Biodiversity Preservation Activities
Biodiversity Action Guidelines
The Mitsubishi Electric Group has established Biodiversity Action Guidelines which define the role its business activities will play in preserving biodiversity. We are committed to taking action to help build a sustainable world.
Biodiversity Preservation Measures at Business Sites
The Mitsubishi Electric Group has set forth three courses of action as guidelines for its business sites. They are: (1) reducing negative impact on living creatures; (2) aiming for more fruitful symbiosis with living creatures; and (3) restoring the relationship between employees and nature in the working environment. At each business site, action plans provide for the preservation of local indigenous species, control of alien species, and development of green space in consideration of the surrounding ecosystem, to ensure these initiatives are steadily addressed in all businesses.
Three courses of action
| Courses of Action | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
A Reducing negative impact on living creatures |
1. Control development pressure*1 and alien species pressure*2, *3 | (1) Assessment of impacts on living creatures |
| (2) Alien species control | ||
| 2. Call attention to and preserve rare species and endemic species | (1) Disclosure of list of living creatures on premises | |
| (2) Preservation of rare species and endemic species | ||
| (3) Cooperation regarding conservation issues for surrounding areas | ||
| 3. Manage pesticide impacts, preserve greenery and natural resources | (1) Control of the killing/harming of living creatures | |
| (2) Consideration to natural resources, such as water and soil | ||
B Aiming for more fruitful symbiosis with other living creatures |
4. Set up functional greenery | (1) System to manage green space |
| (2) Management of land used by flying organisms | ||
| (3) Development of priority land for greenery and living creatures | ||
| (4) Provision of continuity of greenery with areas surrounding business sites | ||
| (5) Contribution to biodiversity preservation activities in areas surrounding business sites | ||
| 5. Break away from agricultural orientations such as simplifying/ specifying greenery | (1) Diversification/multi-stratification of vegetation | |
| (2) Management of greenery that accords with the characteristics of plants, etc. | ||
| (3) Contribution/consideration to regions | ||
C Restoring the relationship between employees and nature in the working environment |
6. Proactively utilize ecosystem services in the workplace (break rooms, individual floors) | (1) Provision and utilization of opportunities for cultural services |
| (2) Provision and utilization of opportunities for supply services | ||
| 7. Change situation from everyone being disinterested and unrelated to everyone being involved | (1) Education for understanding and promoting action | |
| (2) Creation of relationships through the workplace or work duties | ||
- 1 The potential impact on biodiversity from the construction of a new business site and development (including that in the supply chain) for natural resource extraction. One such example is when the use of water by operations affects the surrounding area, the source of water, and subsequently the habitats of living creatures.
- 2 When greenery around buildings and hedges is created using trees or plants sourced from outside the region, non-native species of insects, vegetation, and other organisms may be introduced. The unintentional transfer of living creatures could pose a threat to the habitats of indigenous species or trigger genetic pollution.
- 3 Activities are carried out pursuant to the regulation on raising, planting, storing, carrying, or other handling of specified IAS in the Invasive Alien Species Act.
Quantitative Assessment Based on the Biodiversity Guidelines (Check Sheet)
In March 2020, Mitsubishi Electric formulated the Biodiversity Guidelines (Check Sheet) to quantitatively assess the status of biodiversity initiatives at its business sites. The guidelines promote the quantitative assessment of activity implementation levels based on five mandatory items for all business sites and 186 promotional items categorized into seven areas (medium items) based on the above-mentioned courses of action. This check sheet is used by personnel in charge at each business site to self-assess the status of biodiversity initiatives and identify strengths and issues in order to steadily improve their efforts.
Five mandatory items for all business sites
- A person in charge, the department in charge, and specific operations for promoting biodiversity initiatives have been identified.
- There is a medium-term plan for conducting biodiversity preservation activities.
- Biological surveys are conducted.
- Environmental education on biodiversity is provided every year.
- Feedback is given regarding the medium-term plan.
Seven areas based on courses of action
- Control development pressure and alien species pressure
- Call attention to and preserve rare species and endemic species
- Manage pesticides, preserve greenery and natural resources
- Set up functional greenery
- Break away from agricultural orientations such as simplifying/specifying greenery
- Proactively utilize ecosystem services in the workplace (break rooms, individual floors)
- Change situation from everyone being disinterested and unrelated to everyone being involved
Assessment Result for Fiscal 2024
We defined the ratio of the score to the base year (fiscal 2020) as the improvement rate* and evaluated
the level of implementation of activities in each field in fiscal 2024. As a result, the company-wide average
for each field is shown in the radar chart below, and the average improvement rate for all fields increased
from 1.35 in fiscal 2023 to 1.42.
Regarding the seven areas for which improvement rates are calculated in the Biodiversity Guidelines, the improvement rate increased in all areas this year, just like last year. In particular, the improvement rate for “7. Change the situation from everyone being disinterested and indifferent to everyone being involved” was 0.11 points, the highest increase rate ever. This rise suggests that the importance of biodiversity preservation activities has become more widely understood among employees. It also proves that this
change in awareness can be attributed to each business site's education and information dissemination to raise the profile of biodiversity preservation activities among employees.
Using the Biodiversity Guidelines, we will continue our efforts to vitalize and elevate our biodiversity preservation activities to an even higher level.
- Improvement rate is calculated by dividing the score of the year being evaluated by the score of the base year (fiscal 2020).
