Effective Use of Resources in Logistics

In order to substantially reduce the use of packaging materials for its office multi-functional peripherals (MFPs) and production printing machines, Konica Minolta is not only thoroughly optimizing conventional cushioning materials but also developing new cushioning materials.

We have independently developed a new air cushioning material and have put it into practical use for product packaging. Models equipped with this cushioning material reduce the amount of expanded polystyrene used by 83% by weight compared with conventional models.
In addition to developing our own technologies, we have collaborated with TOTO LTD. to utilize its cardboard cushioning technology (PAT P6362025), replacing expanded polystyrene with cardboard in packaging designs and thereby promoting the more effective use of packaging materials while further reducing the use of expanded polystyrene.
Furthermore, to maximize the impact of these initiatives, we have expanded them beyond office MFPs to include peripheral equipment and consumables.

*The new air cushioning material won various awards from the Japan Packaging Institute. At the 2019 Japan Packaging Contest, it won the “Japan Productivity Center Chairman’s Award,” the highest-ranking Japan Star Award. In FY2020, it won the 44th Kinoshita Award in the Improvement and Rationalization category.

Konica Minolta’s sales companies worldwide promote the recycling of used packaging materials. Logistics warehouses operated by Konica Minolta’s sales companies have established recycling stations where used packaging materials from MFPs and production printing machines are sorted into cardboard, expanded polystyrene, plastic film, wood, and other materials for material recycling by local recycling companies. Expanded polystyrene, which has a large volume relative to its weight and is therefore inefficient to transport, is compressed using volume-reduction equipment to reduce the environmental impact associated with transportation.