Hitachi Cable News Vol.357 ::: Toward a Sustainable Recycling-Based Society

Special Feature The Environment
Toward a Sustainable Recycling-Based Society
-Green Procurement and Resource Recycling in the Electrical and Electronics Industries

| Overview | Chapter1:Environmental Protection as Corporate Responsibility |
| Chapter2:Widespread Adoption of Green Procurement |
| Chapter3:Reduction of Waste and Promotion of Recycling |
| Chapter4:Toward the Realization of a Recycling-based Society |
| Hitachi Cable's Environment-Friendly Products and Technologies |

Chapter-3:Reduction of Waste and Promotion of Recycling

Along with green procurement, product reclamation and recycling is important, as is overall waste reduction. Starting in 2005, the EU will enforce the WEEE Directive

which promotes the reclamation and recycling of discarded home appliances and electronics devices at the manufacturer's expense. It is particularly urgent for Japan to promote recycling and waste reduction, due to its relatively small area and limited capacity for the construction of waste-disposal sites. According to data released by the Ministry of the Environment, the remaining capacity of final industrial-waste disposal sites is approx. 179.41 million m3 nationwide as of April 1, 2002; this could last for only 4.3 years.

To address this problem, the government has been issuing various laws related to product recycling since the enactment of the "Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society " in January 2001. For example, the "Home Appliance Recycling Law, "^*1 enforced in April 2001, is intended to reduce waste by recycling televisions, refrigerators, washers, and air-conditioners, with costs shared among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. The "PC Recycling Law, "^*2 enforced in October 2003, obliges manufacturers to reclaim and recycle main PC units and monitors sold for home use. Moreover, the "Containers and Packaging Recycling Law "^*3 and the "Construction Materials Recycling Law "^*4are now in effect, and by 2005, the government will issue the "Automobile Recycling Law, "^*5 which will make it compulsory to reclaim shredder residue and airbags from scrapped cars.

*1 Home Appliance Recycling Law: officially entitled the "Law for the Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances"
*2 PC Recycling Law: officially entitled the "Law for the Promotion of Recyclable Resources"
*3 Containers and Packaging Recycling Law: officially entitled the "Law for Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging"
*4 Construction Material Recycling Law: officially entitled the "Law for the Recycling of Construction Materials"
*5 Automobile Recycling Law: officially entitled "Law for the Recycling of End-of-Life Vehicles"

Amount of industrial waste generated rate of recycling and final disposal by year

The Waste Electrical and Electronics Equipment (WEEE) Directive was issued by the EU in February 2003 to promote the recycling of electrical and electronics equipment. Based on this directive, EU member countries will prepare the respective domestic laws by August 2005. By mandating sorted collection and recycling of discarded home appliances, electronic devices, etc., the EU intends to reduce the amount of waste in electrical and electronic devices and to minimize the associated environmental load.

||| HOME ||| Corporate Profile | Products | R&D | Inevestor Relations | Contact Us |