Environmentally Friendly Products and Services
Basic Approach
The products and services that the Daifuku Group provides to society through its customers have an impact on the global environment through the use of electricity and resources. We recognize that responding to the demands for more environmentally friendly products and services that transcend national and organizational boundaries is an important issue to ensure the continuation of our business, and we aim to maximize the value we provide to our customers through the expansion of these products and services. The Daifuku Environmental Vision 2050, revised in 2023, also sets new targets for reducing CO2 emissions from procurement activities and the operation of our products, and we are working to reduce our environmental footprint throughout our supply chain.
Promotion System
The Environmental Management Subcommittee, established under the jurisdiction of the Sustainability Committee, discusses and examines issues such as contributions to reductions in CO2 emissions through our products and services, environmentally friendly projects, and Daifuku Eco-Product certification. In fiscal 2022, the Product Evaluation Project was launched under the Environmental Management Subcommittee, and we are investigating ways to redefine product value from a broad sustainability perspective that includes not only environmental friendliness, but also contributions to our customers and to society.
Major Initiatives
Daifuku Eco-Products Certification Program
In 2012, Daifuku began its Daifuku Eco-Products Certification Program, which certifies products based on an environmental impact assessment rating and a certification system using the Group's own standards. Under the program, all products across the Group are measured under the same standards, with measurements coming from the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and performance assessments on a number of areas, including energy saving, recyclability, weight, lifespan, packaging materials, water conservation, noise, water pollution, and hazardous materials. As of May 2023, 83 products have met the standards and been certified as Daifuku Eco-Products.
Moreover, starting in fiscal 2022, we have been reviewing this system through the Product Evaluation Project of the Environmental Management Subcommittee. In addition to concern for the environment, we are reviewing our product evaluation standards, and we are looking to broaden the perspective of these standards to include contributions to our customers and to society.
Certification process
To obtain a valid and trustworthy rating from multiple perspectives, the screenings are done at a certification meeting organized by officers from different business units.
Certified Daifuku Eco-Products (FY2022)
Manufacturing and distribution systems
- Sorting Transfer Robot-L
Cleanroom systems
- Power supply unit for the wireless power supply system HID “HID4-BA”
Automotive production line systems
- Heavy-duty, low-profile Slat Conveyor
Car wash machines and related products
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Electronic products (Contec Co., Ltd)
- Embedded computer (EPC-C5000)
- Box computer (BX-M210-J2311)
- Industrial edge AI computer (DX-U1220-3E0212)
Sales of Daifuku Eco-Products
| FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales of Daifuku Eco-Products (million yen) | 49,183 | 36,066 | 42,863 |
| Sales excluding services sales* (million yen) | 354,502 | 376,268 | 443,043 |
| Sales ratio (%) | 13.9 | 9.6 | 9.7 |
- *Daifuku sales are broadly divided into sales from new deliveries and sales from follow-up services such as maintenance and inspections. The sales ratio for products with Daifuku Eco-Product certification uses the amount of total sales with the service sales deducted.
Avoided CO2 emissionsKPI
We are reducing CO2 emissions from energy use during product operations through our environmentally friendly products and services that conform to the Group's standards. The amount of CO2 that has been reduced is calculated by subtracting the CO2 emissions produced by our products and services provided to our customers from the CO2 emissions produced by our products and services in fiscal 2011, the base year for environmental performance.
| Scope | FY2021 | FY2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoided CO2 emissions | Global | 69,694 t-CO2 | 121,356 t-CO2 |
Sales ratio of environmentally friendly propertiesKPI
The percentage of net sales of properties (projects) that contributed to customers in terms of environmental friendliness through certified Daifuku Eco-Products and other products is shown below.
| Scope | FY2021 | FY2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales ratio of environmentally friendly properties | Global | 63% | 72% |
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Daifuku conducts environmental impact assessments of all of the products we develop using an LCA method in order to determine the environmental footprint of our products throughout their life cycle and to continuously develop environmentally conscious products. Comparing our new products to older models helps us to enhance the environmentally friendly design of our products and services.
Case StudyLCA results for the Fine Stocker (H-P10), an automated case storage system
The Fine Stocker, an automated case storage system, is a product that automatically receives, stores, and retrieves small quantities of various irregularly-shaped products and parts in containers, cardboard boxes, or trays. The H-P10 is a high-capacity model suitable for multi-tenant distribution warehouses, and the lightweight main unit and specialized transfer machine reduce the amount of time required for storage and retrieval.
1. LCA calculation range
For the portion of the stacker crane that makes up the H-P10, we calculated the receiving and retrieving operations for 12 years within the range of resource collection to transport for recycling used products.
2. Impact assessment
Impact assessments were conducted by life cycle stage for each of the six impact areas shown in the graph below. We also compared new and old products by impact area.
Results of impact assessments by life cycle stage
- For waste and water consumption, the material manufacturing and assembly stage accounted for more than 90% of the impact.
- For climate change and energy consumption, the usage phase accounted for about 70% of the impact.
- In all areas studied, the impact from the transport and disposal phases was found to be low.
Comparison of CO2 emissions (impact area: climate change)
The H-P10 emits 26% less CO2 than the previous model (R-F10) due to reductions in raw materials, the number of parts, and power consumption during use.