The Voice of the Waste Industry Spinning Dreams-September 1995

The Voice of the Waste Industry Spinning Dreams-September 1995
In 1995, Japan was reeling from the recession that followed the bursting of the bubble economy, while the sewerage system penetration rate exceeded 50% and environmental regulations were being tightened. The waste management industry was beginning to reposition itself from a behind-the-scenes player to an "environmental industry," and the spread of recycling and sorting was changing social consciousness. Takateru Shiroki, General Manager of Nikken Sogyo's Development Business Department, looks back on the company's history, starting with the disposal of human waste and expanding its business through the development of U.S. military facilities, the Self Defense Forces, and urban sewage systems. He said, "It is a stable industry with steady demand, but it is not enough to just do the job. It is essential to raise the level of the company as a whole," he said, emphasizing the shift from a contracting business to an industry that bears a social mission. Under the slogan of "a com
pany where employees can have dreams," the company holds meetings for young employees to exchange opinions and holds training sessions with outside lecturers. The company also demonstrated its commitment to recruiting motivated people and hiring Japanese-Brazilians to ensure a stable on-site workforce in the midst of the recession. These efforts were a progressive attempt to combine employee education with social responsibility, and demonstrated the company's will to enhance waste treatment as an industry of the future. Shiroki's words eloquently illustrate the atmosphere of the mid-1990s, when the environmental business was beginning to shift from "stability" to "growth.