Conserving Water Resources

The OECD's 2012 report entitled Environmental Outlook to 2050 states that during the period between 2000 and 2050, global demand for water will increase by approximately 55% owing to economic development and population increase, while more than 40% of the world's population will be living in river basins that suffer from severe water shortages.
The Kubota Group sees conserving water resources as one of its materiality issues, and has been advancing initiatives to promote the effective utilization of water resources and to address water risks, such as the reduction of water consumption by promoting water saving and wastewater recycling, and the proper management of wastewater treatment and wastewater quality. Production sites promote measures not to cause adverse effects on local ecosystems and the lives of local residents, taking into consideration the status of water stress in the respective regions.

Activities towards achieving SDGs

Related SDGs and targets
Major Activity Content	Promotion of measures to reduce water resource waste and losses, focusing on JIT and automation Water conservation measures, water leak inspections, introduction of wastewater regeneration equipment which applies our company's technology Thorough execution of appropriate wastewater management, risk management, etc.
2030 Activity Targets (KPIs)	Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2030： Water consumption per unit of production at global production sites: 45% improvement compared to the base year 2014 Manage wastewater appropriately in accordance with the standards of the water discharge by operating wastewater treatment facilities and water recycling facilities, etc.

Measures to Reduce Water Withdrawal

The Kubota Group has established the Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets and is working to reduce water withdrawal at production sites. Our production sites, such as those in China, Thailand, Indonesia and the United States, have introduced wastewater treatment facilities or wastewater recycling systems utilizing technologies of the Kubota Group.

Kubota Engine (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has added additional capacity to its wastewater treatment system with the use of a membrane bioreactor (MBR). Recycled water is being used to water the gardens around the plant and as domestic water.

Water Management

The Kubota Group is committed to understanding, managing, and conserving water use at all of its 190 companies. Every year, our production sites draw up and revise a management plan for reducing the amount of water withdrawal, based on the Group’s Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets. Measures are also being taken at all 73 production sites to thoroughly manage water quality and prevent environmental accidents.

Ascertaining the status of water withdrawal

The Kubota Group continuously monitors water withdrawal amounts at all 190 of its sites (100%), and rigorously manages withdrawal based on data. In this way, we accurately grasp the status of water withdrawals globally, creating a basis for improvement measures.

Training for efficient use of water

Kubota’s Environmental Protection Department is working to improve frontline practical capabilities of personnel responsible for production sites by sharing best practices and proposing improvement strategies.

Monitoring the status of water use efficiency improvements

We have set targets for improving water withdrawal per unit of production for all 73 production sites (100%), and we revise the medium-term environmental implementation plans, including our initiatives to improve water use efficiency, every six months. The head office monitors the status of progress and supports improvement measures as necessary to promote sustainable water resource management.

Water quality management
[Overview of water management in environment-related rules and regulations]

An environmental management system shall be established at all sites to systematically promote environmental conservation activities.
A monitoring system for environmental conservation shall be developed at all sites so as to periodically carry out examinations and inspections.
The amount of water (service water, industrial water, groundwater, and recycled water) used and discharged at all sites in the course of business activities shall be assessed.
Efforts shall be made to reduce the amount of water resources used at all sites. Also, a plan to reduce water withdrawal at all production sites shall be formulated, tracked, and revised every year.
Water quality-related equipment shall be thoroughly managed (ensuring water treatment capacity, complying with design/management standards, maintenance/operation) at all production sites, while environmental pollution risks associated with such equipment shall be mitigated and environmental accidents prevented from occurring.

Water-Related Risks and Opportunities

		Envisaged scenario	Impact on the Group	Time horizon^*
		Envisaged scenario	Impact on the Group	Short term	Medium term	Long term
Conserving Water Resources	Risks	Non-compliance with wastewater standards, etc. Stricter water-related regulations, etc.	Fines and shutdowns Lower social credibility Increase in regulatory compliance cost	→	→	→
		High water prices due to aging water infrastructure and shortage of available water for industrial use	Increase in manufacturing costs	→	→	→
		Increasing frequency and severity of weather disasters such as flooding and drought driven by climate change Water use restrictions in areas of high water risk	Negative impact on the Group and its suppliers	→	→	→
		Lower crop yields due to shortage of water resources Changes in agricultural styles due to relocation of suitable farming land, etc.	Loss of selling opportunities		→	→
		Changes in needs for products and services in regions with high water risk	Increase in product development and manufacturing costs		→	→
	Opportunities	Expansion in need for solutions for Water & the Environment-related products that ensure access to safe and secure water and wastewater treatment and recycling treatment facilities that comply with stricter regulations	Expansion of selling opportunities	→	→	→
		Expansion in water conservation and wastewater reuse at business sites	Increase in productivity	→	→	→
		Expansion in need for water infrastructure that is highly resistant to flooding, droughts, and other disasters	Expansion in business related to adapting to climate change	→	→	→

Timing of manifestation is presented as short term (within three years), medium term (between three and five years), and long term (more than five years).

Water-Related Environmental Conservation Costs

(Unit: million yen)

Classifications		Main costs	FY2023		FY2024
Classifications		Main costs	Investment	Costs	Investment	Costs
Within the business area cost	Local environmental conservation cost	Cost of preventing air and water pollution, soil contamination, noise, and vibration.	313	645	643	648
R&D cost	Water & Environment		641	3,432	531	4,472

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Controlling Water Discharge and Mitigating Water Risks

The Kubota Group has set its own control values that are stricter than the emission standards of relevant laws and regulations. To ensure that the standard values are not exceeded, the Kubota Group carries out regular measurement of designated monitoring items. Under the Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2030, the Group sets a target of managing water discharge appropriately in line with standards for the areas where wastewater is released by operating wastewater treatment and water recycling facilities.

Kubota Sakai Rinkai Plant (Japan)
Submerged-type FRP johkasou