Environmental policies

The Yomiuri Shimbun stipulates the following core policies in our efforts to reduce our environmental impact.

1. We maintain a committee for the continuous promotion of our environmental protection activities.
2. We assess the environmental impact of our business activities and maintain an environmental management system. We define objectives for the decrease of our environmental impact and implement steps to that end, making adjustments and continuously improving our approach.
3. We treat the following areas as significantly important in the management of our environmental activities and set goals for each.
   1. ①Curbing greenhouse gases through reduced power use;
   2. ②Reduction of office paper;
   3. ③Appropriate sorting and recycling of waste products;
   4. ④Publishing articles and advertisements on environmental stewardship and the hosting and support of events for the same
4. We strictly observe environmentally related laws and requirements concerning our business activities.
5. The above policies are widely disseminated among our personnel and made public, enabling all Yomiuri Shimbun employees and people at large to actively contribute to reducing their environmental impact and the effects of pollution.

Joining SDG Media Compact

Solar panels at the printing plants

In the field of newspaper production and publication, the Tokyo Headquarters of the Yomiuri Shimbun started using in August 2021 a solar power generation system via a power supply service called the PPA (power purchase agreement) model at our Gunma Plant (Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture). About 500 kilowatt of green energy produced by the power-generating equipment installed on the plant's roof is used to print newspapers, etc.

Development of printing technologies that do not produce liquid waste

We actively pursue the development of new technologies with a reduced environmental footprint.

Aluminum computer-to-plates (CTP) used for printing newspapers traditionally required a developer fluid to fix the text and images to the newsprint. The Yomiuri Shimbun has recently partnered with Fujifilm to develop a process that does not require developer. This new technology is easy on the environment and does not produce liquid waste.