The vision aims to ensure sustainable use of resources in business operations and minimize the environmental impact due to wastes.
Toward 2050, the Brother Group will maximize resource circulation to ensure the sustainable use of resources and to minimize the environmental impact due to wastes.
Main efforts: Expansion of cyclical businesses, reuse of products and parts, use of recycled materials, etc.
Progress Toward Resource Circulation and Waste Reduction Targets
The medium-term targets aims to reduce the consumption of resources for main products, achieve efficient use of water resources, and ensure proper treatment of wastewater.
Medium-term target for FY2030
- Reduce the ratio of virgin materials used in products*1 to 65% or less*2 by FY2030 through the expansion of circular-economy-based businesses and materials recycling.
- The group's manufacturing facilities continuously endeavor to ensure efficient use of water resources and proper treatment of wastewater.
- Including packaging materials
- Applies to the Printing and Solutions Business, Personal and Home Business, and Machinery Business
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Resource Circulation and Waste Reduction Initiatives
The Brother Group engages in resource circulation to address the environmental issues resulting from resource use, such as depletion of natural resources and pollution by waste, etc., as well as to reduce CO2 emissions. From FY2019 to FY2020, the amount of waste decreased as a result of continuous waste reduction initiatives and a reduction in the operation of manufacturing facilities due to COVID-19. In FY2021, the amount of waste increased as a result of increased production, mainly driven by the steady growth of the Machinery Business and the Printing & Solutions Business. In FY2022, the Brother Group achieved a 6% reduction per unit of sales from the FY2021 level through waste reduction efforts, introduction of waste liquid treatment system, reduction in the use of wooden pallets, and reuse of the backside of printed paper, etc. at manufacturing facilities.
In particular, Brother Machinery Xian Co., Ltd. introduced a vacuum distillation waste liquid treatment system equipped with a highly efficient heat circulation function, which reduced the amount of waste liquid by approximately 88%.
Furthermore, in February 2022, the Brother Group revised the medium-term target for FY2030 regarding the resource circulation target to "reduce the ratio of virgin materials used in products to 65% or less," in order to further advance resource circulation initiatives and conduct business operations compatible with a circular economy. Currently, the Brother Group is working toward its goal of reducing the ratio of virgin materials in the total amount of materials used in products to 65% or less through measures such as the expansion of subscription-based, circular-economy-based businesses and the recycling of materials, including the use of recycled plastic materials in products and the use of reused goods. In FY2022, the total amount of plastics emitted by BIL was 988 tons, achieving a reduction of approximately 1% from the FY2021 level.
Waste liquid treatment system
Exploring recycling possibilities for the sake of the future global environment
In Europe, we started a recycling program in 2004 by adopting newly developed recycling-compatible toner cartridges.
Thanks to an automated recycling system we introduced, we are able to offer the same high quality in recycled cartridges, as well.
In 2014, the Brother Group received two prestigious awards in the 2014 Responsible Business Awards given out by Business in the Community, a U.K.-based NPO. The group's contribution to communities and the environment was recognized.
Contents of SDGs STORY
The Brother Group's Water Usage Reduction Activities
Securing safe water resources is an important environmental challenge common across the globe. The Brother Group has been monitoring all of our sites regularly, evaluating water risks at each site every year, and working to reduce water consumption to fulfill our responsibilities as an operator of manufacturing facilities in many countries and regions. At the 13 facilities with relatively higher water consumption, we formulate water management plans and implement various initiatives.
In FY2022, we formulated the Brother Group Environmental Action Plan 2024 (effective from 2022 to 2024), setting a target to reduce water withdrawal at manufacturing facilities from the previous fiscal year (per unit of sales), and we are committed to reducing water usage.
Since FY2020, Brother Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd. (BTSL) started reusing the cooling tower water to contribute to improving the rate of water recycling. In FY2021, BTSL continued to take measures including reducing toilet water usage, switching to water-saving faucets, as well as new recycling efforts, such as using water treated at wastewater treatment facilities that meets the standards in toilets. Furthermore, as a result of the production adjustment due to the growing impact of COVID-19, water withdrawal in FY2021 was 7% lower than the FY2020 level (per unit of sales). In FY2022, BTSL implemented measures such as improvement of water spraying equipment, introduction of new cleaning methods, increased use of air conditioning water, and utilization of wastewater from analyzers, in addition to the same measures from FY2021, resulting in a 15% reduction compared to the FY2021 level (per unit of sales). In FY2023, BTSL will continue efforts to reduce water withdrawal by reusing cooling water, installing more water-saving faucets, reusing drain water, and modifying water treatment systems, with the goal of a reduction per unit of sales compared to the previous fiscal year.
Water circulation efforts at Brother Machinery Xian Co., Ltd.
Brother Machinery Xian Co., Ltd. (BMX) is located in an area with relatively high water risk since water resources are not abundant there. In FY2018, as part of an effort to circulate water, BMX installed a rainwater collection tank inside its site and is continuing to use the collected water for maintaining greenery.
- Revised the calculation based on the unit-of-sales ratio.
Scope of aggregation
| After FY2018 |
|---|
| Eight business sites in Japan (head office of Brother Industries, Ltd., Mizuho Manufacturing Facility, Hoshizaki Manufacturing Facility, Minato Manufacturing Facility, Momozono Manufacturing Facility, Kariya Manufacturing Facility, Research & Development Center, and Logistics Center), Nissei Corporation, Mie Brother Precision Industries, Ltd., Brother Industries (U.K.) Ltd., Brother Industries (Slovakia) s.r.o., Taiwan Brother Industries, Ltd., Zhuhai Brother Industries, Co., Ltd., Brother Machinery Xian Co., Ltd., Brother Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd., Brother Industries (Philippines), Brother Industries (Vietnam) Ltd., Brother Machinery Vietnam Co., Ltd. * and Brother Industries Saigon, Ltd., Inc. |
- Brother Machinery Vietnam Co., Ltd. ceased production on December 23, 2020.
Water Intake, Wastewater Volume, Volume of Water Recycled
| FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water intake(m3) | Clean water | 669,888 | 550,645 | 504,122 | 506,166 | 470,172 |
| Industrial water | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Underground water | 99,816 | 100,557 | 87,474 | 111,697 | 123,034 | |
| Wastewater volume(m3) | Public waters | 223,764 | 190,703 | 179,782 | 170,392 | 150,453 |
| Sewer system | 448,096 | 382,111 | 338,746 | 372,721 | 369,193 | |
| Other | 422 | 251 | 1,177 | 150 | 149 | |
| Volume of water recycled(m3) | 288 | 421 | 3,759 | 2,978 | 5,385 | |
| Percent of water recycled(%) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.0 | |
The scope of aggregation was directly related to the product range.
For the list of applicable sites, see page 5 of "Material balance" [PDF/588KB].
CDP Water Security 2023 Report
CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) is an international non-profit environmental organization founded in 2000, whose disclosure system has become the global standard for environmental disclosure in the world economy.
CDP's environmental data is used by financial markets, policy initiatives, and various other stakeholders.
Brother Industries, Ltd. has been participating in CDP Climate Change since 2011 and CDP Water Security since 2015, and responding to the questionnaires.
