MITSUI O.S.K. GROUP EXPANDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PROGRAM

MITSUI O.S.K. GROUP EXPANDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PROGRAM    Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Japan’s container shipping, bulk shipping and logistics group, said that it has set up a group-wide organization to promote environmental protection.
   As part of the move, the Tokyo-based MOL group increased the staff of its environment committee’s secretariat, adding one land-based employee and one marine specialist on Nov. 1, 2000. The secretariat now has a staff of five under the direction of the technical division general manager.
   General managers of MOL’s corporate planning division, marine division, and technical division will also be involved in the work of the environmental secretariat, which is    chaired by Seiji Nakamura, vice president of the group.
   MOL also established a permanent, group-wide environmental organization this month (in January). Within MOL, general managers of divisions, offices and branches are responsible for environmental issues under their jurisdiction, supported by a team that will implement the company’s environmental policies, the company said.
   Major companies of the MOL group, about 40 in Japan and 30 overseas, have also appointed personnel to manage environmental protection activities.
   One goal of these programs is to build awareness of environmental protection throughout the MOL Group, from rank-and-file employees to top management, MOL said. The company is also working to more accurately assess the environmental impact of its various activities and adopt more environmentally friendly procedures, and to establish a system to keep track of its progress on environmental issues.