Ecological technologies for vending machines, especially for canned beverage vending machines which are listed as designated machinery by the Japanese “Act on Temporary Measures for Promotion of Rational Uses of Energy and Recycled Resources in Business Activities” (i.e., Energy Saving Act), have been improved in recent years. Fuji Electric has promoted energy savings while proactively considering the affect on the environment when selecting materials for use. Improved heat insulation and heat pump technology have enabled Fuji Electric to reduce the energy consumption of its canned beverage vending machines by 75% over the past 11 years. Fuji Electric is also working to establish a method for evaluating the environmental impacts that occur during manufacturing and mass-production.

The Japanese “the Act concerning the Rational Use of Energy” (i.e., Energy Saving Act) which mandates the promotion of energy savings in industrial products has introduced the highly regarded front-runner standard which targets 21 types of products and has reliably produced good results. Included among the 21 types of products are vending machines, for which primary target levels were achieved in 2005 and for which efforts are presently underway to improve energy savings in order to achieve secondary targets by 2012. Under such regulation, local governments and the like have increasingly requested vending machines to provide further energy savings. In cooperation with beverage manufacturers, independent efforts for energy savings are underway throughout the entire industry.

Refrigeration systems, important equipment in canned beverage vending machines, are using alternative refrigerants that do not damage the ozone layer and low greenhouse-effect gases having a small global warming potential. Energy-saving refrigeration technology is also being developed. CO₂ refrigerant is used in applications where lowering the greenhouse-effect is prioritized. R134a refrigerant, which enables highly efficient operation, is used in applications where reduced power consumption is prioritized. Moreover, a heat pump, developed to leverage the advantages of each type of refrigerant, has been developed and applied to the refrigeration system, and the burden on the environment has been reduced.

The refrigerants used in canned beverage vending machines must be changed over to refrigerants having a small global warming potential as compared to the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) based refrigerants used in the past. Fuji Electric experimentally applied CO₂ with a low greenhouse effect to a canned beverage vending machine, and successfully achieved a commercial product. We also developed a heat pump system which utilizes exhaust heat effectively. A 33% reduction in electric power consumption was achieved compared to a similar vending machine that uses R407C refrigerant.

In the cup-type beverage vending machine business, environmental and energy conservation measures have become high-priority issues as awareness of the global environment has increased. To help curb global warming, energy-saving measures are being promoted and a transition to fluorocarbon-free refrigerative gas with a low greenhouse effect is requested. As an environmentally-friendly energy-savings solution, Fuji Electric has developed an environmentally-friendly cup-type beverage vending machine that uses natural refrigerant (CO₂) and that consumes 44% less power and has 29% less mass than existing vending machines.

Fuji Electric has developed an eco-friendly soft drink dispenser. As a feature of this type of drink dispenser, we used water-expanding polyurethane foam (for reduced greenhouse gas emission) for the water tank and the refrigerator. Additionally, we promoted lighter weight (reduction) of the product itself, and performed 3-dimensional simulations to evaluate the frame structure and sheet metal thickness to achieve a 10% reduction in the product weight. Moreover, in consideration of ease-of-use by the end user, we improved the understandability and operability of the product.

We completed a new design vending machine series that pursued basic function, easy to comprehend and use, to advance the consumer's utility value. A high thermal efficiency heat pump unit that uses R134a refrigerant and an enhanced heat insulating structure have been newly developed for Fuji Electric's J-series of energy-saving canned beverage vending machines to realize a 40% reduction in energy consumption at the installation site. Moreover, in order to provide enhanced utility to the consumer, the total length of the storage rack has been shortened so as to raise the height of the discharge position and facilitate removal of the products. Additionally, we sought to enhance basic functionality by unifying the color coding of money-related operating parts to colors that are more easily differentiated by the consumers, so as to improve the intuitiveness and ease-of-use of the vending machine.

We have developed a new series (FGE series) of glass-front vending machines that is energy efficient and incorporates features to boost per-machine-sales. By using simulations to optimize the air flow, enhancing the heat insulation between hot and cold compartments and using LED illumination, energy consumption has been reduced by 26 to 30% compared to previous vending machines. Quick delivery and improved operability are achieved with a new conveyer system, combining conveying motion with delivery motion, and a monolithic-type product storage rack.

Of the power consumed by a canned beverage vending machine, 80% is used for cooling and warming, and 15% is used for lighting. As energy-saving lighting technology, a white LED light source capable of significantly reducing energy consumption (by 70%) and realizing a longer service life (more than 40,000 hours) compared to conventional fluorescent lights has been developed. As cooling and warming technology, a built-in unit for controlling the heat pump has been newly developed based on energy-savings control technology acquired along the way, and significant energy savings has been achieved.

This paper describes Fuji Electric's efforts in developing coin processing and paper currency identification devices. The coin processing device, an improvement of the existing model, incorporates in independently developed method for transitioning to an energy-saving mode, and achieves a reduction in electric power consumption of 20% or more compared to the existing model (the prior year model). For the paper currency identification device, we performed a comprehensive review of the product life cycle and worked to decrease power consumption, reduce the weight and simplify assembly and disassembly, and have achieved a 20% or more reduction in electric power consumption, a 7% reduction in weight, and an approximate 20% reduction in assembly time compared to the prior model.

Fuji Electric, the leading manufacturer of vending machines, sees the provision of vending machines having a low environment load as a company mission for the benefit of society. The life cycle assessment (LCA) for evaluating environmental impact is being used to assess products. LCA, which divides the entire lifecycle of a product, from material fabrication through disposal and recycling, into 6 stages and computes the amount of CO₂ emissions for each stage, is incorporated into the development of vending machines. As a result, the environmental impact of vending machines has been decreasing year after year. Fuji Electric is collaborating with Mie University to disseminate these results further.

We aimed to acquire Ecoleaf environment label certification, which is a program for objectively disclosing environmental information and data, in order to expand and promote the use of eco-conscious products. In creating the classification criteria for products, we adopted a new product series concept, and lead the industry to establish an international standard for vending machine LCA. In February 2007, we acquired Ecoleaf label certification for canned beverage vending machines for the first time in the industry. In 2008 we acquired Ecoleaf label certification for cup, cigarette, paper pack beverage and all other vending machines, and also were the 10th company in Japan to obtain Ecoleaf certification for the production system.