Murata is reducing its environmental impact during not only production stages but also the product distribution stage.
In addition to reducing CO2 by making transport more efficient, we are making our packaging more environmentally friendly through a focus on the 3Rs.
Each year, Murata sets a target for reducing CO2 emissions during distribution and strives vigorously to achieve it. In FY2010, we worked to (1) increase the loading efficiency and reduce the total driving distance of our trucks, and (2) promote measures to achieve increased fuel efficiency in our trucks. We also attempted to control the amount of trucks in operation and driving distances in response to fluctuations in loads. In addition, the transportation information obtained from Eco-drive Management System (EMS) devices enabled us to select the trucks that would be most fuel-efficient on specific routes, and to allocate trucks in optimal combinations. In FY2010, our target was to reduce CO2 emissions from our domestic distribution per actual basic unit of production by at least 38% against the FY2000 figure. As a result of the initiatives above, we were able to reduce CO2 emissions by 50%. In FY2011, in addition to continuing our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from domestic distribution, we will commence studying the CO2 emissions resulting from overseas distribution.
CO2 Emissions during Domestic Distribution
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Materials Production Dept.
Takehiko Ishisaka
Our approach to reducing packaging materials is to use technological innovations to make our products smaller. In FY2010, we sought to reduce our use of packaging materials in terms of numerical units for the domestic taping of our main products by 50% or more against FY2000 figures, and we achieved a reduction of 51%. This represents a significant improvement against the 43% reduction achieved in FY2009.
In addition, in FY2010, we commenced full-scale introduction of the “real tray,” which we independently designed in order to eliminate the need for repackaging between Murata’s shipping process and our customers’ production facilities.
Not only are the real trays able to be assembled and disassembled with one touch, to be collected in stacks, and to be reused, but they also make use of plastic film discarded from our production plants as a recycled material, making them a form of packaging suited to a recycling-oriented society. We will continue to implement the 3Rs to enable us to make further advances in the use of more environmentally friendly packaging.
Weight of Packaging Materials Used
Real tray for Φ180 real product
Development of eco-conscious raw material containers contributes greatly to the reduction of CO2 emissions from distribution
Until recently, returning Murata’s reusable raw ceramics material containers after distribution required space equivalent to 50 full trucks each month. We set the target of reducing this by at least 65% and developed eco-friendly stackable containers to help us meet that goal. We are now projecting 68% space savings for returning containers. We are hoping to reduce CO2 emissions from distribution further by expanding this approach to other containers as well.