In fiscal 2022, we achieved a reduction of the use of rainforest wood by 13.5% or equivalent to 176,763m² in the Tokyo region and by 45.4% or equivalent to 277,880m² in the Kansai region.
Replacing wooden formworks by industrial products or alternative formworks or other products has led to reduced waste in preparing formworks and fewer concrete mixer trucks, which contributes to reduction of industrial waste and CO₂ emissions.

Use of biomass electric power

In cooperation with an outside power generation company, we have introduced a resource recycling initiative to utilize renewable energy from biomass power generation, which uses waste wooden materials generated at construction sites as part of its fuel, as a temporary power supply at construction sites. In addition, in May 2023 Haseko Corporation completed the transition to using renewable energy sources for 100% of electricity* used at construction sites.

*This excludes sites pending requests to switch to renewable energy electricity subsequent to the commencement of construction and sites switching to (non-renewable) power company supply before delivery.

Contribution to CO₂ emissions reduction

This initiative can reduce CO₂ emissions from power generation, as compared with the case of using electricity supplied from conventional thermal power plants, contributing to the mitigation of global warming.

Participation in the biomass power generation business

Haseko Corporation participates in biomass power generation business with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
We participate in a woody biomass power generation business in Ikoma city in Nara undertaken by TJ Group Holdings Inc. Scrap wood and unused timber from the Kinki region will be used as fuel for generating power in the business, which makes it possible to supply locally produced and locally consumed electricity, including fuel for power generation, for users in the Kinki region. (Commercial operation is scheduled to start in April 2025.)
In Matsusaka City in Mie, we participate in a decarbonized power source development business undertaken by Power Aid Mie that uses hybrid fuel of only NON-FIT wood and manufacturing byproducts. In this business, waste recycled wood chips and plastic chips generated from various construction sites will be repurposed as fuel, leading to the reduction of the administrative burden of waste disposal operation and the contribution to the creation of a local circular resource and energy economy. (Commercial operation is scheduled to start in January 2025.)
We will continue our efforts to contribute to creating carbon zero cities through initiatives such as biomass power generation business.

Utilizing CO₂ Emissions Calculation Sheet

In April 2017, we revised Haseko Corporation’s proprietary “CO₂ Emissions Calculation Program,” which we had continued to operate since its development in 2011. Based on the revision, we began calculating the CO₂ reduction rate based on the “CO₂ Emissions Calculation Sheet” using the figures calculated in accordance with the Act on the Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings. We have been implementing the revised program since then.

In fiscal 2022, we set CO₂ reduction rate of 10% or higher (compared to the standard value under the Act on the Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings scheduled to become mandatory in 2020) as our numerical target and implemented it in 100 projects of condominiums designed between April 2022 and March 2023 (76 projects in the Tokyo region and 24 projects in the Kansai region).

* The CO₂ Emissions Calculation Sheet is a sheet for computing the CO₂ reduction rate by converting the standard value and the design value of primary energy consumption of condominium unit areas and communal areas calculated with respect to each project using a Web program in accordance with the Act on the Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings into CO₂ emissions (t-CO₂/year).

Promotion of wood use in construction of condominiums

In recent years, the effective use of domestic forest resources has been drawing attention as part of efforts to build a sustainable social environment, and moreover, the mental relaxation effect of the warmth of wood we have long been familiar with has been re-evaluated.
We have established the Wood Use Promotion Committee and are promoting wood utilization for communal buildings in condominiums as the first step in an effort to use more wood for the main structure of condominiums as appropriate.
“ComRezi Akabane” utilizes wood for the common living spaces on the second to fifth floors of the student residence building. “BRANSIESTA Urayasu” was our first completed condominium featuring wooden construction in exclusive areas, with the top floor residential units (14 in total) being constructed from wood.
The Haseko Group has worked on research and development of wooden architecture since 2014, and we have completed 14 projects and have 9 projects currently under construction. (as of August 2023)
A project featuring fire-resistant wooden structure on the its top four floors, “(provisional name) Meguro-ku Chuocho 1-chome Plan” is scheduled to be completed in March 2025. We will continue our efforts to challenge the adoption of wood in high-rise buildings and expand its application from the current rental condominium to include for-sale condominium development.
We will continue to promote the use of wood in construction with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050.

Energy Usage and CO₂ Emissions in Offices

Haseko Group is promoting energy saving in offices, centering on the activities by the “Response to Climate Change Office Working Group (WG).”

In the Office WG activities, we focus on the amount of energy use for air conditioning, lighting, and office automation equipment that account for the majority of energy expenditure in our office buildings, and we engage in power-saving activities systematically by designating a person in charge at each floor of Shiba Head Office Building and Hiranomachi Building, office, and branches with the General Affairs Department and Osaka General Affairs Department serving as the secretariat.

In summer and winter, when office power consumption increases, we set up a special period for power-saving. In addition to responding to the Cool Biz and Warm Biz initiatives, we are actively promoting actions such as setting appropriate air conditioning temperatures and turning off lights during lunch breaks and in unoccupied areas. We have obtained SBT certification in FY2022 and calculated CO₂ emissions by accumulating monthly total energy consumption of each company. And we have compiled quarterly accumulation to visualize our progress and made an effort to reduce energy consumption volume. As a result, in fiscal 2022, we achieved a reduction of 20,178 tons CO₂, or 1.0% from fiscal 2021.

Reduction of CO₂ by Donating PET Bottle Caps

The Haseko Group donates PET bottle caps as a part of its daily ecological activities. In fiscal 2022, we collected PET bottle caps equivalent to 593 kg from our Offices and construction sites and donated them to the Japan Committee, Vaccines for the World’s Children (JCV).

This contributed to the reduction of CO₂ emissions resulting from incinerating PET bottle caps by 1,864 kg.

Registered as a Supporter of “COOL CHOICE” Campaign Promoted by the Ministry of the Environment

The Haseko Group is registered as a supporter of “COOL CHOICE,” a national movement promoted by the Ministry of the Environment.

Within the Group, we disseminate information to make “smart choices” for measures to prevent global warming, with the aim of enabling each employee to choose actions in their daily lives.

Source: The Ministry of the Environment’s COOL CHOICE website (Japanese Only)

Blast furnace slag cement type B

Blast furnace slag cement type B, which is superior against cracks and in terms of chemical resistance, is mainly adopted in concrete piles. CO₂ generated during cement production is the largest in volume during the manufacturing process of clinker, an interim product of cement. The production of blast furnace slag cement involves mixing large volumes of blast furnace slag fine powder into normal cement, which leads to a much lower composition ratio of clinker than in normal cement, and in turn, reduction of CO₂ emissions.

In fiscal 2022, adoption of blast furnace slag cement type B was 220,347 m³, resulting in the reduction of CO₂ emissions by approx. 24,899.

Development of “H-BA Concrete,” an environment-conscious concrete

Produced by blending ordinary Portland cement and blast furnace cement type-B, H-BA concrete is so versatile that it can replace conventional concrete. It is eco-conscious concrete that reduces CO₂ emissions derived from concrete materials by approximately 20%.
To date, it has been used in projects including a part of the common-use areas of “Renai Yokohama Totsuka” (Totsuka-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa; total 439 units) and the entirety of the “Gakuen Higashimachi Project” (foundations and above-ground framework), a rental condominium building targeting students (Nishi-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo; total 120 units). In August 2022, H-BA concrete obtained the “Special Evaluation Method Certification*2,” which is recognized as an alternative evaluation method to methods that comply with the “Evaluation Method Criteria*1,” from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. This certification allows it to be used in for-sale condominiums that use dwelling performance indications.
In 2021, we established the Haseko Group’s Climate Change Response Policy: “HASEKO ZERO-Emission”, and we are working to popularize “H-BA concrete” to reduce greenhouse gas (CO₂) emissions. Based on the Special Evaluation Method Certification, “H-BA concrete” has been adopted for the first time as sale condominiums for the entirety of the above-ground framework in the “Kamiikedai Project” (Ota-ku, Tokyo; total 42 units) in the Tokyo area, and the “Renai Esaka Enokicho” (Suita City, Osaka; total 149 units) in the Kansai area. We will continue to utilize H-BA concrete in the Group’s projects. In addition to Group business projects, we will work to popularize H-BA concrete in the projects of other companies to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas (CO₂) emissions across the entire supply chain.

*1 Evaluation Method Criteria: Criteria for methods of evaluating housing performance to be indicated in accordance with the Japan Housing Performance Indication Standards stipulated in the Housing Quality Assurance Act.
*2 Special evaluation method certification: Certification method approved on an individual basis by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for new materials and construction methods (e.g., structural safety, reduced deterioration, thermal environment, sound environment) that cannot be evaluated in accordance with evaluation method criteria stipulated in the Housing Quality Assurance Act.

Development of Support Tools for Energy-Saving Performance Calculation

We have developed an energy-saving calculation system which is linked to BIM (Building Information Modeling) data. We make notifications in accordance with the Act on the Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings and examine thermal insulation specifications using this system. We developed a tool with the aim of further labor saving through automation of calculation as well as visualization of calculation results and launched it at design divisions in the East and West Japan in January 2020. The operation of this tool has enabled a 50% reduction in work hours and a reduction in input errors through automated calculations. We will use these technologies to promote optimal design that meets energy-saving performance requirements.

Conservation Activities

The Haseko Group conducted the following biodiversity conservation activities.
*In FY2020 and FY2021, many activities were suspended due to COVID-19.