OKI to Start Recycling Uniforms to Reduce Environmental Burden
Plans to reduce approximately 3.7tons of CO2
Recycled OKI uniforms
TOKYO, Mar. 10, 2008 -- Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6703), Teijin Fibers Ltd., Chikuma & Co., Ltd., announced that OKI is recycling its uniforms by collecting used uniforms and restoring the fabric. Disposed uniforms are reincarnated into polyester fabric through a complete recycling system called "Eco Circle(*1)," based on Teijin Fibers' "fiber-to-fiber" technology(*2). Chikuma will then sew the fabric to a fully recycled uniform and provide it back to the OKI Group, which will enable OKI to recycle uniforms over and over again.
"We are pleased to contribute to reducing the environmental burden through recycling our uniforms. This is part of OKI's group-wide commitment to 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) activities which include activities to achieve emission of zero waste to minimize landfills, and activities to use the water effectively," said Masataka Sase, Senior Vice President of Oki Electric Industry and General Manager of OKI's Global Environment Division. "As part of these activities and leveraging Chikuma’s status as an authorized operator of a cross-jurisdictional waste treatment scheme(*3), OKI decided to collect and recycle used uniforms at all OKI Group business locations."
OKI provides uniforms to its employees at its plants and those in administrative positions. By March 2009, the OKI Group plans to recycle approximately 2000 uniforms, equivalent to a gross weight of 1.2 tons. Recycling uniforms will generate less CO2 than disposing of them and making new uniforms from petroleum products. Therefore, OKI will be reducing approximately 3.7 tons of CO2 through uniform recycling.
The completely recycled uniforms will have "eco-marks" sewed onto them to qualify them as meeting the criteria for used clothes by the Japan Environment Association. OKI Group will appropriately recycle used uniforms as resources by adopting widely the uniform recycling program and leveraging the waste treatment scheme operated by Chikuma.
Going forward, the OKI Group will actively work on various recycling activities and aims to further reduce environment burden.
Reference : Uniform recycling flow chart
Glossary
- *1 :ECO CIRCLE
ECO CIRCLE is the world's first closed-loop recycling system. It was developed by Teijin Fibers centering on technology for chemical recycling of polyester products. Collaborating with some 80 participating apparel manufacturers and sporting gear manufacturers based in Japan and overseas, Teijin Fibers provides product development, collection and recycling. Collected products are chemically decomposed to molecules and then recycled into products of the same quality as those produced from oil. Overcoming the issue of quality deterioration involved in the conventional manner of recycling based on physical treatment, it has opened the way for repeated recycling.
- *2 :fiber-to-fiber technology
This is technology developed by the Teijin Group to facilitate the recycling of used polyester products into high-quality fibers.
- *3 :cross-jurisdictional waste treatment scheme
This is a special system where manufacturers who are authorized by the Minister of Environment collect and recycle used products without obtaining permission from each local municipality. Chikuma became the first company in the apparel industry to obtain this authorization.
About Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's first telecommunications manufacturer, with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. OKI provides top-quality products, technologies and solutions to its customers through its info-telecom system business, semiconductor business and printer business. All three businesses function as a collective force to create exciting new products and technologies that satisfy a spectrum of customer needs in various markets. Visit OKI's global web site at http://www.oki.com/.
About Teijin Fibers Ltd.
- Date of foundation: January 25, 2002
- Head office location: 1-6-7 Minami Hommachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
- Capital: 12,025 million yen
- Representative: Yoshinaga Karasawa, Representative Director and President
- Number of employees: 988 (as of the end of March 2007)
- Sales: 150.4 billion yen (in the year ended March 31, 2007)
- Business description:
As the core company of the Teijin Textile Fibers Business Group, the company engages in the research, development, manufacture and sale of polyester materials, polyester fibers for clothing and other polyester-centered textiles for clothing as well as related businesses.
About Chikuma & Co., Ltd.
- Date of foundation: July 1, 1916
- Head office location: 3-3-10 Awaji-cho Chuo-ku, Osaka
- Capital: 679 million yen
- Representative: Junichiro Chikuma
- Number of employees: 251 (as of the end of November 2007)
- Sales: 28.8 billion yen (in the year ended November 30, 2007)
- Names of companies and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies and organizations.
Press Contact:
- For OKI
- For Europe and Americas: Public Relations Division
Phone: +1-408-737-6279
For Asia and Other Areas: Public Relations Division
Phone: +81-3-3580-8950 - For Teijin Fibers
- Public Relations & Investor Relations Office
Phone: +81-3-3506-4055 - For Chikuma
- Environment Management Office
Phone: +81-3-3667-5335
- * Information in the press releases is current on the date of the press announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice.