In fiscal 2005, NGK succeeded in achieving zero emissions by keeping outside disposal volume down to less than 1,000 tons a year. In our Second Five-year Environmental Action Plan, we aim to curb the total volume of by-products to further promote the effective use of resources.
For those by-products that we do generate, our aim is to reduce the volume slated for landfill and encourage the reuse of by-products as resources in order to step up our efforts to achieve zero emissions.
In fiscal 2008, the total volume of by-products generated by NGK amounted to 14,400 tons, or 15% less than in fiscal 2007. The volume generated by Group companies in Japan was 3,800 tons; 12% less than the previous fiscal year.
To achieve our targets for 2010, the final year of our latest five-year plan, we intend to boost yields, improve our production technologies, and review our production processes.
The total volume of by-products generated by Group companies outside Japan in fiscal 2008 amounted to 30,500 tons, or 5% less than in fiscal 2007.
As part of steps to curb the generation of by-products, from fiscal 2008, we also established uniform targets for Group companies outside of Japan.
NGK is cooperating with outsourcing partners in an initiative to recycle by-products as resources. Furthermore, we are developing new routes for processing by-products, including material and chemical recycling, in a bid to realize effective use of by-products as resources.
In fiscal 2008, outside disposal volume was 573 tons, down 28% from the previous fiscal year. The recycling rate for by-products was 96%, an improvement of one percentage point from fiscal 2007.
Going forward, we will work to raise the recycling rate and improve our effective use of resources. Efforts here will include better sorting and developing additional processing routes for by-products.
Sorting containers for by-products
At NGK Ceramics Europe in Belgium, our recycling rate is 99%, the highest rate among Group companies outside Japan. This success stems from extensive sorting mechanisms and our system for managing by-products.
First, in our sorting method, we prevent sorting errors by setting up info boards for every type of byproduct bearing color-coded names of the companies that collect these materials. In our storage methods we keep oil in locked containers and we were attentive enough to create a sump to ensure no outside oil leakage in the event of a spill. We owe our high recycling rate to steady progress in enacting measures of this kind.
