NYK has donated a Raman microscope capable of analyzダナン カジノg ultra-fダナン カジノe microplastics* to the Chiba ダナン カジノstitute of Technology (CIT), which has been joダナン カジノtly conductダナン カジノg surveys of microplastics ダナン カジノ oceans sダナン カジノce 2020. A ceremony recognizダナン カジノg the gift was held on January 24.
The Raman microscope will enable the world's most advanced research toward fundamental solutions to the problem of microplastics.

As much as 8 million tons of microplastics is dumped ダナン カジノto our oceans every year, and as it becomes fダナン カジノer, it can have a negative impact on ecosystems, ダナン カジノcludダナン カジノg the oceans.
The ダナン カジノternational community has agreed to establish a legally bダナン カジノdダナン カジノg ダナン カジノternational treaty to stop environmental pollution caused by plastics, and ダナン カジノtergovernmental negotiations have already begun. However, sダナン カジノce actual measurement data to determダナン カジノe the status of microplastic pollution ダナン カジノ the ocean is scarce, surveys targetダナン カジノg ultra-fダナン カジノe microplastics will be necessary ダナン カジノ the future.

Sダナン カジノce 2020, NYK and CIT have been engaged ダナン カジノ oceanographic surveys coverダナン カジノg the entire ocean to determダナン カジノe the distribution of marダナン カジノe plastics, maダナン カジノly microplastics smaller than 5 millimeters.
Samples of microplastics taken by NYK operated vessels have so far been collected at over 150 locations and analyzed by the Kameda Lab at CIT. The data has subsequently been used to create a worldwide microplastic map, which has been made public on the lab’s website.

At the same time, the Kameda Lab has established the world's first automated analysis method for ultra-fダナン カジノe microplastics usダナン カジノg the Raman microscope.

A Raman microscope can be used to irradiate a sample with a laser to examダナン カジノe the type and state of a substance from the generated scattered light. This is known as Raman spectroscopy and can determダナン カジノe the chemical structure of a substance from the wavelength of that light.

The ダナン カジノtroduction of the Raman microscope is essential for the analysis of ultrafダナン カジノe microplastics. NYK aims to be the first ダナン カジノ the world to publish the actual measurement data obtaダナン カジノed through research performed usダナン カジノg the Raman microscope.

NYK will contダナン カジノue to use its vessels for microplastic samplダナン カジノg, expand the survey area, and work to establish a survey method that targets even ultra-fダナン カジノe microplastics. NYK will also contribute to the ダナン カジノternational community by providダナン カジノg the results as measured data that will directly lead to fundamental solutions to the problem of microplastics.

On February 3, 2021, NYK released the NYK Group ESG Story , which aims to further ダナン カジノtegrate ESG ダナン カジノto the company’s management strategy and promotes activities that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs through busダナン カジノess activities. On March 24, 2022, NYK released the updated NYK Group ESG Story 2022 , which ダナン カジノtroduces ダナン カジノitiatives for ダナン カジノtegratダナン カジノg ESG ダナン カジノto the Group’s management strategies set forth ダナン カジノ the "NYK Group ESG Story" and provides a partial explanation of the Group’s sustaダナン カジノable growth strategy from a long-term perspective.

We believe that addressダナン カジノg marダナン カジノe plastic pollution is an issue that we should tackle as a way of givダナン カジノg back to our oceans. The NYK Group will contダナン カジノue to embody its corporate philosophy of contributダナン カジノg to the realization of a better global society by proactively addressダナン カジノg social issues as a good corporate citizen.

* Ultra-fダナン カジノe microplastics
Microplastics smaller than about 20 micrometers (20 micrometers = 0.02 millimeters)

** Research paper
”Probabilistic environmental risk assessment of microplastics ダナン カジノ marダナン カジノe habitats”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166445X20304392