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Konica Minolta manufactures products under its Design for Environment approach, taking into account various environmental aspects of our products, including global warming prevention, product recycling and hazardous emissions elimination. We assess the environmental impact at each stage in a product’s lifecycle, from raw material/part procurement to manufacture, transportation/sale, use, reuse/recycling and disposal. We have established assessment criteria that enable us to take appropriate measures from a comprehensive viewpoint. During the new product planning phase, numerical targets are set for environmental goals regarding items of standard product assessment. During the prototype phase, we check whether the targets are being met. Then we do a final assessment before production, to ensure that only products meeting the targets reach the market.
Environmentally Conscious Designs
Means to enhance environmental performance of the product are sought from variety of approaches at the development stage. Many ideas that encourage energy efficiency, reduction of the use of potentially hazardous chemicals through green procurement, and lighter, more compact products to reduce resource consumption are carried out at development.
Less Energy for Production
Improvement in manufacturing efficiency and implementation of co-generation systems help reduce CO2 emission, in recognition of the need to prevent any contribution to global warming.
Toner Recycling System Eliminates Toner Waste
Our original Toner Recycling System collects, recycles and re-uses toner that is not transferred to the paper during the printing process in MFPs. Without this system, about 20% of the toner put into a copier would go to waste, but this system eliminates that waste.
Distribution - Modal Shift
For long-distance shipments, Konica Minolta promotes modal shift from trucks to rail and ships to cut CO2 emission.
Selling - Less use of Packaging Materials
Light packaging and use of returnable boxes are promoted to cut consumption of packaging material.
Energy Efficient Designs
We create products with excellent energy efficiency so they are able to provide the same performance using less power.Konica Minolta bizhub devices have the international Energy Star label. An Energy Star product has a special feature that allows it to automatically switch to low-power mode after a period of inactivity. An Energy Star product uses energy more efficiently, saves you money on utility bills and helps protect the environment.
Reduction and Elimination of Harmful Chemicals
Products are assessed from the development stage in order to forward product designs that eliminate the use of chemicals that are potentially harmful to the environment.
Lead Free
Konica Minolta has been active in removing the use of lead for soldering in circuit boards found in many products such as printers and copiers.
Chromium Free
Use of chromium-free steel plates that do not contain hexavalent chromium compounds.
Halogen Free
We are making efforts to eliminate the use of harmful halogenated compounds such as brominated flame retardants (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that cause discharge of dioxin upon incineration. We have eliminated the use of BFR in the plastic material of our copiers outer casing.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Recycling of materials, reduction and/or disuse of potentially harmful chemicals in our products, and energy conservation are all being positively executed at each stage of the product lifecycle to preserve the environment. To ensure effective use of resources, Konica Minolta is committed to collecting products at the end of their use and recycling them. We make sure that the concept of "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" is taken into account from the development and design stage of our products.
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