Promoting Effective Use of Resources
Effective Use of Water Resources
With the aim of reducing the impact on the water cycle environment, including the ecosystem, we established the “Biodiversity Action Guidelines” in 2018 and are systematically promoting water resource management in our business activities. We recognize that the Lake Biwa-Yodo River system, where our six major business sites including our Head Office are located, is an extremely valuable water environment in terms of natural and social science, and we are working on maintaining the sustainable water ecosystem in cooperation with local governments and educational institutions and research institutes.
Metrics and Targets
● Water withdrawal
Reduce the intensity of annual water withdrawal per unit weight of product shipment at Group business sites by 5% by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019
Target for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 : 246m3/metric tons
Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 : 299m3/metric tons
・Detailed actual value on effective use of water resources can be found in Sustainability Data and the Sustainability Data Book 2024.
・To improve the reliability of the sustainability information we disclose, some of the environmental and social performance figures for the period from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 are assured by an independent third party in the Sustainability Data Book 2024.
Please refer to the Sustainability Data Book 2024 for details.
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, total water withdrawal volume increased slightly, reflecting the expansion of production facilities, despite efforts to improve production efficiency at development and manufacturing sites. Due in part to changes in the product mix, water withdrawal intensity was also up 15.4% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. As such, we did not meet our reduction target. In April 2024, we changed our target for reducing water withdrawal to an intensity basis, calculated as water withdrawal per unit of net sales (8% reduction compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019), aimed at more efficient water usage amid business expansion.
Effective Use of Water Resources on the Use of Sold Products
As droughts, water pollution, and other issues emerge in various regions, conserving water resources is becoming ever more important. For the SCREEN Group’s products, especially cleaning equipment, reducing the amount of water and chemicals used during product operation is increasingly significant in terms of effectively utilizing water resources. As such, the SCREEN Group is working to better understand water management while advancing efforts in its product design and development to reduce waste liquid and the amount of water and chemicals needed for product operation. In addition, to further accelerate development aimed at reducing environmental impact, the Group is collaborating with industry organizations through joint development and other initiatives.
Reduce Waste and Increase the Recycling Rate
The SCREEN Group considers it important to effectively utilize limited resources and reduce environmental impact by promoting a variety of initiatives, including those to control resource consumption and to reuse and recycle resources. We will continue contributing to the realization of a sound material-cycle society by reducing waste during the production and disposal of products, enhancing the recycling rate, effectively utilizing resources and circulating them in a sustainable way.
Metrics and Targets
● Waste generated
Reduce the intensity of annual waste generated per unit weight of product shipment at Group business sites in Japan by 5% by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019
Target for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 : 188kg/metric tons
Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 : 218kg/metric tons
● Recycling rate
Achieve a recycling rate of 98% by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024
Target for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 : 98%
Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 : 99.1%
We set and pursued targets to achieve a recycling rate of 98% and to reduce the intensity of waste per unit weight of product shipment at business sites in Japan 5% compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. In the year ended March 31, 2024, waste intensity was up 10.1% from the base year, reflecting changes in the product mix, despite efforts to reduce waste and to turn waste materials into valuable materials. However, the recycling rate was 99.1%, achieving our target. In April 2024, we changed our target for reducing waste generated to an intensity basis, calculated as waste generated per unit of net sales (8% reduction compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019). Based on this target, we aim for the relative reduction in waste amid an environment of business expansion.
・Detailed actual value on promoting effective use of resources can be found in Sustainability Data and the Sustainability Data Book 2024.
We strictly manage the way that our industrial waste is processed or disposed of. We periodically visit all the waste disposal contractors, from those collecting and transporting waste from our facilities to those performing final disposal, and confirm that they handle waste appropriately. If any deficiencies are found, we swiftly instruct the contractor to take corrective action and require proper waste disposal management.
Major initiatives
● Promoting waste sorting and the turning of plastic waste into valuable material
The SCREEN Group conducts thermal recycling to recover the waste heat generated during the incineration of waste plastic as industrial waste and use it as energy. In addition, to reduce GHG emissions from incineration and promote recycling it as plastic, we are strengthening sorting and expanding the sale of waste as valuable materials. The scope of these activities, which began at SPE Hikone Site, has steadily expanded to include other businesses and bases within the Group, contributing to plastic waste reduction across the entire SCREEN Group.
● Resource conservation efforts
We are combining our traditional resource conservation efforts, such as minimizing the use of packaging sheets and bubble wrap by reviewing the way products are packed for transportation, with enhanced initiatives to reduce and recycle plastic and other waste.