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About Panasonic

Resource Conservation in Factories

Last Update: Aug 6, 2009

Globally reducing an amount of wastes including revenue-generating waste

Waste generated from Panasonic’s factories is classified into: (1) an amount of recyclable wastes, regardless of any cases that Panasonic can receive revenues by selling, provide for free of charge or take price compensation; (2) an amount of wastes reduced by incineration or dehydration; and (3) an amount of wastes that has to be sent to landfills (final disposal).

We are striving to reduce the generation of all wastes, including not only type (3) but also types (1) and (2). We will further implement measures to achieve zero waste emissions* in which an amount of final disposal is reduced to close to zero through recycling.

  • * Definition: A recycling rate of at least 99%
    Recycling rate = Amount of resources recycled/(amount of resources recycled + amount of final disposal)
Amount of total wastes including revenue-generating waste and amount of total wastes per basic unit
Amount of final disposal and recycling rate (Japan)
Amount of final disposal and recycling rate (Outside Japan)

Zero waste emissions through the minimization of the mass of final disposal

In fiscal 2009, we achieved a 43% reduction against the target of reducing an amount of wastes including revenuegenerating waste per basic unit*1 by 16% from the fiscal 2001 level. The total amount of wastes also decreased by 17.1% from the fiscal 2008 level. Because we have already achieved the target for fiscal 2011, a 20% reduction, we have newly set a reduction target per basic unit*2 without price adjustment and will pursue a 14% and 16% reduction in fiscal 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Furthermore, the recycling rate in Japan reached 99.7% in fiscal 2009. In fiscal 2008, all of our 138 manufacturing sites*3 in the country achieved zero waste emissions and in fiscal 2009, 134 sites achieved zero waste emissions out of 135 sites. Also, outside Japan, we achieved a 91.8% recycling rate against the target of 90% and we aim to improve it to 95% on average in fiscal 2011.

  • *1 Amount of total wastes/(consolidated sales/Bank of Japan’ corporate goods price index [electrical machinery and equipment])
  • *2 Amount of total wastes/consolidated sales (result for fiscal 2009 calculated using this formula: 12% reduction from fiscal 2001 level)
  • *3 All sites of the business domain companies
Breakdown of amount of wastes by region
Flowchart of waste treatment (Japan)

Breakdown of amount of total wastes (Japan)

(Units: tons)
Items Amount of waste arisings Amount of recycled resource Amount of final disposal
Metal 52,100 51,965 1
Paper 19,868 19,161 64
Plastics 32,093 29,525 117
Acids 29,548 25,906 24
Sludge 18,473 17,075 72
Wood 11,533 11,318 1
Glass/ceramics 10,916 10,880 20
Oil 7,691 6,975 9
Alkalis 5,619 3,152 199
Others 17,708 14,658 60
Total 205,549 190,615 567

Amount of in-house circulating resources (Japan)

(Units: tons)
Amount of in-house recycling*1 7,631
Amount of recycling after in-house intermediate treatment*1 1,320
Amount of in-house heat recovery*2 0
  • *1 Amount of internally reused resources
  • *2 Amount of internally heat-recovered resources

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