Kirin Beverage continues to pioneer environment-friendly, resource-efficient solutions in the Japanese beverage industry.
      Already, the company’s ultra-light PECOLOGY bottles are the most resource-efficient PET bottles made in Japan, weighing in at a mere 42 grams per unit, about two-thirds of that of a standard PET bottle. Yet, so far they have mostly come in smaller sizes. In 2006, however, the company greatly expanded PECOLOGY to include both existing and new product lines, including most 2-liter items, thereby reducing the amount of raw materials used in bottles annually by about
4,500 tons—the equivalent in weight of about 100 million PECOLOGY bottles.
      In addition to this, Kirin Beverage engages in a range of environmental initiatives. The company recycles the tea leaves used in the manufacture of Kirin Nama-cha, turning them into the raw material for the cartons used to package this tea beverage. It also actively uses environment-friendly rail transportation for its products and has been authorized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to use the “Ecorail” logo on its products. Finally, solar power panels help to reduce the environmental footprint of manufacturing operations at the Shonan Plant, where global warming and other environmental issues have become key themes for factory tour programs.
      More information on PECOLOGY is available on http://www.beverage.co.jp/pecology (in Japanese).
The new PECOLOGY package
design of Kirin’s popular Nama-cha,
sporting a new roll label that cuts label
material use by 40%
Both Nama-cha and the Alkali-ion water are certified with the Ecorail mark
All two-liter items, except those for commercial use, now use PECOLOGY bottles
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Otemachi Café a business operated by Mitsubishi Estate, won the Ministry of the Environment Prize for the Eco Service category of the 2006 Eco Products Awards. The awards are presented by the Eco Products Award Promotion Council, with sponsorship from six government ministries. The awards acknowledge the contribution made by products and services to the reduction of environmental loads. In the 2006 competition there were 127 entries in the Eco Product and Eco Service categories.
      Otemachi Café provides opportunities for community formation consisting of exhibition and seminar spaces and café spaces. The concept was created to support sustainable urban community development through initiatives to reduce the environmental footprint of redevelopment activities in the Otemachi,
The award-winning Otemachi Café provides verdant green spaces for both food and thought
Marunouchi and Yurakucho districts of central Tokyo.
      The exhibition space is enlivened by the striking presence of a sub-critical water treatment plant capable of recycling organic waste into bio gas and lactic acid. Environment-friendly products, including traditional plaster walls and recycled materials, are used extensively throughout the interior. By including features that encourage communication in its designs, Mitsubishi Estate aims to promote and strengthen awareness of the environment.
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The Mitsubishi International Corporation Foundation (MICF) is Mitsubishi Corporation’s primary philanthropic institution for the Americas, where it has dedicated more than $3 million to environmental causes since its establishment in New York in 1992. In November 2006, the foundation approved over $500,000 in new grants, among them a $150,000 grant to Sustainable South Bronx, a non-profit organization that has combated pollution and poverty in New York’s South Bronx neighborhood since 2001. The organization’s founder, Majora Carter, received the prestigious Genius Grant from the MacArthur Foundation for her work.
B.E.S.T. graduates working to restore and maintain the Bronx River
The Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx, Majora Carter
Photo: Alessandra Petlin for Newsweek
      The South Bronx has one of the highest poverty rates in the U.S., and residents live amidst a disproportionate number of waste treatment plants, garbage dumps and power stations. To combat this dire situation, Sustainable South Bronx created the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (B.E.S.T.) program.
      B.E.S.T. links environmental cleanup and restoration to the economic needs of the community, providing career opportunities in “green collar” jobs. The program has successfully provided training for underserved residents in ecological restoration, hazardous waste cleanup, landscaping and more. To date, 90% of its graduates are now gainfully employed and 80% are working in the field of environmental stewardship. MICF continues to provide key support for this success story.
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What do fuel cells and Mickey Mouse have in common? The answer: Tokyo Disneyland. In November last year, Nippon Oil completed the installation of an Eneos Eco LP-1 1-kW home fuel cell at the theme park’s central aid facility.
      Nippon Oil, who has officially sponsored Tokyo Disneyland since the park’s opening in 1983, has built a solid business relationship with its operator, Oriental Land Co., Ltd. Recently, the two companies have worked closely together to find ways to conserve energy and protect the environment through the use of fuel cells.
      The electricity and hot water produced by the fuel cell system, which is powered by liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG), will be used to provide first aid to visitors who have become ill or injured while in the park.
      Tokyo Disneyland is visited by millions of people every year. By installing the Eneos Eco LP-1, Nippon Oil aims to raise public awareness about the advantages of fuel cells, and to promote their use by a wide range of customers.
      On November 1, the company also began to accept applications from ordinary households for the installation of Eneos Eco LP-1 and Eneos Ecoboy, a kerosene-fueled home fuel cell system. The installations will start in the spring of 2007. Prospective customers should apply online at http://www.noe.jx-group.co.jp/lande/product/fuelcell/.
Fuel cells now cover some of Tokyo Disneyland’s energy needs
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Through the Glass Power Campaign, Asahi Glass is helping to improve safety and disaster preparedness and prevent global warming. The campaign was launched in October 2005 in response to the fact that broken windows from natural disasters, such as earthquakes and typhoons, cause injuries and can render evacuation facilities unusable. Laminated glass is tough, and fragments are less likely to be scattered when it is broken. It insulates better, too, helping to combat global warming.
Mr. Kimikazu Ichikawa, General Manager of Japan Division, Asahi Glass, presents the donation to Mr. Junichi Mizusako, Mayor of Tarumizu
The Glass Power Campaign logotype
      Asahi Glass is working to raise awareness of laminated glass through the “10x10 Project” whereby visitors to the project website can donate a 10x10 cm piece of laminated glass by clicking on the name of a prefecture. When the number of clicks for a prefecture reaches 20,000, Asahi Glass donates 200 m2 of laminated glass for use in a designated evacuation center.
      In November 2006, Asahi Glass donated laminated glass to the campaign’s second recipient, Tarumizu Elementary School in Kagoshima Prefecture, a designated disaster evacuation center for its community.
      This type of participatory campaign generates a real sense of active involvement. Through activities like this, Asahi Glass aims to contribute to the development of safe, secure communities across Japan.
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