71ーKurita's Soil Pollution Remediation Project - June 2000

71ーKurita's Soil Pollution Remediation Project - June 2000

Kurita's soil pollution remediation project stands out as an innovative and rare initiative compared to other environmental businesses.

1. Integrated System of Remediation and Resale
Typically, the remediation of contaminated land is handled by the landowners or municipalities, and once the remediation is complete, the land is reused. However, Kurita formed a consortium of companies to streamline this process. Kurita remediates the polluted land and then resells the cleaned land as part of their business model. This approach of integrating remediation and resale was very rare at the time.

2. Promoting Reuse of Contaminated Land
Contaminated land often remains neglected because of the high cost of remediation, and landowners hesitate to undertake the remediation. Kurita's initiative eases the burden on landowners by taking over the remediation, enabling more effective use of land that would otherwise be abandoned, particularly in urban and industrial areas.

3. Establishing a Consortium
To advance this project, Kurita collaborated with multiple companies and formed a consortium. This consortium provides not only remediation technology but also land sales, investment management, and more. Through this cooperation among companies, the consortium is able to tackle large-scale environmental issues that would typically be difficult to solve.

4. Balancing Economic Benefits and Environmental Protection
Remediation is usually expensive, and in many cases, land remains unremediated because of the high costs. Kurita's business model, which generates economic benefits by selling remediated land, addresses this issue. This allows for the remediation to be viewed as an investment, achieving both environmental protection and economic returns, which is a unique feature of this project.

In conclusion, Kurita's soil pollution remediation project stands out in the environmental business sector for its integration of remediation and resale, its collaborative consortium approach, and its balance of economic and environmental goals.