Environment

Biodiversity Conservation

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Policy

Policy on natural capital

NOF’s initiatives to protect natural capital

The NOF Group places great importance on actively protecting and restoring natural capital. To this end, we have formulated the following policies.
　

  • In order to minimize the impact of our business activities on natural capital, we conduct environmental impact assessments, identify risks, and implement countermeasures.
  • We require our employees to comply with international guidelines, laws, and regulations related to natural capital conservation and to engage in environmental conservation.
  • We require our employees to comply with international guidelines, laws, and regulations related to natural capital and to work for environmental conservation.
  • We provide educational programs to raise environmental awareness and educate employees and relevant stakeholders on the importance of natural capital conservation.
  • We cooperate with local communities and participate in local ecosystem conservation activities and various projects to restore natural capital.
    　

Through these initiatives, we will contribute to safeguarding natural capital and help realize a more sustainable future.

Biodiversity Conservation

Progress and results for biodiversity conservation

In addition to “forest planting” through roadside greening and forest creation by thinning and pruning forests owned by the NOF Group, we are implementing plans that contribute to biodiversity at sites across Japan through activities such as protection efforts mainly targeting endangered species, removal of invasive plants, and donation activities.

A map showing the areas around Japan illustrates the specific initiatives undertaken in each location: Bibai (protection of Asian skunk cabbage colonies); Shirakawa (forest maintenance); Kawagoe, Kawasaki, Kansai, Aichi, and Indonesia (installation of solar panels); Kawasaki (purchasing electricity with non-fossil fuel certificates, food loss reduction, modal shifts, joint delivery, participation in the

　

　

Tree planting at Yufuin NOF forest

At our Oita Works, as part of our biodiversity conservation initiatives, we endorsed Oita Prefecture’s “Forest Creation with Corporate Participation” program and carried out tree-planting activities in the forests of Yufu City. This initiative involves concluding agreements with landowners and forest cooperatives through mediation by Oita Prefecture, conducting tree planting and thinning, and thereby conserving forest environments and watershed areas.

The site is a former cedar logging area at the foot of Mt. Yufu, also known as the “Mt. Fuji of Bungo.” Approximately 2.8 hectares have been named “Yufuin NOF Forest,” where 2,000 broadleaf trees, including sawtooth oaks, are being planted. On March 15, 2025, under the guidance of forest cooperative members, NOF employees and their families held a tree-planting ceremony in which they planted 200 saplings, equivalent to one-tenth of the total plan. Guests from other companies in the local industrial complex also attended the event, generating a ripple effect right from the start.

Yufuin NOF Forest is expected to absorb about 160 tons of CO₂ over five years as the saplings grow. It is also expected to function as a watershed conservation area for the Oita River, which is the main water source for Oita citizens. We will help realize a sustainable future through contributions to the forestry cycle of cutting, using, and planting trees.

This is a group photo taken at
This is a view from behind of several people wearing raincoats planting trees.
Participation in “Amagasaki Forest Central Green Space Forest Planting” Volunteer Activities
(Since 2017)

In FY2025, 25 employees from the Amagasaki Plant continued to participate in the “Amagasaki Forest Central Green Space Forest Planting,” one of the initiatives under the “Amagasaki 21st Century Forest Project” promoted by Hyogo Prefecture. This year, activities focused on thinning and pruning to keep the forest healthy and organizing felled timber. Through these forest creation activities, we will continue contributing to environmental improvement in the waterfront area and the conservation of biodiversity.

This is a group photo of 12 people taken in a forest; they are wearing work clothes and hard hats. Four wooden structures are visible in the foreground, and the four people in the front row are posing to highlight them.
This is a photograph of two people wearing work clothes processing a wooden structure outdoors.
Participation in the Forest Restoration Partner System under the Kanagawa Forest Restoration 50-Year Project

The Kanagawa Forest Restoration 50-Year Project is an initiative to revitalize forests measuring about 95,000 hectares, or about 40% of the prefecture's land, from the prefecture’s Mount Oyama and Hakone mountains to forest land in satoyama areas and urban areas. The objective is to prevent the devastation and erosion caused by lack of care and to pass on the rich blessings of the forests to the next generation. NOF METAL COATINGS ASIA PACIFIC CO., LTD. started to support forest maintenance on an area of about 12 hectares (equivalent to about two Tokyo Domes). The forest areas will absorb about 247 tons of CO₂ over five years. Moreover, the decision has been made to name a portion of the forest designated by the prefecture as “NOF METAL COATINGS Forest.” Going forward, as a partner company, we will conduct events for forest maintenance, nature observation, and more. The forest will be used as a place to promote health and deepen friendship with employees and their families, thereby contributing to the protection of natural capital and environmental preservation.

Two round log posts support a wooden board that serves as a sign, bearing the inscription
A certificate of CO2 absorption is displayed.
Forestation activities

NOF (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (NSC) actively participates every year in volunteer and environmental protection activities in Shanghai to instill the importance of corporate social responsibility among employees and make tangible contributions to local communities. In March 2026, with an introduction from Shanghai Dingpan Tourism Culture Development Co., Ltd., which promotes the development of tourism culture, all employees carried out a tree-planting activity at Shanghai Bay National Forest Park to help protect the coastal environment near Shanghai.

This is a photo of several people planting trees outdoors.
This is a photograph of a group of just under 30 people dressed in work clothes, gathered outdoors amidst the trees. Many of them are holding stakes used for planting trees.
Mangrove Planting Program

In November 2025, PT. NOF MAS CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES (NMC) planted more than 26,000 mangrove trees under a joint CSR program involving the industrial park management office, tenant companies, and the local community. This activity not only contributes to controlling coastal erosion and enhancing biodiversity through ecosystem restoration but also supports farmers and promotes local economic development. Through close collaboration with diverse stakeholders across boundaries, we will continue taking on global environmental goals and co-creating a sustainable future in which society and nature coexist in harmony.

This is a photograph of about 30 people planting trees in a brackish water area, standing in water that reaches about chest height.
Forest Maintenance and Expansion of the Habitat of Daylily

At the Shirakawa Plant of Nippon Koki Co., Ltd., forest maintenance through thinning has been carried out continuously, and an area of 3.0 hectares was maintained in FY2025. For this maintenance, a notification concerning logging domestic trees was submitted to Nishigo Village in Nishishirakawa District, the relevant authority, and the village issued a “Notice of Compliance with the Logging and Post-Logging Reforestation Plan.” This plant plans to continue such small-scale forest maintenance in the future.

The plant is also promoting efforts to expand the habitat of daylily, which grows naturally on the premises. This fiscal year, maintenance of the access path to the natural habitat was completed. Over the next several years, viewing facilities, including boardwalks, are scheduled to be installed.

This is a forest that has been cleared to let the sunlight in.
This is the notification of conformity.

Notice of Compliance with the Logging and
Post-Logging Reforestation Plan

Activities to protect Japanese swamp lantern clusters

The Japanese swamp lantern, which is known in Japan from the children’s song “A Memory from Summer,” is an alpine plant that grows near water. On the grounds of Nippon Koki’s Bibai Plant (Bibai City, Hokkaido Prefecture), which covers a vast area of about 43 hectares, or 9.2 times the size of the Tokyo Dome, there are clusters of Japanese swamp lanterns in a wetland where sunlight filters through the trees. Surrounded by Japanese white birch and other trees and water, this rich ecosystem is carefully protected with the continuous observation of employees.

Clusters of Asian skunk cabbage grow densely in the marsh, bearing white flower buds.
Use of FSC-certified paper

FSC certification is an international system that certifies “responsible forest management” for the purpose of sustainable forest utilization and conservation. The NOF Group uses FSC-certified paper for its Integrated Report, Notice of General Meeting of Shareholders, company profile, and in-house newsletters, and cooperates in activities to protect forests.

This is the cover of NOF Corporation’s Integrated Report 2026. The right half of the landscape A4 format features a large illustration of a single tree bearing various types of fruit, rendered in a playful and heartwarming style. The title
Use of Thinned Wood

Trees felled through thinning are often left in the forest due to profitability issues. In recent years, however, the use of thinned wood has been promoted to make effective use of resources and reduce the risk of the wood being washed away by typhoons and mudslides. The NOF Group uses paper made from thinned wood for flyers announcing the publication of its integrated report.

This is an image of a flyer announcing the publication of the NOF Group's integrated report. The front side features an image of the integrated report cover and an overview, while the back side includes the table of contents and key points.
Weeding of specified invasive non-native plants

The perennial plant “lanceleaf tickseed,” a member of the Asteraceae family native to North America, was introduced from overseas as an ornamental and greening plant. However, in 2006 it was designated as a “Designated Invasive Alien Species” under the Act on the Prevention of Adverse Ecological Impacts Caused by Designated Invasive Alien Species because of its strong reproductive capacity and potential to seriously impact the ecosystem in Japan. Cultivation, transport, sale, and release into the wild are prohibited. Local governments throughout Japan are calling for extermination of this plant through their websites and other means. At NOF’s Aichi Works, lanceleaf tickseed grows in various parts of the grounds, and has increased dramatically in recent years. Therefore, the entire plant is conducting extermination activities.

We eradicated the masses of yellow *Coreopsis lanceolata* flowers blooming in the field, leaving behind a patch of green grass.
CSR-based Procurement

Since fiscal 2010, we have designated promotion of biodiversity initiatives as one of our Responsible Care (RC) activities. From October 2012, NOF joined the Round-table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO*) under the “Palm Oil Processors and Traders” category to contribute to the healthy development of the palm oil industry. Since 2014, the NOF Group has participated in the Japan Business and Biodiversity Partnership, which promotes initiatives for biodiversity by business operators. NOF currently endorses the Declaration of Biodiversity and Action Policy by Keidanren (2018 revised edition). Furthermore, in April 2019, NOF became a founding member of the Japan Sustainable Palm Oil Network (JaSPON), which comprises 18 companies and organizations including manufacturers, retailers, and non-governmental organizations, and also engages in activities to encourage the entire industry to procure and use RSPO certified palm oil.

　

Acronym for Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. The RSPO was established in 2004 with an eye to promoting sustainable production and profitability of palm oil through the formulation of globally credible authentication standards and participation of stakeholders. The RSPO is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
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