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Initiatives for resource recycling from products and cartridges
Our history of resource recycling
At FUJIFILM Business Innovation, we established our company-wide recycling policy in 1995, under which we have been collecting products used by customers for recycling and reuse.In 1998, we began to use recycled plastic (ABS resin) made from our products that we collected, which was an industry first. In 2008, we established a site for reuse and recycling in Suzhou, China, expanding our activities.
In addition, by providing managed print services (MPS), we contribute to reducing customers' resource consumption in their print environment.
Overview of our resource-recycling system initiatives
Company-wide recycling policy
Promote the reuse of resources for infinite “Zero Landfill”
Reduction
1) Compact, lightweight multifunction devices and printers
At FUJIFILM Business Innovation, we are working to design smaller, lighter weight multifunction devices and printers.
For the Apeos C320 z, which we released in April 2021 in Japan, we worked to reduce the number of parts and reexamined its design and layout. As a result, we succeeded in reducing its weight by 30% and its volume by 40% compared to conventional devices. Reduction of the number of parts and the weight of materials has also enabled the reduction of CO2 emissions.
2) Use of compact, lightweight transportation packaging materials
We previously used PAD as a buffer for the main units of equipment when transporting them. In fiscal 2021, we began to shift to packaging design which use shipping boxes and other packaging materials instead of PAD as the buffer.
3) Reduction of buffer for toner cartridges
We are working to reduce use of buffer in toner cartridges by applying simulation technologies.
Reuse
At FUJIFILM Business Innovation, we launched a product using used parts, an industry first, in December 1995. In the production process, we developed technologies for reusing parts by setting strict standards, thus assuring the quality of each individual part.
1) Our approach to quality assurance
We have set strict rules for reusing parts, which requires that products made by assembling used parts have the same quality as products made using only new parts in terms of performance, reliability and product lifetime. This enables customers to use our products without any worries.
2) Closed-loop system
This is a circular production system that we built in 1995 by examining the entire product lifecycle, from the product planning, development, and manufacturing stages to disposal. With the goal of achieving infinite “Zero Landfill”, we collect used products, select parts from them, and reuse them applying recycling technologies, thus recycling them as resources.
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FUJIFILM Business Innovation Closed-Loop System
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Used equipment collected
for the reuse of parts
Functional testing
Disassembly and cleaning
Designs for reuse and recycling
The duration of service of multifunction devices and printers is three to five years, and new-generation devices are expected to be released during that period. To reuse the parts from collected used products effectively, we standardize designs to enable the reuse of parts in successor models. Through this, we design products that assume the reuse and recycling of products.
Design Guidelines
Design for a long lifetime : Extending the lifetime of parts to make them reusable
Design for easy separation : Separating parts with a short service life from the reusable parts to reuse the reusable parts
Robust design : Minimizing damage to parts caused during use, collection and recycling operations
Easy-to-disassemble design : Designing products in a way that facilitates disassembly for dismantling and the segregation of materials
Use of reusable materials : Selecting reusable materials to enable material recycling
Standardizing designs : Standardizing designs to enable the reuse of parts in other models and successor models
Specific examples of design for reuse and recycling
Sorting of parts
We sort parts by evaluating reusability on a part-by-part basis. We evaluate parts by checking information about their use history, which is stored in the products used by the customer, against a part service life database, in which a vast amount of historical data has been accumulated.
We use proprietary technologies to clean reusable parts, such as metals and plastics.
In September 2022, we released the ApeosPort-VI C RC series of reconditioned full-color digital multifunction devices, which feature a parts reuse rate of up to 84% (by weight) in Japan. By reducing the number of new parts used, we reduced the CO2 emissions related to the procurement of raw materials for products by up to 76% compared to new machines. Further, the CO2 emissions from the entire product lifecycle, including manufacturing, transportation and customer use, were reduced by up to 56%, significantly reducing environmental impact.
3) Promotion of reuse of toner cartridges
Since fiscal 2021, in order to further promote resource recycling, we have relaxed the appearance standards for discoloration and scratches caused by multiple use to the extent that they do not affect product quality, such as safety, function, or performance.
We will continue to actively promote reuse and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society with the understanding of our customers.
Recycling
1) Recycling non-reusable parts
We process non-reusable products, parts and cartridges considering safety and the environment through partnerships with recycling companies using the latest recycling technologies. This enables them to be recycled into resources or alternative fuels.
2) Network of recycling partners (Japan)
Used equipment collected from customers is recycled by our recycling partners across Japan (14 sites).
Working together with our recycling partner in each area, we not only apply the latest recycling technologies but also reduce the transport distance, thus helping reduce CO2 emissions.
Contribution for customers reduce resource consumption
Environmental technologies that support resource-recycling initiatives
1) Technology for reusing parts using use history information
We evaluate the reusability of parts by checking the use history information recorded in the main unit of printing equipment against the results of Weibull analyses (of reliability) that are made based on a vast amount of maintenance data from the market.
We implement detailed and elaborate evaluations to help increase the amount of reused parts.
2) Technology for the recycling of plastic
In 1998, FUJIFILM Business Innovation began to use a plastic recycled from our products, which we collected from customers, an industry first.
We sort, crush, and clean the plastic parts made of ABS resin from used product exterior covers and paper trays, and use these as raw materials for our own products as recycled plastic equivalent to newly manufactured ABS resin. This recycled plastic is guaranteed to be of the same quality as newly manufactured ABS resin and has been certified by UL (Underwriter's Laboratories), a U.S. safety testing organization.
3) Technologies for flame-retardant bio-based plastics
To reduce the use of petroleum-derived plastics, we are engaged in research and development efforts to create plant-derived, bio-based plastics. With conventional wood bio-based plastics, it was difficult to achieve high flame retardancy and dimensional stability.
We solved this problem by thoroughly screening flame-retardants with high affinity with cellulose and by dispersing cellulose evenly and isotropically using our proprietary cellulose/ABS alloy technology. We use the plastic as an interior material of our products.
4) Unique cleaning technology
When reusing parts removed from collected used products, we wash parts using reduced water that has high cleaning power against oil and grease stains, which is produced in-house at our factory.
5) Simulation technologies for packaging material designs
We have been developing packaging design technologies using simulation technologies, such as technologies clarifying the packaging quality that is needed for logistics tests before the completion of a prototype. Recently, we have been working to reduce the amount of packaging used to also contribute to the promotion of resource recycling.
Initiatives for resource recycling in our activities
1) Reducing waste by reducing product failures at smart factories
Normally, data collected on a product-by-product basis in the production process is checked when a product failure has occurred in the market or at the time of shipment. At FUJIFILM Business Innovation, we set data on conditions for producing non-defective products, including targets and techniques, in advance, and set the production line to not operate when these conditions are not met, reducing product failures and the amount of waste generated.
2) Activities to reduce waste in offices
We manage waste appropriately in offices (non-manufacturing facilities) as we do in manufacturing facilities, to effectively use resources in business activities. At our office facilities in Japan, we have introduced electronic manifests to improve compliance management related to industrial waste. We have confirmed that, at our overseas office facilities, waste is managed in accordance with the laws, regulations and infrastructure of each country. We will continue to ensure compliance in the management of waste.
3) Composting food waste at the Ebina Center cafeteria in Japan.
At Ebina Center, approx. 20 tons of food waste was generated every year. In August 2022, we began to compost and recycle all of this waste.