Sustainability Activities (ESG)
Reducing Waste and Preventing Pollution
Policy on Waste Reduction, Preventing Pollution, and Reducing Use of Resources
Reducing Waste and Preventing Pollution
Policy on Waste Reduction, Preventing Pollution,
and Reducing Use of Resources
The Mitsubishi Estate Group has set a policy creating a sound material-cycle society in the Mitsubishi Estate Group Basic Environmental Policy and strives to reduce, reuse, and recycle at each stage of business, including planning, development, design, construction, management, and dismantlement. The Group also works to reduce waste, pollution, and use of resources by increasing the lifespan of buildings, including the use of existing buildings through renovation.
Moreover, in the area of Environment, one of the Key Themes stated in the Mitsubishi Estate Group 2030 Goals for SDGs, the Group has set goals for increasing waste recycling rates and reducing emissions, mainly for food and plastic in the management and operation of its properties, and is working in collaboration with tenants and other stakeholders to achieve a material-cycle society.
Goals and Achievement Status
Goals and Achievement Status
In waste reduction, preventing pollution, and reducing use of resources, the Group has set goals for 2030 in the area of Environment, one of the Key Themes set out in the Mitsubishi Estate Group 2030 Goals for SDGs. In concrete terms it has set targets for improving the waste recycling rate to 90% by 2030 and reducing waste emissions by 20% per m² compared to fiscal 2019. The Group is implementing initiatives utilizing Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) with the aim of achieving these goals.
The Group is working to create a sound material-cycle society by taking action in collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including both tenant companies and suppliers, as well as urban residents, building visitors and other stakeholders.
See the following for the data on reduction of waste.
Reducing Waste>Recycling Lunch Box Containers as a Community with the Marunouchi Eco-Bento Project
Reducing Waste
Initiatives in Cooperation with Stakeholders and Other Parties
See the following for information on initiatives at Mitsubishi Estate Headquarters and initiatives in cooperation with stakeholders and other parties.
Recycling Lunch Box Containers as a Community with the Marunouchi Eco-Bento Project
In May 2016, Mitsubishi Estate launched the Marunouchi Eco-Bento Project to promote bento ("lunch box") container recycling involving the entire community, which is the first initiative of its kind in Japan.
The project introduced a special P&P Re-repack recyclable containers coated with plastic film for bento sold in the Marunouchi area. After finishing the bento, only the lid and removed film are discarded, while the container is returned to a collection box located in each building for recycling. Mitsubishi Estate coordinates with multiple shops in the planning and operation of the project as a property developer.
During the verification test conducted with 15 participating shops in 3 buildings over a two-month period starting in October 2015, 20.8% of containers were collected, reducing nearly 665 kg of CO2 (equivalent to the amount absorbed by 48 cedar trees in one year). Participating shops mentioned that it was an easy way to contribute to society, resulting in more participating stores across a wider area as we launch the full-scale project. Currently, 12 shops in15 buildings participate. There are plans to reach out to more shops in the future and install additional collection points in order to further reduce the impact on the environment.
Sanchi-Chokuso Ainoribin—A New Way to Deliver Regional Specialties by Consolidating Freight and Passengers
Initiatives to Reduce Waste in the Detached Housing Business
In June 2022, Mitsubishi Estate Home established the CO2 Emissions Reduction Strategy to accelerate the realization of a decarbonized society. Having established the selection of construction methods that reduce waste and materials that are easy to recycle as one of its strategies, the company will continue to promote further initiatives in this area.
Specifically, the company will aim to reduce onsite waste by promoting pre-cutting of structural, insulation, and construction materials (interior and exterior) during construction, optimization of order volumes, and improvement of construction methods. In addition to the measures taken during construction, the company also aims to reduce the frequency of repairs through the use of more durable exterior and other materials leading to a reduction in waste from repairs and demolition.
Initiatives to Reduce Food Loss at Yokohama Royal Park Hotel
In 2019, Yokohama Royal Park Hotel launched the SDGs Committee, which has conducted staff awareness surveys and other activities. In July 2021, it also established an organization chaired by the hotel’s general manager to further raise the awareness of staff and implement initiatives that will contribute to achievement of the SDGs.
The hotel is working in partnership with the customers who dine at its restaurants and hold functions there, as well as suppliers, on initiatives to reduce the amount of edible food that is discarded (food loss).
Examples of initiatives
- Function buffet “3010 Initiative” recommendations:
The 3010 Initiative is a Ministry of the Environment campaign to reduce food loss that calls for guests at functions to stay seated to enjoy the food for 30 minutes after the toast and to return to their seats to continue enjoying the food for an additional 10 minutes before the function winds up in order to reduce leftover food. Yokohama Royal Park Hotel has endorsed the campaign and provides the information to the organizers of functions using the hotel’s facilities. The hotel provides information on the initiative at the venue and reception as much as is possible at functions where understanding has been obtained to encourage cooperation by function participants. - Measuring the amount of buffet food discarded:
The hotel is working to reduce food loss by measuring and identifying the amount of buffet food discarded for each food ingredient, optimizing the replenishment of food, and raising awareness about reducing waste. - Making effective use of vegetable scraps:
The hotel makes effective use of vegetable scraps in broth and bouillon. - Reusing food products close to their sell by date:
The hotel offers some of the bread that does not sell out at the delicatessen free-of-charge for breakfast at the club lounge or sells it at a reasonable price through the TABETE* platform app. In addition, it donates some food products approaching their expiration date to the Harenohi Kenohi children’s cafeteria.
- A food sharing service that allows people to “rescue” food by purchasing meals that still taste good and are safe to eat but do not sell out in store.
Yokohama Royal Park Hotel is contributing to the achievement of a sustainable society through various other initiatives including introduction of biodegradable straws in all its restaurants and bars, sale of bouquets made with flowers previously used at the hotel, and treatment of miscellaneous and kitchen wastewater used in the building for use as water for flushing toilets.
As a result of these initiatives, in June 2021, the hotel obtained Superior certification as a top-ranked certified business in the Y-SDGs, the SDGs certification system established by Yokohama City. In May 2022, as a result of further initiatives and staff awareness raising, the hotel was recognized and registered as a Kanagawa SDGs Partner, recommended by Kanagawa Prefecture, and obtained the top-ranking Supreme certification in the Y-SDGs in July 2022.
Making effective use of vegetable scraps
Y-SDGs Supreme obtained in July 2022
Initiatives for Effective Use of Building Stock> Effectively Using Building Stock with Building Renovation Business
Initiatives for Effective Use of Building Stock
Effectively Using Building Stock with Building Renovation Business
Since May 2014, Mitsubishi Estate Residence has been involved in the Building Renovation Business (renovation and rental business using building stock), where small- and medium-sized buildings are renovated for earthquake resistance and to meet needs and then leased as rental properties such as offices and residences, including shared residences.
In June 2021, renovations on The ParkRex OHORIKOEN, a project which was the first lodging facility conversion, were completed in the Otemon neighborhood of Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, with FIKA Co., Ltd. unveiling its first hostel in the Western Japan area at the grand opening of UNPLAN Fukuoka.
In addition, Mitsubishi Estate Residence is promoting its Renovation Business, which buys individual units or whole buildings of existing condominiums to be renovated and resold, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Renovation is environmentally friendly as it enables revival of buildings with less environmental impact than demolition and new construction. Moving forward, the company will continue promoting these businesses in its efforts to realize a sustainable society through the revitalization of the housing market and the effective utilization of existing building stock.
The ParkRex OHORIKOEN
Dormitory area
Before renovation
After renovation
Major Renovation of Otemachi Building
Major Renovation of Otemachi Building
Since 2018, Mitsubishi Estate has been carrying out large-scale renovation work on the Otemachi Building, an office building completed in 1958 and thus more than 60 years old. These renovations were completed in May 2022. In addition to an overall upgrade of the building itself, including improvements to the exterior walls and interior, and construction of a lounge and terrace for the building and neighborhood workers, Mitsubishi Estate created new networking spaces where people and companies come together, enabling venture companies and start-ups to interact with large companies. Responding to the social demand for effective use of building stock, Mitsubishi Estate will continue to embrace the challenge of buildings that last for 100 years with the aim of creating value in the form of hubs for the generation of new businesses.
The Otemachi Building has excellent transportation access as it is directly connected to Otemachi Station, where users can take five different subway lines. In addition, the building has large floor plates with a shape suitable for subdivision into small parcels to lease. Mitsubishi Estate opted for renovations so that it could quickly provide diverse interaction and open innovation in the Marunouchi area, bringing together the cutting-edge technologies of multiple companies.
Furthermore, in terms of eco-friendly urban development through renovation, the project enabled a reduction of waste and building materials compared to demolition and new construction. The project has also reduced future management costs through the use of an alkali-resistant, glass reinforced cement (GRC), which is much more durable and fire resistant than ordinary cement, as the main exterior wall material. In addition, the introduction of LED lighting and adoption of Low-E double glazing with superior heat insulation properties and window frames with embedded sunshades have improved environmental performance, including energy savings from reduced heat load (reduction of approximately 44%). Mitsubishi Estate has also developed a 4,000m2 open space atop the building as the Otemachi Building Skylab, the largest rooftop space for an office building in Tokyo, and created a greenery-filled workspace and the vegetable garden The Edible Park Otemachi by Grow (658m2, operation by PLANTIO, Inc.), creating a new environmentally-friendly space for interaction.
Otemachi Building before renovation
Otemachi Building after renovation
Yurakucho SLIT PARK Aimed at Reconstruction of Yurakucho Utilizing Existing Building Stock
On June 1, 2022, Mitsubishi Estate opened Yurakucho SLIT PARK, a renewal of the laneway space between the Shin-Kokusai Building and the Shin-Nisseki Building in the Marunouchi area. The name of SLIT PARK embodies the concept of turning lanes in urban areas into parks. The dimly-lit space, which was previously used as a bike-parking area and as service entrances, has been transformed into an urban park space overflowing with light and greenery. The project embodies Mitsubishi Estate's commitment to utilization of existing building stock in the reconstruction of the Yurakucho area, and incorporated attempts to reuse waste materials from the construction for decorating the space. The project has also served to enhance pedestrian mobility by connecting Daimyo-Koji Avenue and Marunouchi Naka-dori Avenue via SLIT PARK.
Equipped with wi-fi and power, it can also be used as a space for work. Other features include the provision of food, drink, and merchandise services by kitchen cars and food stalls and the holding of events in which anyone is free to participate, making it a place where people can interact and create a community.
Laneway on the Daimyo-Koji Avenue side
(Before renewal)
Laneway on the Daimyo-Koji Avenue side
(After renewal)
Café-style Area Management Hub Utilizing Idle Land in a Redevelopment Area
Mitsubishi Estate Residence opened Monnaka Coffee utilizing idle land in a redevelopment area in Tokyo’s Koto Ward under a redevelopment project in which the company is participating. The café will be used for dissemination of local information, interaction between residents, and hosting events that create vitality until construction of redeveloped buildings is launched. Mitsubishi Estate aims to make it a venue for reminding local residents and visitors of the attractions of the area and deepening interaction, thereby help establish an area management system that will continue even after redevelopment, foster a sense of anticipation about the new urban environment, and create urban vitality. Consideration has also been given to reducing environmental impact as the building uses timber grown in Tama and consists of units that can be individually dismantled and relocated while reused items are also being utilized for furniture and fixtures.
Preventing Pollution>Introducing Biodegradable Straws at Royal Park Hotels
Preventing Pollution
Introducing Biodegradable Straws and Other Eco-Friendly Items at Royal Park Hotels
The Mitsubishi Estate Group’s Royal Park Hotels and Resorts have been promoting initiatives for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These initiatives include the introduction of biodegradable straws in 2018, the introduction of guestroom amenities made from biomass, and mineral water using 100% recycled plastic bottles*1 as measures to eliminate plastic from April 2022. These measures have now been introduced at 18 hotels*2 around Japan. (Not all measures are implemented at all hotels.)
Biodegradable straws are a product that has obtained the GreenPla® mark from the Japan BioPlastics Association (JPBA) and are made from plant-derived natural cycle resin using polylactic acid obtained from starch such as cornstarch. Royal Park Hotels and Resorts is working to reduce the impact on the natural environment from waste by replacing the approximately 280,000 straight plastic straws used annually with a plant-derived product.
Royal Park Hotels and Resorts is gradually switching its guestroom amenities*3 to SINTOWORLD’s Eco-Amenity Series, which is an eco-friendly biomass product that uses raw materials containing rice husks and recycled plastics, as well as packaging materials made from paper. The hair brushes, shower caps and tooth brushes have obtained Biomass Mark 40*4.
The introduction of mineral water using 100% recycled plastic bottles is also aimed at reducing waste and promoting recycling. Recycled plastic bottles, which use recyclable plastic sourced from the plastic bottles collected from the general public, are environmentally friendly in promoting a reuse cycle for plastic bottles.
- Some hotels are, alternatively, not providing mineral water in guest rooms.
- Sendai Royal Park Hotel, Royal Park Hotel (Nihonbashi, Tokyo), Yokohama Royal Park Hotel, The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome, The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Kyoto, The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji, The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda, The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Sanjo, The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Shijo, The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji, The Royal Park Hotel Hiroshima Riverside, The Royal Park Hotel Fukuoka, The Royal Park Canvas – Sapporo Odori Park, The Royal Park Canvas - Ginza 8, The Royal Park Canvas - Nagoya, The Royal Park Canvas Kyoto Nijo, The Royal Park Canvas - Osaka Kitahama, The Royal Park Canvas Kobe Sannomiya
- Toothbrushes, hair brushes, razors, shower caps, towels, and cotton pads
- A mark that can be displayed on products with a biomass content of 10% or more (dry weight) with certain quality and safety standards.
Managing Hazardous Substances
Managing Hazardous Substances
The Mitsubishi Estate Group manages and disposes of hazardous substances appropriately in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The Group carries out disposal and procedures appropriately in accordance with laws and regulations regarding the fluorocarbon refrigerants in air conditioners and PCBs used in electrical equipment and manage them rigorously to prevent leakage and release. The Group also conducts timely surveys to identify the presence of asbestos and soil contamination and implements the appropriate countermeasures and management according to the situation.
Preventing Water Pollution
Preventing Water Pollution
The restaurants and similar establishments above a certain size located in facilities managed and operated by the Mitsubishi Estate Group are subject to regulation by laws and ordinances related to water pollution. At facilities that are subject to the regulations, the Group has installed wastewater treatment facilities, and wastewater is treated to meet standards before being released into sewers and public waterways such as rivers and the sea.
Preventing Soil Pollution Around Condominiums
Preventing Soil Pollution Around Condominiums
Mitsubishi Estate Residence conducts soil pollution studies prior to acquiring property for development, and we enact soil pollution prevention measures and remedies as needed.
The employee in charge uses a property acquisition checklist to review the property, and a further review of that information is carried out by a dedicated surveying company. The acquisition of property comes with the obligation to attach and submit the dedicated surveying company's survey report, and after making an acquisition decision, we are obligated to have a dedicated surveying company conduct a detailed survey (history survey) regardless of whether there is any danger posed by pollution. For the land sales contract, we clarify the duties and responsibilities of the land's seller with regard to pollution, and we implement whatever measures are necessary.
Assisting Customers During Condominium Site Acquisition
