ESG
Environmental Impact Reduction Throughout the Supply Chain

ESG

In recent years, many have questioned the necessity for a “recycling economy,” a business model in which resources are used in a recyclable manner. Against this backdrop, Fuji Electric will strengthen its efforts to achieve zero emissions by 2050. Conventionally, our focus has been on reducing the amount of final waste in production activities and minimizing water intake. Going forward, in addition to our current initiatives, we will aim to “manufacture products that do not impose environmental burdens throughout their life cycles,” and work to transition to a highly recycling-oriented product model that includes revising designs. Specifically, we will establish new goals from a medium- to long-term perspective in fiscal 2023 and incorporate strategies into our action plans. Ultimately, we aim to create a “recycling-oriented society” and “environmentally harmonious society” by minimizing burdens on nature by reducing the waste generated during product life cycles to near-zero.

Effective Use of Resources and Conservation of Raw materials

Fuji Electric’s efforts for achievling the efficient use of resources and reductions in use of raw materials entail implementing improvement measures through the methods deemed most effective based on the characteristics of a given factory as part of each factory’s efforts for improving environmental conditions based on ISO 14001. The effectiveness of these efforts is verified through assessment by external organizations based on ISO 14001.

To this end, environmental improvement teams, such as those described below, are assembled to set targets and advance initiatives for accomplishing these targets based on ISO 14001.

Design divisions assembled the Product Assessment Subcommittee which examines measures for making applicable products more compact, lighter, and longer lasting as well as for minimizing use of difficult to recycle plastics and eliminating use of hazardous chemical substances.

Manufacturing Divisions assembled the Manufacturing Subcommittee which engages in activities based on the themes of efficiently using raw materials, preventing defective products, reusing and reducing packing materials, and increasing recycling rates through exhaustive waste sorting.

Fuji Electric will continue to pursue improvements through such activities by factories going forward.

Supply chain-wide activities to reduce environmental impacts

In accordance with environmental vision 2050, we aim to achieve a recycling-oriented society. In order to achieve it, we design the products to realize the 3R(Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) based on environment-conscious design basis Fuji Electric aims to reduce environment impacts across entire product lifecycles to contribute the customers to solving the environmental issues.

Furthermore, in the future, in addition to recycling products that have gone through their life cycles, we will also work to recycle scrap and other waste materials created at construction sites and in our business activities.

Examples of activities

Renovating a factory quay by reusing concrete debris

At Fuji Electric’s Chiba Factory, which is our main factory for power electronics energy related products, we are promoting recycling activities throughout the entire supply chain. As part of this effort, we are utilizing the concrete blocks left over after demolishing concrete structures owned by our customers in order to renovate the quay on the factory’s premises. The concrete blocks we receive from customers are pulverized, packed into weather-resistant nets, and placed on the factory’s quay, which has a total length of 423 m. This initiative has enabled us to reuse the concrete debris as “wave blocking stones” to protect the factory site embankment by reducing the force of high waves that occur during storms.

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Prior to engaging in this initiative, we obtained consent from the Chiba Prefectural Government and fishery cooperatives.