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Modernization brings deepening problems of pollution and health issues
Contributing to environmental preservation through testing and analysis

Battling industrial pollution

Japan experienced remarkable economic growth from the late 1950s into the 1970s. But this growth came at the cost of serious air and water pollution. Yokkaichi asthma due to sulfur dioxide, Minamata disease caused by organic mercury, and photochemical smog from nitrogen oxides were major social issues.

The government successively introduced a series of laws, including the Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control in 1967, the Air Pollution Control Law in 1968, and the Water Pollution Control Law in 1971. Shimadzu Corporation held extensive internal discussions around how it could make a difference with its proprietary technologies. This resulted in a plan that included creating analytical and measuring instruments to investigate the origins of pollutants scientifically, and be capable of monitoring pollutant levels through continuous, automated operation. In June 1971, Shimadzu’s Environmental Equipment Department was launched, and in July, Japan’s government established the Environmental Agency.

Entering the field of 24/365 pollutant measurement

Samples for analysis and measurement are typically brought to a laboratory or other location and evaluated using instruments installed there. However, the targets of environmental monitoring are gases, water, etc. emitted from factories. Such measurement calls for instruments capable of continuous frontline operation. For example, when measuring thermal power plant gas emissions, one must understand the plant’s power generation process, and install automated analyzers with built-in pretreatment equipment appropriate for each site. The instruments must be suitable for outdoor as well as indoor installation, be unaffected by wind, rain, and fluctuations in ambient temperature, and function continuously while the plant is operating, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Shimadzu met the requirements for such instruments by leveraging basic analytical measurement technologies it had cultivated over many years. Today, continuous measurement is performed on a 24/365 basis in every aspect of our daily lives.

When Japan launched its Environmental Agency, it generated widespread interest by introducing the world's first experimental vehicles for measuring photochemical smog. These vehicles were designed and equipped by Shimadzu to help determine the mechanism by which photochemical smog was generated in the atmosphere, and were later also delivered to the Japan Automobile Research Institute.

Shimadzu transforms the measurement of water pollution through an epoch-changing method

Along with air quality, Shimadzu is contributing to preserving the quality of water. In 1964, Shimadzu gas chromatographs were used to detect organic mercury poisoning in Niigata Prefecture’s Agano River basin. Shimadzu spectrophotometers were also utilized. Water pollution from releases of factory waste water and other causes had become a major social problem, and regulations were established for wastewater release. Wastewater management became an urgent priority for enterprises and factories, and numerous metrics were used in water pollution monitoring, but testing processes required numerous chemicals, and measurement error and amount of time required for measurement also posed challenges.

Shimadzu focused its product development on total organic carbon (TOC) count, a water pollution metric that measures the amount of carbon in water-borne organic matter. In 1972, after their performance and cost-effectiveness were verified by regulatory authorities, Shimadzu launched its TOC automated measuring machine and TOC lab meter for continuous water pollution monitoring in public bodies of water, as mandated by the Water Pollution Control Law. This equipment was introduced at many business sites and contributed to water quality maintenance. The products have since been continuously renewed and improved, and find uses in a wide range of fields, including industrial wastewater monitoring, water quality standards support for rivers, lakes, oceans, groundwater, and municipal water, in manufacturing management and evaluation of pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, and in research applications such as carbon neutrality verification.

Expanding from equipment supply into the contract analysis business
Establishing a specialized company, venturing deeper into environmental issues

Providing scientific environmental knowledge through contract analysis

The need to address environmental pollution was serious and urgent, and Shimadzu began receiving requests for analysis, studies, and evaluation from public agencies and enterprises. At first, Shimadzu handled these requests through its analysis center and research and development department, but eventually decided to establish a specialized company to handle requests coming from various customers. In April 1972, Shimadzu founded a specialized contract analysis company, Kyoto Scientific Research Institute Co., Ltd., today’s Shimadzu Techno-Research, Inc.(STR).

Shimadzu was among the first to address the threat from dioxin

The release of a study in the Netherlands in 1977 highlighted the problem of dioxin in waste incineration facilities. The study attracted attention in Europe and the U.S., where promotion of dioxin research and countermeasures began. Dioxin is a highly toxic substance produced, for example, when waste is incinerated. Dioxin that finds its way into the environment can end up in soil, bodies of water, and marshlands, and threaten human health through consumption of agricultural products and seafood.

Waste incineration facilities across Japan rushed to investigate dioxin. STR was aware of the threat it posed from an early stage, and was the first private company to perform analyses. In 1995, reports appeared of highly contaminated vegetables, demonstrating an urgent need for countermeasures throughout Japan. Shimadzu had already been collaborating with others, including universities and enterprises, on accumulation of technologies related to dioxin analysis and highly useful data, and building an integrated system for analysis operations. As a pioneer in the field, it supported the formulation of laws and guidelines with data gathered with advanced analytic technologies, and demonstrated its capabilities in the preparation of analysis manuals and JIS standards.

As a result, advances in dioxin reduction and treatment technologies progressed dramatically, and by around 2000, domestic dioxin emissions had been successfully reduced by more than 95%.

STR supports future children’s health and the environment

STR technologies and knowledge continue to develop, and significant achievements have been made, for example in terms of measures against highly toxic, persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Since 2011, STR has also been participating in Ministry of the Environment national projects. An example is the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, a large-scale epidemiological study of 100,000 mother/child pairs to determine adverse impacts of harmful chemicals and other environmental substances on child growth and development. STR is responsible for analysis of chemical substances in a wide range of research themes related to living environments, and for the enormous amount of sample data collected, including data relating to blood, urine, and mothers’ milk. Shimadzu’s advanced GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS analytic instruments are also contributing to this task.

Realizing Our Wishes for the Well-being of Mankind and the Earth
Collaborating to protect the environment and build a better society

In addition to its corporate philosophy of Contributing to Society through Science and Technology, in 1992 Shimadzu Corporation established its management principle, “Realizing Our Wishes for the Well-being of Mankind and the Earth.” In 1996, Shimadzu began providing support to United Nations University's environmental monitoring project, and for the past 18 years we have been engaged in environmental monitoring focused on the Asian region while undertaking to enhance the analytical capabilities of participating research institutions and strengthen human networks.

Shimadzu Corporation Head Office and the Sanjo Factory obtained ISO 14001 environmental management system certification in 1997. In 2015, Shimadzu manufacturing, research and development, and sales offices as well as major affiliates obtained integrated certification. As such, the entire Shimadzu Group is committed to environmental initiatives in its business activities.

In 1999, Shimadzu launched an environmental education activity team to raise awareness among employees. Since 2001, the team has visited schools to give environmental lectures. In collaboration with students, the team devised an original card game with a biodiversity theme and have used it in conjunction with guest lectures. In addition, the team teaches trash- and recycling-themed classes that show students how to take care of their possessions. The environmental education activity team’s lectures and classes have been given to more than 10,000 children in Kyoto, mostly in elementary school.

Toward a sustainable society

In 2002, Shimadzu launched an effort to make its products more eco-friendly. In 2010, we initiated a comprehensive effort to provide customers with products and services aimed at easing the burden on the global environment. As part of this effort, we established an in-house system for certifying new products with particularly excellent environmental performance relative to existing products, such as energy efficiency, as “Eco-Products Plus.” Shimadzu also provides customers with guidance, such as by using eco-simulation software to demonstrate how switching to a certified product will impact CO2 emissions or operating costs. Since 2019, we have required that all new Shimadzu products must have a smaller environmental footprint than the products they succeed.

To actively address the global challenges of climate change and energy-related issues, we joined such international initiatives as RE100 in 2021. RE100 requires its members to commit to 100% use of renewable electric power in all aspects of its business activities by 2050. Shimadzu has already transitioned to 100% renewable electric power in its principal domestic locations, including manufacturing factories and research centers. And at Shimadzu international locations across the globe, we are promoting environmental management toward the realization of a sustainable society.