Green Procurement System

Implementation of a New Green Procurement System Compliant with More Stringent Chemical Substance Regulations

Konica Minolta implements green procurement, assessing the chemical constituents of parts and components and giving preference to those with the least environmental impact. Konica Minolta has established its own list of banned and monitored substances from the perspective of compliance and environmental safety, and the Group is working to reduce or eliminate chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment from its production processes and products.
Regulations on chemical substances in products will be strengthened in the future with the revision of the RoHS Directive^*1 and the addition of approval candidate substances and restricted substances in the REACH regulations.^*2 In response to these substances regulations, the Group began operation of its SIGMA Green Procurement System in October 2009, an updated version of the earlier system.
The tools are now available in Chinese, as well as English and Japanese. Through improved communication with business partners realized by providing Q&A support and regulatory information, survey response rates increased to about 95%. The results of the survey are evaluated by experts in the Group on a regular basis, and feedback given to the business companies to promote more accurate responses and the elimination of parts containing hazardous materials. In this way, the Group will improve the reliability of risk avoidance.

*1

RoHS Directive: Regulations enacted by the EU in July 2006 prohibiting the use of specified hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

*2

REACH regulations: Regulations enacted by the EU in June 2007 concerning the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals, to consolidate existing regulations concerning chemical substances.

• Konica Minolta Green Procurement Portal

Reduction of Atmospheric Emissions of VOCs

Implementing its own risk management index to reduce VOCs

Since 1993, Konica Minolta has worked to reduce atmospheric emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that the Group determined as having a high risk in terms of hazard and volume, at its production sites around the world. The Group has worked systematically to eliminate the use of highly hazardous solvents by fiscal 2010, eliminating benzene, formaldehyde, chloroform, and others by fiscal 2004, and the remaining applicable substance, 1, 2-dichloroethane, during fiscal 2010.
Furthermore, with the switch to the Medium-Term Environmental Plan 2015 in fiscal 2009, the scope of substances subject to reductions was enlarged to reduce riskier substances first. In addition to reducing conventional substances that pose a direct risk to human health and risk of atmospheric pollution, the Group will work to also reduce the use of substances that pose a risk to ecosystems and an indirect environmental impact. Consequently, Konica Minolta has revised its risk management indices, setting new environmental impact index^* and new targets based on the index. The targets call for a 75% reduction by fiscal 2015 compared with fiscal 2005.
VOC emissions including other solvents increased compared with the previous fiscal year due to increased production in response to the economic recovery in fiscal 2010, but reductions amounted to 73% compared to fiscal 2005, and the Group achieved the targets set for the year.

*

Environmental impact index:
Environmental impact index (point) = Atmospheric emissions of VOCs [t] × Hazard coefficient × Location coefficient
Hazard coefficient: Set at 1-fold, 10-fold, or 100-fold depending on the severity of the impact on human health and the environment (set independently by Konica Minolta based on the coefficient used in the safety evaluations conducted by Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan)
Location coefficient: Outside the industrial estate 5, inside the industrial estate 1

• Standards for Calculating Environmental Data

Countermeasures against Contamination of Soil and Ground Water

Konica Minolta is conducting robust management through periodic observation at sites in Japan where soil or ground water contamination has been identified to ensure that the contaminants do not affect the surrounding environment. The Group has organized a specialist team to manage remediation of polluted sites and to prevent the spread of contamination. Detailed surveys conducted under the team's supervision serve as the basis for developing countermeasures and examining suitable purification technologies. The Group reports the results of its observations and remediation efforts periodically to local government agencies and to concerned neighboring residents.

• Summary of Contaminated Soil or Ground Water at Operation Sites

Establishment of guidelines for managing soil contamination risk

Guidelines have been set for risk management of soil contamination as part of Konica Minolta’s unique Green Factory Certification System for comprehensive evaluation of the environmental activities of its production sites, as the certification standards for Level 2 require compliance with these guidelines, from April 2011.

• Green Factory Certification System

Guidelines for managing soil contamination risk

● The risk of soil contamination has been assessed through preliminary surveys at production sites known to have a high risk from past surveys.

● If soil contamination (in excess of the standard value) is observed, measures are taken to prevent damage to human health.

● Measures are also taken to prevent run off of contamination outside the site.

Case 2: UV* Ink for Ink Jet Printers

Typically, solvent inks are used for printing signs and displays such as advertisement placards and wrapping film. The principal constituent of solvent inks is organic solvent and when the inks are printed, the organic solvents are volatized in the atmosphere as VOCs.
In order to solve this problem, Konica Minolta IJ Technologies, Inc. focuses on UV curable ink for printers that is dried and fixed with ultraviolet irradiation instead of heating. By using cationic polymerization inks that can be cured with low-level irradiation, printers can be equipped with irradiation lamps that consume little power. The odor of the printout is also reduced. Furthermore, Konica Minolta has also developed its own unique ink materials which result in enhanced curability and environmental performance.

*

UV: ultraviolet