Pollution Prevention and Resource Recycling
Basic Approach
The management of hazardous chemicals, waste, and wastewater must be reliably handled in accordance with laws and regulations. The Daifuku Group is working to reduce the burden on the global environment, including local communities, through initiatives to prevent environmental pollution and reduce the use of water and other resources. The Daifuku Environmental Vision 2050 establishes the promotion of resource recycling as one of our critical issue areas, and we are working to extend the service life of our products, minimize the amount of waste generated at our production sites, and increase recycling of used products and parts.
Green Procurement Guidelines
The Daifuku Group has formulated the Green Procurement Guidelines, which denote the evaluation standards for any chemical substances that are contained in our products. In recent years, regulations regarding the management of hazardous chemical substances have been tightened, and in order to respond to growing demand, these guidelines were revised in 2023. These guidelines apply to all products (materials, parts, units, accessories, and packaging materials) and services procured by the Daifuku Group. Our policy is to prioritize the procurement of products that contain minimal hazardous substances of concern and products that contain minimal hazardous substances throughout the product’s life cycle.
Furthermore, for our major business partners, we request that they fully understand the Guidelines, and in order to promote the appropriate management of chemical substances, we ask that they submit proof of receipt and written informed consent (submission rate: 97%).
Green Procurement Project
In fiscal 2023, we launched the Green Procurement Project under the jurisdiction of the Sustainability Promotion Committee, and, in cooperation with our business partners, we began investigating the chemical substances contained in our products in order to reduce our impact on the environment throughout the entire supply chain. In fiscal 2024, we invited external lecturers to conduct in-house training on chemical substances and the laws and regulations in various countries. We have also begun building an internal system for the centralized management of chemical substances contained in products.
Major Initiatives
Promoting resource recyclingKPI
| Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) | Scope | FY2024 targets | FY2024 results | FY2030 targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landfill disposal rate | Global | Domestic: less than 1% Outside of Japan: less than 5% |
Domestic: 0.9% Outside of Japan: 8.7% |
Less than 1% |
| Reduction rate of waste emissions per unit sales*1 (compared to FY2023) |
4% | 6.8% | 23% | |
| Reduction rate of water consumption per unit sales*2 (compared to FY2018) |
40% | 37.6% | 60% |
- *1Waste generated (tons) divided by net sales (100 million yen)
- *2Water consumption (1,000 m3) divided by net sales (100 million yen)
Daifuku promotes the reduction and recycling of waste generated from manufacturing processes, such as defective products and packaging materials. We collect data on the amount of waste at all Group production sites, and we are working to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by enforcing separation during waste collection as well as to improve the recycling rate. In addition to waste generated from manufacturing processes, we are also working to improve our products from the design stage. We are reviewing materials and improving ease of disassembly so that resources can be utilized effectively when the equipment delivered to customers is eventually dismantled. Furthermore, we consider delaying the timing of disposal through long-term, stable operation of systems to be an important initiative, and we are enhancing after-sales services such as maintenance and repair.
We are also striving to conserve water at our production sites and offices in order to reduce consumption. In fiscal 2022, we installed meters on hydraulic equipment in the plant building with the highest water consumption at Shiga Works to visualize water consumption. Hydraulic equipment uses water for cooling, but it was found that a large amount of water was being consumed even when the equipment was not in operation. Therefore, a temperature sensor was installed in the piping of the hydraulic tank, and a cooling system was introduced to cool the oil only at a certain temperature. This initiative is reduced the annual water consumption of the facility by approximately 45% compared to the previous fiscal year.
Waste generated (Japan) *including valuable waste
Waste recycling rate (Japan) *including valuable waste
Water consumption (Japan)
Water consumption (outside of Japan)
Ensuring appropriate waste disposal
Waste generated by business activities must be properly processed in accordance with laws and regulations. In the event that waste processing is outsourced to a licensed subcontractor, the business that generated the waste is still responsible for its disposal. At Daifuku, we choose our contractors after strict screening according to our internal waste management regulations. We also dispatch employees to each facility annually to check the status of waste processing in accordance with the ordinances of each municipality.
Pollutant reduction
Management of chemicals
Paints and organic solvents are the primary chemical substances used by Daifuku in our production facilities. The Group manages and controls the usage amounts of special chemical substances as designated under the PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) Law.*
- *A law that requires enterprises to submit a report to their national governing authority specifying the number and volume of chemical substances they are releasing into the environment. This is aimed at voluntary management of chemical substances and the prevention of environmental pollution.
Emissions and transfer volume of chemical substances related to PRTR Law
Shiga Works
| FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions and transfer (kg) | 18,531 | 16,880 | 20,542 | 24,837 | 28,267 | 20,120 |
Amount of PRTR-related chemical substances handled in FY2024
Shiga Works
(kg)
| Control No. | Chemicals | Transaction Volume | Emission to | Transfer to | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | Public water | Soil | Land | Total emissions | Sewage | Misc. | Total transfer | |||
| 37 | Bisphenol A | 915.30 | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | 18.31 | 18.31 |
| 53 | Ethylbenzene | 5,760.50 | 5,760.50 | ー | ー | ー | 5,760.50 | ー | ー | ー |
| 80 | Xylene | 6,638.92 | 6,638.92 | ー | ー | ー | 6,638.92 | ー | ー | ー |
| 83 | Cumene | 162.68 | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー |
| 300 | Toluene | 5,113.38 | 5,113.38 | ー | ー | ー | 5,113.38 | ー | ー | ー |
| 302 | Naphthalene | 135.34 | 99.55 | ー | ー | ー | 99.55 | ー | ー | ー |
| 594 | Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether | 1,067.61 | 1,014.23 | ー | ー | ー | 1,014.23 | ー | ー | ー |
| 629 | Cyclohexane | 116.93 | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー |
| 691 | Trimethylbenzene | 1,446.60 | 1,446.60 | ー | ー | ー | 1,446.60 | ー | ー | ー |
| 720 | 2-tert-Butoxyethanol | 134.63 | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー |
| 731 | Heptane | 242.35 | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー |
| 737 | Methyl isobutyl ketone | 193.01 | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー | ー |
- Note: Chemical substances of which less than 100 kg is handled are omitted as the amounts are negligible.
Compliance with European harmful substance regulations
The entire Daifuku Group focuses on the European REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations* and goes to great lengths to visualize and remove any harmful chemicals in our products. The Group continues to offer environmentally friendly products through implementation of Green Procurement Guidelines by looking at its entire supply chain.
- * Companies must register and evaluate the safety of chemical substances contained in the products they manufacture and sell in Europe.
Air pollution prevention
Based on Shiga Prefecture’s Ordinance 25, Clause 1; Concerning the Reduction of Impact on the Air Environment of Shiga Prefecture, Shiga Works requested and was awarded the designation of a place of business working to reduce its environmental impact on the air. We are striving to control and reduce smoke-related air pollutants.
Result of air pollutant measurements in FY2024
Shiga Works (according to the Hino Environmental Pollution Control Agreement)
| Material | Facility | Regulation value | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. | Min. | Avg. | |||
| Dust (g/m3N) | Dynamos | 0.1 | 0.009 | 0.005 | 0.006 |
| Sulfur oxide (SOx) (m3N/h) | Dynamos | 2.31 | 0.1 | 0.07 | 0.087 |
| Nitrogen oxide (NOx) (ppm) | Dynamos | 950 | 860 | 790 | 838 |
| Scope | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOx emissions (t) | Shiga Works* | 0.074 | 0.115 | 0.147 |
| NOx emissions (t) | 5.1 | 4.8 | 6.1 |
- * Actual measurements at major sources of emissions within the premises
Preventing water pollution
Shiga Works, which accounts for approximately 70% of our domestic water consumption, had been managing and treating wastewater using three wastewater treatment facilities owned by the company. However, in fiscal 2022, we began sequential transitioning to public sewage, which was completed in March 2023. This decision was made based on the comprehensive consideration of the risk of abnormal wastewater being discharged due to failure of proper treatment, the impact on the lives and health of employees from handling medical agents, and the cost of wastewater treatment. With this change in treatment method, we are in compliance with the water quality standards set forth in the Sewerage Act.