Quality Control and Quality Assurance

We work to ensure product quality and safety in every stage of the value chain, from R&D through manufacturing, sales, logistics, use, and final consumption to disposal and recycling, based on our basic policy for Responsible Care. To fortify supervision and control functions, we have consolidated the quality assurance function into the Environment Safety & Quality Assurance Department. Product quality is handled by two departments, the Environment Safety & Quality Assurance Department, which handles quality assurance, and the Production Division, which handles quality control. We carefully deliberate with Nichino Service, the Group’s manufacturing company, to manage quality with a focus on their maintenance and improvement. In our production process for technical grade ingredients,^*1 we practice quality management that applies GMP management methods (production management and quality management standards for pharmaceuticals).
 
The Environment Safety & Quality Assurance Department conducts audits on contract manufacturers outside the Group from an independent standpoint. We conduct risk management for product liability (PL^*2) to prevent issues. In addition, we visualize the status of responses to complaints received in relation to our products with an internal database to promote a rapid and accurate response. We will thoroughly implement the PDCA cycle based on past complaints and problems, and enhance our quality control and quality assurance systems to enable efficient development, design, and manufacturing that meet our quality and safety standards.
 
*1 Active ingredients of agrochemicals
*2 Product Liability

Appropriate Management of Chemical Substances

The Group creates Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for agrochemicals, non-agrochemical products, and samples for testing and research to ensure the safe handling of chemical substances and prevent injuries and accidents. We also provide information on agrochemical products on Nihon Nohyaku’s corporate website. With frequent revisions to the Industrial Safety and Health Act, we are focusing on preparing and updating SDSs for each item to comply with the latest laws and regulations. At business sites where chemical substances are handled, we have appointed chemical substance managers and protective equipment managers in accordance with other legal requirements to conduct risk assessments. We have built an SDS library on the company intranet to allow the Group’s plants and offices to access SDSs as needed — including those for raw materials and products.
 

• Click here for SDS (in Japanese)

Promoting Stewardship through the Product Life Cycle

The Group focuses on safety management throughout the product life cycle, from research to manufacturing, use, and disposal, and provides appropriate information. Particularly during the research and development stage, we conduct voluntary audits based on our own internal regulations, and continuously engage in initiatives to ensure product safety, also known as “Product Stewardship.” In addition, we have set up a phone number and a contact form on our website as points of contact for inquiries and consultation regarding our various products and agrochemicals in general. We provide the Japan Poison Information Center with SDSs of our products to support inquiries from medical institutions and other relevant parties in case of any poisoning incidents involving our products. In FY2024, the center received 11 inquiries related to our products, none of which involved poisoning accidents that required reporting under the Consumer Product Safety Act.