Working to Minimize the Usage of Petroleum-based Resources in Products

Konica Minolta has set three themes for reducing the use of petroleum-based resources: the amount of resources such as plastic used in products; waste generated in production; and the fuel consumption of sales and service vehicles. Of these, the Group is placing particular emphasis on reducing the resources used in products that account for more than 60% of the total. Besides making products lighter, thinner, shorter and smaller, the Group is also increasing the use of recycled materials. In fiscal 2010, Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. implemented measures such as adopting two types of environmentally responsible plastic for the first time in the bizhub 652/552 monochrome MFP. However, the Group did not achieve the target value due to failure to meet the target for reducing fuel consumption in vehicles, among other factors.
The Green Factory Certification System incorporates its own criteria for waste discharged externally from manufacturing, to encourage reductions at each production site. However, the target value was not met due to increased manufacturing of products that generate relatively high levels of waste during production, as well as the unexpected waste that is produced with the start-up of new plants.
Reduction of packaging materials usage and product recycling are progressing as planned. In fiscal 2010, Konica Minolta commercialized a re-manufactured MFP, starting sales of the bizhub 750RM/600RM in Japan in December.

• Green Factory Certification System

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Waste discharged externally: Volume discharged outside Konica Minolta sites, obtained by subtracting the internally recycled and reduced volumes from the total waste generated in production processes.

• Standards for Calculating Environmental Data

More information on the target areas is available at the following links:

• Reduce Petroleum-Based Resource Usage
• Reduce Packaging Materials Usage
• Reduce Waste Discharged Externally from Manufacturing
• Product Recycling