Toward a Circular Economy
Along with global economic growth, demand for resources and energy is expanding. As a result, the amount of waste is increasing and environmental problems are becoming more serious. Accordingly, there is a growing need to shift from the conventional Linear Economy based on mass-production, mass-consumption, mass-disposal to a Circular Economy over the medium to long term. Mitsui Kinzoku Group is striving to make effective use of resources as well as reduce waste and environmental pollutants. We are also promoting the introduction of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), as a means to minimize the environmental impact of our products throughout their life cycles. Through these efforts, we aim to meet the requests of society and achieve sustainable growth for our group.
Effective Use of Resources
Mitsui Kinzoku Group strives to manufacture products by recycling waste and other recycled raw materials in order to make effective use of resources. In the nonferrous smelting business, we have been recovering zinc, lead, and other metals from waste, and supplying nonferrous metal products as essential raw materials for industry. This represents our effort to contribute to resource recycling while promoting our business development.
Mitsui Kinzoku Group has multiple smelters that are capable of processing a wide variety of raw materials, including zinc, lead, and copper. Mitsui Kinzoku Group has established its own recycling network that organically links its seven smelters in Japan for synergy effects. Toward the transition to a circular economy, we are now working to build a more advanced recycling network to expand the use of recycled raw materials and improve processing ability for difficult-to-refine raw materials. To this end, we are advancing separation and purification technologies according to materials, as well as improving technologies in our manufacturing processes.
*The International Council on Mining & Minerals (ICMM), an organization of global mining and smelting companies, has proposed the 10 Principles for Sustainable Development. The 10 principles are to promote the establishment of a material-cycle society through management of the entire supply chain of the industry, starting from mining, smelting, and processing, to consumption, disposal, recovery, and recycling of metal products. Although we are not a member of ICMM, we support the 10 Principles for Sustainable Development and are working on them.
Integrated Report 2024 Business strategy[PDF 1,623KB]
Waste Reduction Initiatives
Each manufacturing site strives to reduce waste by minimizing used resources and increasing efficiency. We are working to reduce the final disposal volume by improving the recovery rate of valuable resources, promoting the 3Rs of packing materials, and improving the yield rate of manufacturing processes. In the Environmental Action Plan, we are committed to reducing the generation of waste throughout the Group and set a target basic at each business site.
Prevent Air Pollution
Each manufacturing site of Mitsui Kinzoku Group monitors the following in accordance with laws, regulations and ordinances and voluntary standards: Sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions produced on the combustion of fossil fuels containing sulfur, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from boilers, incinerators and other combustion equipment, and particulate matter. We work on gathering and managing the monitoring results from each site, and sharing the initiatives and the technologies within the Group.
Reduction of Hazardous Chemical Substances Emissions
Each manufacturing site of the Group files the release and the transfer amount of chemical substances to the government under the Act on Confirmation, etc. of Release Amounts of Specific Chemical Substances in the Environment and Promotion of Improvements to the Management Thereof (Law concerning Pollutant Release and Transfer Register [PRTR] ). The management of hazardous chemical substances contained in products has become an essential requirement. We also respond to the guidelines for chemical substances contained in products, such as the RoHS Directive and the REACH regulations required by customers.
We aim to reduce the emission amount of environmental pollutants in accordance with the Environmental Action Plan, including our overseas sites. We continuously strive to collect and replace chemical substances that may cause environmental pollution. Thus we focus on reducing and removing use of such chemical substances from our products.
Plastic Recycling
Mitsui Kinzoku Group is committed to proper disposal of plastic waste and resource recycle. In FY2022, we set targets to reduce plastic emissions and increase the recycling rate for our domestic group, which accounts for approximately 95% of the Group’s total plastic waste emissions.
In manufacturing processes that use plastic materials, we are reducing both usage and emissions by improving yield rates. We are also working to switch to other materials such as metals and paper. In packaging materials, we are promoting the 3Rs and shifting to other materials. In addition, we are introducing new equipment to convert waste that was previously disposed of into valuable materials that can be reused and recycled. Moreover, we are pursuing ICT enabled approaches for visualizing waste data and increasing work efficiency as well as considering adopting new reduction measures. In the Ageo area ( Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture) and Miike area ( Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture), we have also started reduction activities through collaboration among sites.
Plastic waste reduction targets
| |
Baseline year
FY2021 |
Reporting year
FY2023 |
Target year
FY2024 |
|
| Emissions (thousand tons) |
2.2 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
|
| Recycling rate |
33% |
35% |
39% |
|
*Covers the scope of domestic consolidation, including Mitsui Kinzoku and domestic consolidated subsidiaries.
Environmental Contribution Product
In order to achieve a carbon neutral society, including our operations, and to realize a recycling-based society, we recognize that it is essential to create and develop products and businesses that contribute to the reduction of environmental impact in response to the social demands. In accordance with this, we evaluate the environmental impact of our products at each stage of their life cycle from the perspective of life cycle assessment (LCA), and define products that lead to the reduction of environmental impact and mitigation of social issues as Environmental Contribution Product. We have been operating a system to certify the environmental contribution products within our group since FY2020.
Efforts for 3R in Kyushu Miike Area
The Miike Rare Metal Plant of the Engineered Powders Division of Mitsui Kinzoku and Miike Smelting Co., Ltd. established a process to effectively utilize byproduct chloride compounds, in cooperation with local companies. Hydrochloric acid produced as a byproduct in another company’s manufacturing process was previously disposed of by a waste disposal operator. The Miike Rare Metal Plant uses the byproduct in its material melting process and has subsequently reduced the amount of hydrochloric acid purchased for use in the process. The chlorine solution byproduct of this process had been neutralized and discharged as wastewater. However, by reusing it for neutralizing exhaust gas and in the washing process at Miike Smelting, we have reduced the amount of neutralizer and wastewater. This initiative has enabled us and the local companies to effectively utilize the byproduct chloride compounds. Going forward, we will further increase the rate of reuse, thereby promoting our 3R activities.