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| Mitsubishi
Materials, Japan's largest producer of nonferrous metals
and also a leader in cement and semiconductor materials,
is a pioneer in recycling and other environmental technologies.
Most recently, the company has taken the initiative
in calculating the total environmental ramifications
of recycling. |
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 Scrap
tires are notoriously difficult to dispose of
cleanly. Mitsubishi Materials has earned plaudits
for its work in developing practical technology
for burning scrap tires cleanly in cement kilns.
Its lifecycle assessment furnishes an objective
measure of the net environmental benefits of that
technology and other environmental initiatives.
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Several
benefits of recycling are readily apparent in a general
sort of way. Reusing metals, for example, is obviously
preferable to scarring the face of the planet with new
mines. And reprocessing typically--though not necessarily--consumes
less energy than producing materials anew.
Lots of environmental tradeoffs occur, however,
throughout product lifecycles. Recycling inevitably occasions
a host of unseen merits and demerits. An accurate understanding
of the total net benefits of recycling is a prerequisite
for sound environmental management. Mitsubishi Materials
has put in place a lifecycle assessment framework to secure
that kind of understanding.
Cement, copper, aluminum,
electrical appliances
The lifecycle assessment at
Mitsubishi Materials covers the environmental pluses and
minuses of an extensive range of activity. For example:
- burning fly ash from coal-fired
power plants, blast furnace slag, sewage sludge, scrap
tires and other waste cleanly in cement kilns
- employing recovered copper waste
as raw material in copper smelting
- recovering copper from the residue
that remains after shredding automotive scrap
- employing used aluminum cans
as raw material in aluminum production
- recovering and reusing materials
from scrapped electrical appliances
Mitsubishi Materials
measures the net decrease in landfill waste that its
environmental programs accomplish. It monitors the amount
of mineral and energy resources that its cement, copper,
aluminum and appliance recycling operations each consume.
And it monitors progress in minimizing output of carbon
dioxide.
A yen for environmental
protection
Economic costs and benefits
are a convenient and convincing yardstick for monitoring
environmental impact. Mitsubishi Materials calculates
that its proactive measures for reducing environmental
impact generate a net economic benefit for society of
40 billion yen (more than $330 million) annually.
The company continues working to increase
the net benefits of environmental initiatives under
way in the operations cited above. Meanwhile, it is
preparing to extend the lifecycle assessment to other
sectors of operations.
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Ryoshoku,
a Mitsubishi company that is Japan's largest wholesaler
of dry goods, is eliminating cardboard waste. It delivers
packaged foods and other products to retailers in returnable
plastic boxes (photo). Along with conserving resources,
that spares the retailers the trouble of disposing of
cardboard boxes.
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Now
that recycling aluminum cans has become common, making
the recycling cleaner and more energy-efficient is a pressing
issue. Kirin Brewery has begun using cans that reduce
carbon dioxide emissions 14%, water usage 6% and solid
waste output 12% in manufacturing. The cans' secret is
a polyester laminate on their inner and outer surfaces,
which simplifies processing. through recycling processes
that recover and reuse as much material as possible.
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Diamond
Lease is taking the initiative in recycling desktop computers
and other office equipment. The company, a leading provider
of lease financing for office machines, receives equipment
when the leases expire. It disposes of obsolescent items
through recycling processes that recover and reuse as
much material as possible.
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