Environment
Environmental Management
We have three factories in Japan: Toda Factory (Saitama Prefecture), Oyama Factory (Tochigi Prefecture), and Ichihara Factory (Chiba Prefecture). Each factory complies with the environmental laws and regulations of the region in which they are located and engages in production activities. There have never been any serious environmental accidents or leaks occurred in the factories.
Also, none of the three factories is located in areas that have a risk of damaging biodiversity.
Realization of Environmental-Friendly Factories
Toda Factory and Medical Technology Park, where R&D Department is located, are actively adopting energy-saving and environmental-friendly equipment such as LED lighting, double glazing, and rainwater utilization. As a result of these efforts, we have been rated A (BEE=2.1) by CASBEE*. Oyama Factory also uses the same equipment specifications as above.
In addition, Oyama Factory is designed to utilize LED lighting and natural light, and also Ichihara Factory has already been switched to LED lighting.
*Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency
A method for evaluating and rating the environmental performance of buildings. The system comprehensively evaluates the quality of buildings, including not only environmental considerations such as energy conservation and the use of materials and equipment with low environmental impact, but also indoor comfort and consideration for the landscape.
Medical Technology Park（North Square）
Energy-Related Initiatives
The clean rooms that we use to manufacture medical devices are equipped with power monitoring equipment to keep track of the amount of electricity usage.
In order to maintain the working environment, clean rooms are generally required to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but at Toda Factory and Oyama Factory, only half of the air conditioning system is used during the night and on holidays to reduce energy use.
We have switched the electricity used at the three factories to new electric power sources, and selected them not only for their cost but also for their lower CO2 emissions. Toda Factory has also installed solar panels to promote the use of clean energy.
Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions (Total of R&D and Manufacturing Department)
| FY 2018 | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity usage（MWh） | 6,177 | 5,806 | 6,211 |
| LPG usage（Kg） | 3,510 | 3,584 | 3,233 |
| CO2 emissions（Kg） | 12,007 | 11,030 | 8,365 |
Water Usage Initiatives
Our factories use clean water for all the production processes. All of them are located in urban areas or industrial parks, and are not in high water- stress area.
Oyama Factory and Ichihara Factory are installed with EOG (ethylene oxide gas) sterilizers for products sterilization. EOG sterilizers require a large amount of water for operation, but both factories are trying to reduce water usage by circulating and reusing the water.
In addition to the EOG sterilizers, other facilities that require a large amount of water also operate with circulated water and try to make effective use of water resources.
Water Usage (Total of R&D and Manufacturing Department)
| FY 2018 | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water usage（㎥） | 16,104 | 14,760 | 9,700 |
Controls for Hazardous Substances
Controls for Hazardous Substances Contained in Products
We take appropriate measures to ensure that environmentally hazardous substances are not contained in our products themselves, based on the requirements of the country where we operate.
Treatment of Gases Used in the Sterilization Process
Oyama Factory and Ichihara Factory use EOG (Ethylene Oxide Gas) to sterilize products. EOG sterilization is one of the most popular sterilization methods used in medical device manufacturers.
Since EOG has excellent sterilization ability but is also toxic, both factories use combustion apparatus to decompose the gas containing EOG emitted from the sterilizer into water and carbon dioxide, purify it to a harmless level, and release it into the atmosphere.
Waste Management Initiatives
Waste Management of Medical Products
Most of the products we handle have expiration dates of sterilization, and we have to dispose of them after the date, except for some that can be re-sterilized. Therefore, it is important for us to manage our inventory to avoid expiration.
For disposal, we ask industrial waste contractors to sort the waste as necessary. In addition, we manage the disposal procedures based on manifests.
Reduction of Cardboard Usage
The logistics centers in Haneda and Osaka use a large amount of cardboard boxes, therefore we reuse them as much as possible and dispose of them after they are stained or damaged.
Between Oyama Factory and Haneda logistics center, transportation boxes are used for delivery, reducing the amount of cardboard boxes waste.
Recovery of Rare Metal Components Contained in Products
The catheters we handle are tipped with platinum components. We recover the platinum components of the catheters that are defected in the production process and sell them to a precious metal supplier per year for recycling of the rare metals. In addition, as cutting chips are generated in the manufacturing process of the tip electrodes (containing platinum) produced at our contractor, we request them to recover and recycle those chips.
Initiatives in Logistics and Company Vehicles
The products we handle are medical devices and therefore require proper temperature control and storage without exposure to the weather. For this reason, we outsource inventory management and delivery to an external logistics center that has appropriate conditions.
Also, our company vehicles are mostly leased, and hybrid cars are available as option. Hybrid cars account for 86% of all our leased vehicles.
