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| October 31, 2006 |
| Announcement |
KENWOOD Achieves “Zero Emission of Waste”
at All Four Major Bases in Japan
We will strive to “reduce final disposal amount of waste for fiscal year 2010
by 99.8% or more from fiscal year 1997 level” |
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KENWOOD Corporation (President and CEO: Haruo Kawahara; Head Office: Hachioji, Tokyo) is pleased to announce that the KENWOOD Group achieved “zero emission*1 of waste” at all its major bases in Japan (the head office, one business center and two plants)*2 between July and September 2006.
The Group attained “zero emission of waste” at the Nagano Plant (KENWOOD Nagano Corporation) in August 2002. Since then, using the results at the plant as our “best practice,” we have implemented measures to achieve “zero emission of waste” across the group, including not only production sites but also the head office and business centers. In the course of these efforts, the Group has also targeted zero emissions of commercial and general waste, raising the standards of the measures. As a result, we could attain “zero emission of waste” at all major domestic bases between July and September 2006. In many cases, corporations work on “zero emission of waste” by only targeting manufacturing plants, but KENWOOD has broadened its targets to include offices such as the head office and business centers to development/design, as well as the plants, and we achieved zero emissions at these places simultaneously. |
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July 2006 |
August 2006 |
September 2006 |
From July to
September 2006 |
| Recycling rate (%) |
99.68 |
99.73 |
99.79 |
99.73 |
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KENWOOD has implemented eco-friendly business activities in line with its policy of reducing the burden on the environment and contributing to “coexistence with the Earth.” The Company has also manufactured products designed to reduce environmental burdens while focusing on environmental protection (saving energy, reducing waste and reducing the use of paper in offices). As a result of these efforts, the Company has acquired “ISO 14001” Environmental Management System certification at its eight business bases in Japan and overseas.
Since 1997, KENWOOD has carried out company-wide activities to reduce the final disposal amount of waste, which is incinerated or buried in landfill sites, to approaching “zero,” while implementing the 3R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle) campaign*3.
Consequently, the Company’s final disposal amount of waste at its major domestic bases decreased to a total of 2.1 tons per year in fiscal 2005, compared with 1,144 tons in fiscal 1997.The recycling rate improved remarkably from 41.5% to 99.7% in the same period.
KENWOOD will continue to contribute to the establishment of a resource recycling society, aiming to achieve the goal, set in 1997, of “reducing final disposal waste volume for fiscal 2010 by 99.8% or more from the fiscal 1997 level.” |
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| Main efforts for “zero emission of waste” |
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| (1)Reduce (reduction in the generation of waste and the amount of waste) |
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To curtail the generation of waste |
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To reduce inferior or discarded products through quality improvement |
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To design printed circuit boards and other products so that they use materials efficiently |
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To shorten lead time through production innovation (reduction in product stock) |
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| (2)Reuse (reuse of waste) |
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To use containers (cardboard boxes) for materials purchased on an ongoing basi |
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| (3)Recycle (recycling of waste) |
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To recycle waste by thoroughly sorting it |
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To ensure that dismantled prototypes and other products are sorted and then sell them to valuables dealers |
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To use recycling companies (to recycle items with value) rather than using waste-disposal companies |
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| (4)Other efforts |
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To use environment management staff to thoroughly sort waste |
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To strictly oversee that waste is being appropriately disposed of |
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| Note 1: |
Bases in Japan are Head Office, Yokohama Business center, KENWOOD Nagano Corporation and KENWOOD Yamagata Corporation. |
| Note 2: |
Zero emission is the concept advocated by the United Nations University in 1994. Its original definition is to “use limited global resources fully and efficiently” and to “minimize human influence on the natural environment. KENWOOD defines zero emission as “reducing industrial and commercial/general waste, which is discharged from domestic business bases and eventually incinerated or buried in landfill sites, to zero (or a recycling rate of 99.5% or more).” |
| Note 3: |
The 3R’s represent Reduce (curtailment of the generation of waste), Reuse (reuse of waste), and Recycle (recycling of waste). |
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| The KENWOOD Corporation is "Reaching out to discover, inspire and enhance the enjoyment of life" as part of its bold, new vision for the future. A leader in "Mobile & Home Multimedia Systems", KENWOOD is comprised of three business units (Car Electronics,
Communications and Home Electronics), 11 domestic and 22 overseas subsidiaries around the world. |
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| For inquiries regarding this article, please contact: |
Public & Investor Relations Office, Corporate Relations Division, KENWOOD Corporation
E-mail: pr.qa@kenwood.co.jp TEL: +81 42 646 6724 FAX: +81 42 646 1440 |
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