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• CSR / Environmental Activities Top

In January 2004, Olympus obtained ISO14001 certification for the Olympus Corporation Environmental Management System, which governs environmental management of companies within the Olympus Group. It encompasses the environmental functions of environment-related committees, environmental management departments, the Corporate Planning Division, and the Risk Management Bureau. Through this system, policies determined by senior management are applied to the environmental activities of branches, groups, centers, and facilities in Japan and overseas. Management review processes have been strengthened through both internal audits and external third-party audits of environmental management activities, including those of the President, the Director in charge of environmental affairs, and other senior management personnel. A Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle ensures the effective operation of environmental management systems across the entire Olympus Group. In January 2006, a renewal audit was conducted by independent experts from outside of the Olympus Group.

By the end of FY2005, ISO14001 certification had been achieved at 17 development and manufacturing sites both in Japan and overseas. No additional sites were certified in FY2006. When the Omachi Branch and Sakaki Branch of Olympus Opto-Technologies Co., Ltd. were relocated to the Tatsuno Plant, certification of these facilities was merged, leaving a total of 15 certified sites as of the end of FY2006.

Olympus will continue working actively toward the development of comprehensive environmental management systems covering all of our operations, including distribution, marketing and sales, and services.

Substance detected	No. of above-limit points/ No. of points investigated	Maximum measurement (no. of times the upper limit)	Designated upper limit	Depth of maximum Value detection
Lead and its compounds	3/370	970 mg/kg (6.5 times)	150 mg/kg or under	0 to 0.5 m
Fluorine and its compounds	1/370	1.2 mg/l (1.5 times)	0.8 mg/l or under	0.8 mg/l or under 0 to 0.5 m

In FY2006, there were no Olympus' violation against any environment-related lawsuits, penalties, or fines as for environmental issues against Olympus. The coliform bacteria count in a septic tank at Aizu Olympus exceeded the legally mandated level, and appropriate steps were promptly taken to resolve this problem.

Paper, stationery, and office supplies
Olympus is promoting Green Purchasing: When an employee purchases OA (office automation) equipment, office supplies, lighting fixtures, and motor vehicles for business use, he/she should purchase environmentally-conscious products.

Regarding the purchasing of office supplies, the product information in our electronic purchasing system provides a mark to indicate which products fall under the category of Products with Eco-Mark, Products with Green Mark, Products listed in GPN Environmental Data Book, or Products conforming to the Green Purchasing Law and are therefore environmentally-conscious products.

Introducing Eco-cars
We are introducing Eco-cars (*1) for new company vehicles to curve global warming gas emissions. We will continue to purchase Eco-cars certified as low-emission vehicle with the triple stars (certification mark). In addition, our company encourages employees to do Eco-driving (*2) to reduce emission of global warming chemicals. We appeal to all drivers to avoid unnecessary idling by turning off their engines in the parking lots at all our offices and plants.

*1 Eco-cars: Olympus considers the following five categories of vehicles to be Eco-cars: certified low emission vehicles with higher than a rating, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and methanol vehicles.
*2 Eco-driving: Generally, Eco-driving means the continuous practice of "acceleration work," i.e., no unnecessary sudden stops, sudden acceleration, etc., while conscientiously avoiding all unnecessary idling, to reduce gas emissions. Eco-driving is considered an important environmental activity that contributes to improvements in fuel consumption, helps to prevent accidents, and reduces air pollution.

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