Grade summary

With just eight points, Tosoh ends up in the bottom ten of this year’s ChemScore as well. Even though 93 percent of the company’s chemical production is unknown to us since sales take place outside of Europe and the United States, we were still able to find four hazardous substances in its product portfolio. The company markets resource-efficient products but does not advertise on any independent third-party platform such as ChemSec’s Marketplace. Tosoh is one of only four companies failing to score a point for doing a sustainability screening of its product portfolio. And one of two companies to get zero points in category three. In Tosoh’s case, this has to do with a complete lack of transparency and that we couldn’t find any management policies — not even a “Supplier’s Code of Conduct”. However, since no controversies linked to the company can be found, Tosoh gets a perfect score in the last category.

How did we come to this score?

Opportunities for improvement

1. Increase transparency
   Only 7 percent of Tosoh’s production of hazardous chemicals is known to us. We have requested that the company disclose information about its chemicals management, but the company has not responded to that request. In order to be more transparent, Tosoh should disclose the full list of hazardous chemicals that it produces, including the volume of each of these chemicals as well as its percentage of the total revenue. It would also be wise to specify which chemicals are intended for end products and for intermediate use. Generally speaking, information about chemicals sold in EU and US markets is available through public records, which is not the case in other parts of the world. For that reason, Tosoh should make the details of its revenue generated outside of these regions public to ensure chemical transparency and allow for a comprehensive global evaluation.
2. Increase circularity
   The chemical industry finds itself at the beginning of the value chain. Therefore, it has a responsibility to act fast and ambitiously against the ever-growing scarcity of our planet’s resources. But Tosoh receives zero points for circularity, since we were unable to identify any circular products, processes or strategies in the company business. Nor did we see a decrease in hazardous waste or commenced/increased use of recycled hazard-free feedstock or biobased material. For these reasons, it is important that Tosoh starts with identifying its current production and use of circular products and processes, and then specifies how many percent of its total revenue comes from circular products. The company should also develop and present a strategy, which includes an activity plan, with clear indicators for how to expand the area of circular products and processes.
3. Market safer alternatives
   We did identify safer alternatives in Tosoh’s product portfolio, but these are not marketed on any independent third-party platform. Therefore, they are hard to find for downstream users looking to substitute hazardous chemicals. A good place to advertise is ChemSec’s Marketplace, where buyers and suppliers can find and market safer alternatives.

Category breakdown