Part 1 Let's take action in Kyoto to stop global warming!

When we left the train at the JR Yamazaki Station, west of Kyoto City, we saw the Kyoto Works of Hitachi Maxell, Ltd., surrounded by bamboo groves and the green trees. The air felt refreshing. We wondered how such a splendid environment could be preserved. We learned many things during our visit to the works.

Products familiar in our daily lives, such as batteries and tapes, are produced here.

Hitachi Maxell is widely known with its music tapes, video tapes, DVD and batteries.

This is the alkaline battery often used for mobile game machines, isn't it? A little expensive but it has a long life, which reduces waste. I'm in favor of alkaline batteries for this reason.

All of you seem to find the products familiar to you. Next, I will show you the production lines in the factory. These are not usually open to non-company personnel.

This is the production line for tapes. As you probably noticed, the specific feature of the Kyoto Works is that the main product in this production line has changed with the times. It used to be cassette tapes and video tapes, but now data tapes for computers are the main products in this line.

The tapes are wound up by the robots. The fabrication of tapes into cassettes is also almost completely automated. That's just amazing!

I see. This battery might be used in my cellular phone. Well, Maxell products have always been with us as daily gadgets even though times are changing.

What is more, our focus is concentrated on the development of environmentally conscious products called eco-products, in which eco-friendly materials such as recycled plastics and paper are used with reduced amounts of packaging materials. Now these eco-products take up 90% of all Maxell products.

We didn't know that these products are this environmentally friendly! I can tell that you are making various efforts as a corporation. This factory is also very refreshing as it's surrounded by trees.

The area of this factory is about 210,000 square meters. This is also a historical place full of romance, being the site of the battle of Ten'nozan, an epic battle in remote Japanese history which determined the fate of the empire, and the ancient shrine Rikyu Hachimangu. The beautiful natural environment unique to Kyoto must be preserved forever.

Our location in Kyoto means that we cannot be indifferent to global warming!

At last the Kyoto Protocol has come into effect. As a super eco-factory in Kyoto, what measures do you take to protect the environment?

Hitachi Maxell considers the environment based on four key points, the 'global warming prevention', 'creation of a recycling-based society', 'environmentally conscious products' and 'harmony with local communities'. In particular we try to find the best way to prevent global warming.

I'm afraid to say that there are more students who don't know about the Kyoto Protocol than those who do know it. I wonder if Japan can really reduce greenhouse effect gas emissions by 6% by 2012?

Listening to what you have said, I'm interested in the ways employed in this factory to reduce greenhouse effect gas emissions.

The most advanced cogeneration and regenerative deodorizing furnace facilities have been introduced in this factory as measures to curb global warming. These facilities are capable of deodorizing and detoxifying organic solvent gases emitted in the course of magnetic tape manufacturing processes, by burning these gases and recovering their thermal energy to operate air conditioning facilities in the factory.

I can tell that you are trying to use your technologies to keep the air clean and protect the environment in Kyoto.

Indeed, organic solvent gases cause acid rain, as well as their odor, but I haven't noticed any strange odor in this factory.

Certainly not in this factory. 99% of the odor is removed by passing odorous gases through a regenerative deodorizing furnace. It would be devastating if these organic solvent gases were emitted in the atmosphere as they are, but we decompose these gases into water and carbon dioxide before releasing them into the atmosphere in order not to pollute the air.

There were many chemical factories in the town where I lived before, which frequently released noxious fumes. Remembering this, it is really remarkable how good a regenerative deodorizing furnace is.

* VOC: Volatile Organic Compounds

There's more. The cogeneration system can generate a maximum of 6,450 kilowatts of power. This means the system efficiently supplies the power required for half of the demand at the factory. This energy efficiency contributes to reducing as much as 31% of CO2 emissions at the Kyoto Works.

We won't compromise in our efforts to stop global warming here in Kyoto. In order to be certified as a super eco-factory, however, not only do we need to raise production efficiency but all of us also have to make an effort to co-operate with local communities in order to protect the environment.

1. 
2. 
3. 

• page top