Home > Company Profile > 2017 Kumon's Environmental Activities > Kumon's Environmental Activities that Spread throughout the World

Kumon's Environmental Activities that
Spread throughout the World

Activities in Japan

KIE and other Group companies in Japan (Kumon LIL, Kumon Publishing, KTRIE, and GC&T) have been promoting environmental management activities through the Environmental Committee in Japan.

The environmental data of the Group’s companies in Japan show favorable results for FY2017. Compared with the previous year, electricity use was 93.9%, paper usage was 91.8%, and paper recycling was 106.9%.

In FY2017, some air-conditioning machines in the Gobancho Grand Building,* in Ichigaya, were refurbished and lighting was replaced with LED on all floors. As a result, the electricity bill for June was reduced by about 33%, compared with the same month of the previous year. We will gradually replace the rest of machines.
(*The Tokyo Head Office used to be in that building, which is currently leased to others)

In addition, Kumon Chiba DC, which has a distribution warehouse that deals with all products by Kumon Publishing, replaced its lighting with LED in all areas. As a result, the electricity use for all of Chiba DC from July to September was reduced by about 14%, compared with the same period of the previous year.

Furthermore, at Kumon Kyoiku Kaikan (Osaka Head Office), we installed automatic doors to save energy. The building has an atrium between the first and second floors, and outside air comes in through an exhaust opening in the floor, which makes it hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. To improve this situation, we installed an automatic door at the entrance to the second floor. This stopped the air flow and improved the efficiency of the air conditioning while creating a more pleasant office space. In addition, we replaced the lighting in front of the elevator hall with LED on all floors, achieving a bright and energy-saving environment.

Environmental Data in Japan

Electricity usage
 and CO2 emissions Paper usage and Paper recycling

Activities by KNA

Kumon Service North America (KSNA) is located close to Cincinnati, Ohio and manages a warehouse of 6,735 square meters and printing facility. Nearly 100 staff members produce Kumon worksheets and deliver them to Centers throughout the US and to Kumon warehouses in Canada, Mexico, Asia, and Europe. In 2016, more than 80 million worksheets were produced there.

In order to minimize waste and use resources to the maximum, KSNA set it as an important goal to continuously increase recycling and reduce the use of paper and electricity.

KSNA's use of electricity accounts for about half of all use by the KNA. Therefore, we discussed how we can improve operational efficiency of the warehouse’s lighting system, which had been in use for 15 years.

For the new fluorescent lighting system, we used bulbs that last more than three times longer than usual ones. That enabled us to reduce electricity use by 1,381 kWh per month at a maximum and save several hundred dollars in utility charges. Also, work outcomes have been improved by the higher quality lighting, making the environment even brighter for our staff.

Activities by KSA

At KSA, we refurbished the headquarters building’s air conditioning in 2017 with a system that needs no water. By doing this, we became able to save about 80,000 liters of water per month, but we further started with a new challenge.

When using air conditioning, moisture in the air is condensed while warm air is cooled down, and water is accumulated in the system. In order to reuse this water, we added some improvement.

The water discharged from the air conditioner is kept in a tank and colored, to avoid accidental consumption. We implemented a system to use this colored water in the toilets on the first floor.

Based on last year’s water volume, we can expect to discharge about 500 liters per month in the summertime and about 200 liters in the winter, which enables us to use less tap water.

Activities by KAO

At Kumon Indonesia, we implemented the following three activities to reduce electricity and paper use.

1.Implementation of LED lighting

Since 2015, we have been replacing our lighting with LED. As the budget allows, 40 to 50 lights are replaced each month. With these replacements, we can reduce our electricity use and save on our monthly electricity bills.

2.Notices on saving paper and tissues

To reduce the use of paper and tissues, we placed conservation notices close to all printers and in the washrooms. By doing this, we encourage our staff to think about saving paper before using it.

3. Notices on saving electricity

To reduce our electricity use, we put notices near thermostats and light switches. This encourages the staff to turn off the air conditioning and lights when no one is in a room.

In addition to the above, we aim to have a clean and comfortable office environment by planting plants and flowers around the office building and placing some plants in the offices. To improve environmental conditions, we need cooperation from everyone involved. We are trying to spread a consciousness to care for the environment among all staff members.

  • Kumon Asia and Oceania (KAO)
  • English

Activities by KCN

At Kumon China, we continued in 2017 to promote resource reduction, reuse, and recycling in each office and work for the enhancement of our environmental consciousness.

In cooperation with local recycling stations, Kumon Beijing recycles all cartons, magazines, and used papers, except confidential documents. Staff effectively use all paper with double-side printing. Electricity consumption has still increased slightly, but the awareness of energy saving has been enhanced.

Kumon Shanghai sets goals and rules to reduce energy use. First, for PCs, monitors, printers, water machines, and shredders, we use standby mode or turn them off when they are not in use to save energy. Second, we implement energy-saving products or facilities, while staff avoid disposable stationary and try to reduce all kinds of waste. Third, as the room temperature in the office greatly affects energy use, we set the temperature for air conditioning at 27–28℃ and try to reduce the frequency of its use. By using curtains to lower room temperatures, we save costs and energy use in the summer time.

At the Shanghai warehouse of Kumon Beijing Trading Company (KBT), we save energy by turning off lights on sunny days and using natural light instead.

Activities by KEA

KEA relocated its headquarters office from North London to West London. When selecting the new office building, we chose a highly effective building that remains sensitive to the environment and which has a high score on the sustainability index. During the relocation, we organized and recycled a large volume of documents, which increased the amount of our recycling.

In offices and meeting rooms, energy saving is realized by implementing energy-efficient LED lighting, sensors, and daylight dimmable lighting. For kitchens, we no longer purchase supplemental coolers or drink bottles. We installed warm water and cold water filters. In addition, we have reduced waste by, for example, donating our old furniture from the former office to charities for reuse. We also reduced the burden on staff members, because our new office is located within easy reach of public transportation.

Encouraging double-sided printing, limiting the use of color copies, and expanding the use of electronic documents are included in such activities that the whole KEA has been actively working on. We also recycle plastic and glass, while trying to reduce the use of plastics and disposable paper cups.

Promotion of environmental conservation and preservation of
forest resources together with outside partners