Konica Minolta’s Environmental Activities
Production Activities to Solve Environmental Issues
(Green Factory Certification System)
Background and Issues
As environmental problems become increasingly serious, society requires greater energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy, and more efficient use of limited resources. Reducing environmental impact in the production process, especially in the manufacturing industry, has a significant effect on reducing the impact of society as a whole, and therefore, achieving substantial reductions is considered important.
Vision
Konica Minolta streamlines production processes, develops and improves production technologies, and takes steps to reduce its environmental impact while cutting costs.
Konica Minolta is conducting Green Factory activities to reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing sites, while also implementing highly effective reduction measures, such as energy conservation activities, effective use and recycling of resources, and the introduction of renewable energy.
Key Measures and KPIs
- Reduction of environmental impact of Konica Minolta production sites utilizing the company’s own know-how and cutting-edge environmental technologies
(Unit: thousand tons)
| KPI | Results | Targets | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | |
| Reduction of CO2 emissions at Konica Minolta production sites through energy-saving activities | 4 | 12 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 21 |
| CO2 reduction through the introduction of renewable energy | 7 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 55 |
| Reduction of waste discharge at Konica Minolta production sites | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 |
Note:
The figures represent the accumulated cumulative reduction effects for each mid-term plan period from FY2020 to FY2022 and FY2023 to FY2025. The reduction effects of measures implemented from the first year of each period to the relevant fiscal year are summed for each fiscal year. Targets for FY2024 and FY2025 have been revised based on FY2023 results.
Initiatives in Production
Konica Minolta has long promoted green-factory activities at its in-house production sites to simultaneously reduce its environmental impact and lower costs. The Company has launched a new Green Factory Certification System, which requires that production sites meet two standards: environmental impact reduction standards to evaluate energy and resource conservation measures, and guideline standards to evaluate the quality of activities.
The guideline standards include Global Warming (Energy Conservation) Guidelines, Resource Guidelines, Chemical Substance Guidelines, and Water Resource and Biodiversity Guidelines. The Company checks activity levels based on data to identify opportunities for improving environmental performance and uses these guidelines for on-site training to foster an environmental improvement perspective.
Furthermore, in the guideline standards, reflecting recent rising societal demands, the Company has included the expansion of renewable energy and CSR procurement as new indicators. Ensuring that its own production sites meet these two standards, the Company will accelerate its efforts to contribute to the global environment and provide solutions to social issues.
| Chemical plant site | Assembly/high load site | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Impact reduction Environmental impact reduction standards to be achieved by Konica Minolta production sites |
CO2emissions | 3% reduction annually through energy conservation (9% over 3 years) |
2% reduction annually through energy conservation activities (6% over 3 years) |
| Waste discharge | 2% reduction annually (6% over 3 years)＊2 |
2% reduction annually (6% over 3 years)＊2 |
|
| Guideline Standards for biodiversity and other initiatives to be pursued by Konica Minolta production sites |
Guideline compliance status | Complying with guidelines on items such as:
|
|
- ＊1
- Targeting major production sites that have a large environmental impact on Konica Minolta and are deemed a priority in the medium-term business plan.
- ＊2
- Set as a target that includes the reduction of plastic waste at major sites in Japan as part of activities to reduce and recycle plastic waste from products that use plastic based on the Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics enacted in Japan.
Activity Results Up To the Previous Medium-Term Plan
In fiscal 2022, six sites achieved Sustainable Factory Certification Standards: Konica Minolta Chemical Co., Ltd., Konica Minolta Business Technologies (Malaysia), Konica Minolta Supplies Manufacturing France, Konica Minolta Mechatronics Co., Ltd., Performance Materials Business Unit, and Tokyo Site (Hino/Hachioji). All 10 main Konica Minolta production sites meet the Green Factory certification criteria, which were launched in fiscal 2020, along with the four sites that had already achieved this certification in fiscal 2021. In addition to the above-mentioned standards, the Sustainable Factory Certification System implemented from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2022 included activities to reduce the CO2 emissions of suppliers, customers, and stakeholders in local communities by leveraging the know-how developed at each production site. Due to COVID-19, it was difficult to use the usual onsite visits to identify measures to reduce environmental impact, but Konica Minolta achieved its goals by building a new system for promoting environmental activities employing DX, including tools for energy-saving diagnostics developed by Konica Minolta and remote onsite diagnostics.
Konica Minolta Chemical Co., Ltd.,certified as a Sustainable Factory in September 2022.
Performance Materials Business, certified as a Sustainable Factory in March 2023.
Konica Minolta Mechatronics Co., Ltd., certified as a Sustainable Factory in March 2023.
As a result of these initiatives, in fiscal 2023, CO2 emissions at the production stage were cut by 128 thousand tons, waste substances were reduced by 21 thousand tons, and cost-cutting had a total effect of 8.3 billion yen.
CO2 Emissions Reduction Effect during Production
*The amount of reduction is calculated by subtracting the actual fiscal 2022 emissions amount from the estimated amount of emissions that would be produced if environmental conservation activities had not been implemented since fiscal 2005.
Waste Reduction Effect during Production
*The amount of reduction is calculated by subtracting the actual fiscal 2022 emissions amount from the estimated amount of emissions that would be produced if environmental conservation activities had not been implemented since fiscal 2005.
