Biodiversity conservation
Establishing biodiversity action guidelines and considering coexistence with nature
Our company established the "Biodiversity Action Guidelines" in 2017. We are committed to avoiding or minimizing our impact on biodiversity in all our business activities, aiming to maintain ecosystems along our railway lines and realize the sustainable use of natural resources.
Biodiversity Action Guidelines
Based on the NANKAI Group's Environmental Basic Policy, we have established the following guidelines to respect biodiversity and proactively engage in its protection and cultivation.
We position biodiversity conservation as a priority environmental issue and take action towards achieving coexistence with nature and a sustainable society.
We comply with all applicable laws and regulations to avoid or reduce our impact on biodiversity in all our business activities.
We will consider the impact of resource use on biodiversity, promote initiatives toward realizing a circular economy such as green procurement and 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) activities, and strive to reduce our environmental burden.
We value dialogue and collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including local communities and customers, and strive to conserve biodiversity.
Revised April 1, 2026
Contributing to building a society that fosters biodiversity
We opened Namba Parks in 2003 and has been working to coexist with nature, including by installing a rooftop garden called Parks Garden. We have also been continuously working for many years to conserve biodiversity in areas along its railway lines.
In recent years, we endorsed the "Osaka Biodiversity Support Declaration" in May 2003 and the "Keidanren Biodiversity Declaration Initiative" in July of the same year. Furthermore, in June 2024, we will participate in the "TNFD Forum" and the "30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity" to strengthen our efforts to conserve biodiversity.
Through these activities, we aim to contribute to the conservation of the natural environment and the revitalization of local communities, and to pass on a rich natural environment to future generations.
Green Procurement Promotion (Green Procurement Guidelines)
We recognize our responsibility to promote sustainable procurement in order to realize a sustainable society, and we believe that this should be addressed throughout the entire supply chain as the NANKAI Group.
Initially, we started our green procurement efforts by prioritizing the purchase of everyday items such as equipment, choosing products with the lowest possible environmental impact. Since 2009, we have been setting annual targets and working towards them. In 2019, we also formulated the "Green Procurement Guidelines," which define the essential and desirable aspects of green procurement for our business partners.
As part of this initiative, we are informing our business partners about these guidelines and our environmental supply chain initiatives, and we are seeking their cooperation.
NANKAI Co., Ltd.
Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Green Procurement Guidelines
1. Purpose
NANKAI and Nankai (hereinafter referred to as "the Company") have established an environmental basic policy and are actively working to reduce their environmental impact and protect the environment. As part of these efforts, we have now established the "Green Procurement Guidelines."
This guideline outlines the essential requirements and efforts for green procurement by our suppliers, and aims to promote procurement that takes environmental impact into consideration, in cooperation with our business partners.
2. Scope of Application
These guidelines apply to the materials and products (hereinafter referred to as "materials") procured by our company.
3. Guidelines
We ask our business partners to understand our "Basic Environmental Policy" and "Biodiversity Action Guidelines" and cooperate with our initiatives.
[Required information for business partners]
We will comply with all laws and regulations related to the environment and pollution prevention.
Materials to be delivered shall not contain chemical substances prohibited by law.
We will try to avoid using chemical substances restricted by law as much as possible in the materials we deliver.
If the materials to be delivered contain substances whose emissions must be tracked by law, we will provide an SDS (Safety Data Sheet).
[Efforts for business partners]
Environmental management system
Establish an environmental management system.
Resource and energy conservation and water conservation
We aim to make materials more energy-efficient, smaller and lighter, and reduce water usage.
Packaging and packaging
We will work to minimize the amount of packaging and packing materials used and adopt reusable structures.
Resource use and waste reduction
We work to design products that are easy to maintain and can be used for a long time.
We will use materials that are easy to recycle and work to adopt structures that are easily disassembled.
Information Disclosure
If we request information on recycling and disposal methods for materials, we will disclose as much information as possible.
【others】
These guidelines will be revised as necessary in response to changes in social conditions, technological advances, amendments to laws and regulations, etc.
Revised April 1, 2026
Supply chain risk assessment and response to issues
In fiscal years 2020-2021, with the aim of understanding our business partners' environmental initiatives and maintaining continuous communication, we conducted a survey of 100 of our approximately 440 business partners that supply us with railway equipment and materials. Of these, about 25% lacked an environmental policy or had not yet decided on a responsible or supervising department, so we urged them to make improvements.
In fiscal year 2022, we integrated our efforts into the newly established "Materials Procurement Policy."
The "NANKAI Group Procurement Policy" and the supply chain risk assessment and response to challenges can be found here.
Status of in-house training etc.
Our company conducts training for purchasing personnel, generally once a year, providing education on fundamental knowledge, including key items of the NANKAI Group's materials procurement policy.
Furthermore, as part of our participation in sustainability initiatives, we endorsed the "Partnership Building Declaration" promoted by the government and economic organizations, and published it in April 2022. We aim to build new partnerships by promoting collaboration and mutual prosperity with our supply chain partners.
"Parks Garden" contributes to urban biodiversity
Namba Parks is a commercial complex with 10 floors above ground and 4 floors below ground, developed in 2003 on the site of the former Osaka Baseball Stadium. On the terraced rooftop (11,500 m2), the Parks Garden has been installed, with approximately 100,000 plants of approximately 500 species, including Trees such as dogwood and Wild cherry blossoms, and vibrant flowers such as Lavender and Rosemary, creating a forest-like landscape. A wide variety of birds and insects can be seen there, making it a rare place Osaka City that contributes to biodiversity.
In March 2020, part of the garden was renovated to include a wooden deck space, allowing visitors to experience the richness of biodiversity even in the heart of the city.
In 2020, we received the Flower Town Development Encouragement Award at the 30th National Flower Town Development Competition, sponsored by the Flower Town Development Competition Promotion Council.
In fiscal 2021, Parks Garden was featured in the Ministry of the Environment's "Collection of Case Studies of Collaboration between Developers and Local Communities: Achieving SDGs through Development Projects" as an example of "Creating New Vibrancy through Greenery."
In the Nikkei Plus 1 special feature published on June 4, 2022, the rooftop garden was ranked first in the "Enjoy a different world of greenery at a rooftop garden" ranking. It was selected as number one by seven out of 12 experts, receiving praise such as "a masterpiece of a rooftop park that Osaka can be proud of around the world."
A biological survey conducted with Obayashi Corporation from 2022 to 2023 confirmed that a diverse range of organisms live here, including the breeding of Sparrows, whose populations are feared to be declining nationwide.
For more information on "Parks Garden," click here
https://nambaparks.com.e.uq.hp.transer.com/garden#garden-awards
Conclusion of the Green Partnership Agreement and the Osaka Biodiversity Partnership Agreement and their activities
In 2009, our company and Osaka Prefecture concluded a Green Partnership Agreement covering the entire railway line, aiming to promote the conservation of rich greenery and natural environments. Since then, we have been promoting environmental conservation activities such as creating biotopes in Kyosei-no-Mori (Sakai City) and Tanagawa area (Misaki Town,Sennan District).
Furthermore, in March 2014, we signed the Osaka Biodiversity Partnership Agreement with Osaka Prefecture, Misaki Town, and the Osaka Prefectural Research Institute of Environment, Agriculture, and Fisheries.
Coexistence Forest
Osaka Prefecture has designated 100 hectares of Sakai District 7-3 (approximately 280 hectares), an industrial waste final disposal site in Sakai City waterfront area, as a "Symbiosis Forest" and is currently developing the area. Since fiscal 2008, we have been utilizing our shareholder benefit program to make ongoing donations to Osaka Prefecture's "Green Fund," and employees have been volunteering to plant trees and contribute to forest development. To date, we have planted approximately 20,000 trees, expanding the forest to an area of 64,900 square meters. In recognition of these efforts, we were issued the first "Certificate of Support for Nature-Coexistence Sites (Trial Version)" by the Ministry of the Environment in March 2025, and received the full-scale support certificate in November 2025.
Certificate of Support for Kyosei no Mori (PDF: 1,359 KB)
Tanagawa Biotope
Within "Ikiki Park Misaki," operated by Osaka Prefecture and other organizations, there is Tanagawa Biotope*, which aims to restore a rich natural space, and once a month employees from Osaka Prefecture, Misaki town, and our company carry out environmental conservation activities such as tending to the planted trees, managing the pond, and observing the wildlife. As shown in the photo, the area looked quite bleak in 2005, but subsequent maintenance activities have resulted in a lush green biotope in 2013.
Tanagawa Biotope: A biotope within Ikiiki Park Misaki, the former site of the Kansai International Airport Phase 2 Project soil quarry (a space where the original ecosystem of living creatures is maintained)
In September 2025, the site was certified as a nature-friendly site under the Act on Promotion of Regional Biodiversity. Our company is a joint applicant along with Osaka Prefecture, Misaki Town, and the Research Institute of Environment, Agriculture, and Fisheries, a local independent administrative institution in Osaka Prefecture.
