Circle K Sunkus has established and operates an ISO 14001 environmental management system to reduce its environmental impact and engage in environmentally beneficial activities. To facilitate our environmental management, we have put in place a structure in which all employees take responsibility for performing environmental activities. We have also organized working groups whose members are drawn from various divisions across the company to discuss and implement the best forms of activities such as promoting the use of original reusable shopping bags, reducing CO2 emissions, and implementing emissions rights trading.
The Environmental Committee mainly consists of senior management and is chaired by the president of Circle K Sunkus. Regular meetings are held twice a year, with extraordinary sessions held as necessary. At meetings, senior management not only reviews the environmental management system, but also reports on, proposes and discusses various issues that arise in the course of fulfilling the social responsibilities of convenience stores.
For the purpose of effectively implementing its environmental management system, Circle K Sunkus has organized Head Office into 13 units, regional offices into 42 units and area franchisers into 13 units. Every unit establishes goals as part of an environmental management program, and conducts environmental activities accordingly. Internal environmental audits of each unit are performed twice a year using theme-based checklists to confirm that the unit's program is being properly implemented.
Circle K Sunkus divides environmental auditors into two categories to bolster its auditing system. The first category comprises auditors responsible for auditing Head Office, regional offices and area franchisers, while the second category comprises auditors responsible for auditing stores. This structure allows the Company to perform more detailed checks. Circle K Sunkus provides training programs to internal environmental auditors in both categories so that they can fulfill their role as promoters of environmental initiatives within the organization.
Every year, JIC Quality Assurance Ltd. performs a regular independent ISO 14001 evaluation of Circle K Sunkus to determine whether the environmental management system is being continuously implemented.
Understanding how convenience stores impact the environment, and how their activities could be made environmentally beneficial, is fundamental to environmental stewardship. That is why Circle K Sunkus provides environmental training grounded on day-to-day operations to employees and franchised storeowners, with an emphasis on encouraging them to "take notice" of environmental issues.