Introduction
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is one of the largest energy companies in the world. TEPCO was established “in 1951 as an electric power supplier to the metropolitan Tokyo area. Over the past half century, during which Japan went through large changes, such as the post-war high growth period, two major oil crises, and the collapse of the bubble economy, we have been steadily supplying our customers with electricity, which is essential to modern society,”[1] says TEPCO president Masataka Shimizu. Well known throughout Japan and around the world, TEPCO is a global powerhouse in the energy sector. More than just an electric company, TEPCO has become famous over the years for its corporate social reconcilability initiatives as well as its scandals.
CSR at TEPCO
Authors Charles Holliday, Stephen Schmidheiny, and Philip Watts wrote a book entitled Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development, in which they use TEPCO as a case study for corporate social responsibility. According to the authors, TEPCO sees global warming “as a pressing energy issue”.[2] As one of the largest energy companies in the world TEPCO is a large emitter of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Back in March 2001, TEPCO set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately “20% (from 1990 levels) to about 0.31 kg CO2 per kWh in 2010, using a host of different measures based on a diverse and complementary energy mix. 'We are making every effort to guarantee a stable supply of high-quality electricity, including the promotion of an optional mix of energy sources by balancing hydroelectric, thermal, and nuclear power, and also renewables as supplemental sources', says TEPCO President Nobuya Minami; 'Nuclear power, which does not emit CO2or pollutants during generation, plays an important role in countering such environmental issues as global warming.'”[3]
Making nuclear energy the centerpiece of TEPCO’s alternative energy solution helped TEPCO reduce CO2 emissions, according to TEPCO “The optimal use of its nuclear power has alone accounted for 92 million tonnes of the total 134 million tonnes of CO2 emissions cut during 2000.”[4]
Scandal and Ethics
While some may have celebrated TEPCO’s efforts in CSR and greenhouse gas emmissins in the early years of the new century, by September of 2002, the story had changed significantly. In an article posted on CNN.com in September 2, 2002, “The president, vice president and chairman of Japan's largest utility are quitting following a nuclear safety scandal, along with two advisers.”[5] The resignations followed the announcement that Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) admitted that it “may have failed to accurately report cracks at its nuclear reactors in the late 1980s and 1990s.”[6] The article goes on to detail that “TEPCO is suspected of falsifying 29 cases of safety repair records.”[7] While all nuclear facilities should be monitored, TEPCO’s nuclear reactor “is the world's largest, and will be shut down temporarily along with four others for urgent safety checks. Japan's nuclear power industry provides a third of the country's electrical power, and has been criticized for other accidents in recent years.”[8]
As negligence turned to willful deceit, the corporate social responsibility of TEPCO came more and more into question. By September 7th 2002 it had surfaced that division chiefs at TEPCO had knowingly “ordered the falsification of reports relating to structural problems at nuclear plants”[9] for years.
Conclusion
In September 2010, TEPCO announced that it had established its "2020 Vision: Medium to Long-term Growth Declaration."[11] The above graphics depict some of the goals that the 2020 vision has in the years to come. According to press release for 2020 Vision, we see many changes taking place in recent years. In addition to “changes in the social structure caused by the rapid aging of society due to a declining birthrate, decreasing population, and changes in the industrial structure, major changes are also occurring in relation to the energy and environment situation, as can be seen in the development of energy-saving technologies, the global warming issue, increasing energy consumption particularly in Asia.”[12] While there is little doubt that changes have indeed occurred in recent years, it is not clear if TEPCO has learned its lesson and has true ambitions for CSR and sustainability for the future. Only time will tell.
[1] http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/corpinfo/overview/p-glance-e.html, http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/corpinfo/overview/message-e.html [2] Holliday, Charles O. Jr., Stephen Schmidheiny, Philip Watts. Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development. UK: Greenleaf Publishing Limited, 2002. Print. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] http://edition.cnn.com/2002/BUSINESS/asia/09/02/japan.tepco/index.html [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] http://businessrespect.net/page.php?Story_ID=578 [10] http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/corpinfo/overview/vision2020/target/index-e.html [11] http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/10091301-e.html [12] http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/10091301-e.html
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