Efficient Use of Resources for Products

Toshiba Group’s 3R* Initiatives for Products

In order to create sound material-cycle society, there is a need to reduce the amount of resources extracted and discharged as waste throughout the product life cycle. Toshiba Group is promoting 3R initiatives for products aimed at reducing waste, improving outgoing recycling and increasing incoming recycling. We are also taking measures to promote design for 3Rs of product and service system and are implementing activities to reduce the environmental impact of our products throughout their life cycles.

We achieve waste reduction through various means, including reducing the amount of resources used to manufacture products (reducing weight and size) and extending product lives (including upgrades and maintenance).

Outgoing recycling refers to the collection and recycling of end-of-life products. By promoting designs for reusing and recycling materials, we improve outgoing recycling while simultaneously improving the system design for recycling end-of-life products further.

Incoming recycling refers to the application of recycled materials in products. We will work to improve our incoming recycling rate by increasing our use of recycled materials, plant-derived materials and reuse parts.

*

Reduce, reuse and recycle

Waste Reduction Initiatives

In FY2010, the total amount of resources used in Toshiba Group’s major products, estimated by multiplying the amount used for products and packaging materials by the number of shipments, was 776,000 tons. Based on comparisons with the previous product models and adjusting for the expected number of years of use, we also estimated to what extent resource consumption has been reduced for different products. Our comparisons show that despite increases in the use of resources in some product categories as a result of increases in size and functionality improvements, we have reduced the use of resources by 214,000 tons, equivalent to 27.5% of the total amount of resources actually used in FY2010. This result is largely due to reductions in the size and thickness of digital products, including LCD TVs, DVD players, notebook PCs and MFPs. We will continue to make efforts to reduce resource consumption for all of our products.

Amount of Resources Used by Toshiba Group and Reductions in Resource Consumption (FY2010)

* Calculated by comparison with the previous product models adjusting for the expected number of years of use

Outgoing Recycling Initiatives

To improve outgoing recycling, Toshiba Group promotes designs that facilitate reusing and recycling products. We provide Environmental Design Guides and Eco-material Selection Guides for our member companies and share information concerning the disassembling of various products. At the same time, we review areas for improvement with respect to designs for reuse and recycling by promoting technological exchanges between designers and recyclers.

It is also essential to develop systems for recycling end-of-life products. Although we have been promoting such recycling globally, there is an increasing need to develop new recycling technologies and advanced systems to manage rare metals. We will design such advanced recycling systems by considering how to strike a balance between environmental and economic performance.

• Global Recycling
• Recycling in Japan

Incoming Recycling Initiatives

Toshiba Group is promoting initiatives to recycled plastic waste generated by end-of-life products*. In FY2010, we extended our use of recycled plastics to new products (vacuum cleaners and office air conditioners) and also to new refrigerator parts. Consequently, we used a total of approximately 900 tons of recycled plastics in these and similar products, such as the base plates of washing machines, multifunctional peripherals (MFP), LCD TVs and notebook PCs. We also use plant-derived resins for some of the plastic parts in POSs, lighting devices and LCD TVs. We will continue to expand the uses of recycled materials, thereby improving the incoming recycling rate.

When upgrading office air conditioning systems (multi-purpose air conditioners, package air conditioners and customized air conditioners), we reuse old pipes (the indoor pipes leading to the outside) instead of removing or replacing them with new pipes. In FY2010, we reused a total of 137 tons of old piping. In addition, we also promote incoming recycling through the reuse of MRIs, elevators, fax machines and LCD panels.

Our efforts to expand the uses of recycled materials will further improve the incoming recycling rate.

*

Post-consumer recycled materials vary in quantity available and quality depending on how they are obtained. At times, we may need to use virgin materials due to insufficient supply or quality problems.

3R Initiatives for Packaging Material

We will streamline the use of packaging as well as product materials to reduce environmental impact throughout their entire life cycles. The amount of packaging materials used by Toshiba Group in FY2010 was 85,000 tons*. As the number of shipments increases, the amount of packaging materials used also tends to increase. Nevertheless, we will work to reduce the use of packaging materials in accordance with the characteristics of each business area and product category through various measures, such as reducing packaging volume (see the example), enlarging the size of returnable (reusable) cases and using materials with low environmental impact.

*

We collected a wider range of data than in FY2008.

Amount of Packaging Materials Used by Toshiba Group

Case Studies in FY2008

• FY2008
• FY2007

Case study regarding “3R”

Case Studies in FY2007

• FY2008
• FY2007

Case study regarding “3R” effort for packaging