January 27, 2004

Ajinomoto Group New Approach to Environmental Activities “Ajinomoto Group Zero Emissions” Minimization of All Environmental Loads Based on Voluntary Worldwide Unified Standard

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (President: Kunio Egashira, Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan) announced that it promotes the new environmental activity “Ajinomoto Group Zero Emissions”. The purpose of this activity is to eliminate or minimize the environmental load by defining voluntary worldwide unified standard of the Group concerning a variety of environmental loads. All fields of its global business activities, such as business planning, research and development, procurement, production, logistics, sales, and consumption will be involved in this environmental project.   This approach is not limited to the general zero waste (so-called zero emissions; elimination of waste into landfills), production activities, or observance of laws and regulations. The Ajinomoto Group will devote best efforts to minimize the environmental load, especially in the core business of the Ajinomoto Group (amino acids fermentation production, seasonings, and processed foods) on a global scale. It aims to preserve environment and natural resources and contribute to society through business activities, and at the same time to strengthen its business competitiveness, and realize sustainable business development. Examples of Achievement Target in the“Ajinomoto Group Zero Emissions” Resource recovery of waste and by-products: 99.0% or more BOD and nitrogen in wastewater: 1/10 of the values defined by regulations in advanced countries and the level equivalent to the environmental quality standard, etc. [An example of activities] Minimization of Wastewater Environmental Load Based on Worldwide Unified Standard   The Ajinomoto Group follows wastewater control laws in various countries and regions. The actual environmental load in wastewater, however, varies greatly according to the varying requirements in each country.   The Ajinomoto Group will minimize the wastewater load based on the Voluntary Worldwide Unified Wastewater Standard and reduce the amount of BOD and nitrogen contained in plant wastewater to 1/10 of the values defined in the legal restrictions of advanced countries, namely the level of the environmental quality standard. [An example of activities] “Bio-cycle” Resource-Recycling that Repeats “from Farm to AJI-NO-MOTO to Farm” Established All The Plants to be Transformed to “Zero Emissions Plants”   The amino acids business of the Ajinomoto Group, including the umami seasoning AJI-NO-MOTO, has the top share in the world by expanding businesses into various fields. Amino acids are produced by fermenting cane molasses, and starch of corn, etc, then isolating and purifying the fermented liquid. Liquid by-product generated from the process contains a large quantity of nitrogen and minerals and is therefore converted into animal feed or fertilizer for sugar cane, which is used as a raw material for AJI-NO-MOTO. The Ajinomoto Group has operated the “Bio-cycle,” which returns the by-products generated during the production process to the agricultural field, namely suppliers of raw materials, for more than 20 years around the world.   As a result, The Ajinomoto Group established recycling-oriented production process, achieving 96.6% recovery of by-products in the field relating to amino acids fermentation (20 plants in 11 overseas countries). Moreover, overseas eight plants in six countries are entitled to be “Zero Waste Emissions Plants” with the resource recovery rate of 99.0% or more.   The Ajinomoto Group will transform all plants into “Zero Waste Emissions Plants” by further improving the resource recovery rate. “Ajinomoto Group Environmental Report 2003” Issued   Ajinomoto Co., Inc. issued “Ajinomoto Group Environmental Report 2003”. The report presents the achievements in environmental preservation accomplished by the domestic and overseas Ajinomoto Group companies in 2002 and introduces future activities, such as “Ajinomoto Group Zero Emissions”. [Outline of “Ajinomoto Group Environmental Report 2003”]   Date of issue: January 26, 2004 (Original Japanese version issued in November 2003) Format: Letter size with 50 pages Printed on bagasse paper (sugarcane fiber) using VOC (volatile organic compound)-free soybean ink with waterless printing system that generates no hazardous waste liquid. Web version: Published on our company Web site. URL: http://www.ajinomoto.co.jp/company/ [Editorial Features] The report covers whole domestic and overseas Ajinomoto Group companies. It reports social activities as well as main environmental preservation activities, aiming to substantially provide a sustainability report.  (Its contains the reference to the Environmental Reporting Guidelines set up by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment and the GRI Guidelines) Illustrations and chart are used to present the relationship between the Ajinomoto Group’s businesses and the environment, and the characteristics of environmental loads in an easy-to-understand manner. It also introduces current issues and specific activities undertaken to address these issues. Moreover, it announces the commitment to start the new environmental preservation activities “Ajinomoto Group Zero Emissions.” It expands disclosure of information, by, for example, publishing important environmental data of major plants as site reports. It systematically describes an overview of social aspects and activities of the domestic and overseas Ajinomoto Group companies, and then specifically explains by classifying activities into customer relations, employee relations and local community relations. [Environmental Preservation Activities] Major Achievements (in 2002 and after) All domestic sites of the Ajinomoto Co. Inc. acquired ISO 14001 certification. Forty percent of the domestic and overseas Group companies have been accredited. Total energy input was reduced by 2% and the unit energy consumption was reduced by 7% (in comparison with the previous year). CO2　emissions were reduced by 5% and CO2 emission intensity was reduced by 10%(in comparison with the previous year). Resource recovery ratio of by-products increased by 1.8% to 95.0%. “Zero Waste Emissions” (resource recovery ratio of 99.0% or more) were achieved by nine plants  (one domestic and eight overseas plants). Modal shift rate was improved by 1.6% to 18.1%. Awards were given for the improvements of packaging of two products. [Social Activities] Social aspects of business activities based on the “Ajinomoto Group Principles − Philosophy, Management Policies and Standards of Business Conduct” are systematically and specifically described. Contents of “ Ajinomoto Group Principles − Philosophy, Management Policies and Standards of Business Conduct ” Customer Relations (Consumer Service Center, Quality Assurance System, etc.)  Employee Relations (Employment of Women and Disabled Workers, Training of Human Resources, Occupational Safety and Health, Employee Volunteerism, etc.) Community Relations (Global Programs, Local Programs and Social Activities of Foundations)