Suzuka Fuji Xerox Starts Operations
at Plastic Recycling Factory in Yokkaichi
Aiming to Realize a Recycling-Oriented Society
| TOKYO, April 18, 2006 – Suzuka Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Note 1 is set to commence operations on April 28 at a newly constructed plastics recycling plant in which it has invested approximately 300 million yen. The plant, built on the site of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation’s Yokkaichi Plant in Mie Prefecture, has a capacity to recycle nearly 2,300 tons of used plastic annually. The project is part of the city’s “Eco-Town PlanNote 2,” which was approved by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of the Environment on September 16, 2005. The company forecasts sales of around 600 million yen in fiscal 2008 from its new plastic recycling business. |
| At the newly established plant, plastic (styreneNote 3) not only from used digital multifunction devices / copying machines collected by Fuji Xerox and its sales subsidiaries but also from nearby OA equipment and home appliance recycling factories will be cleaned, crushed, mixed with RepelleNote 4 auxiliary agentNote 5 and made into granulated pellets. The recycled plastic will then be delivered to the market via materials manufacturers. It will be reused as a valuable resource incorporated into copy machines and home appliances (see the chart below). |
| In general, plastic loses its resilience and anti-shock capability when used plastic is the sole material in a recycled product, thus its use is limited to such items as artificial shrubs in parks. |
| In order to keep the functionality and quality of the plastic intact, the ratio of used plastic in recycled plastics is kept down to around 25 percent, with the other 75 percent being a mixture of new materials. However, by combining Fuji Xerox’s uniquely developed Repelle auxiliary agent with the used plastic, it is possible to recover its decreased properties. This eliminates the need to add any extra substances, and used plastic becomes the sole constituent. Further, this recycling process reduces carbon dioxide emissions to one-tenthNote 6. |
| By using the Repelle agent, plastics can be recycled into expanded polystyrene such as cushioning material and food trays without damaging the physical properties. The company is currently investigating the possibility of recycling used plastic from polystyrene as well. |
| The recycling manufacturing line, in which components taken from used copy machines collected by Fuji Xerox and its sales subsidiaries are reinstalled at a guaranteed quality level equal to new components, was shifted from Fuji Xerox’s Ebina Center to Suzuka Fuji Xerox in May 2005. Suzuka Fuji Xerox will accelerate resource recycling efforts in cooperation with Fuji Xerox to contribute to the realization of a recycling-oriented society. |
| Notes: |
| 1) |
An affiliate of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. that develops, manufactures and sells OA equipment and its related components. |
| 2) |
Yokkaichi’s Eco-Town Plan, developed in conjunction with local citizens, companies and authorities, has been developing businesses based on the concept of the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle – with the objective to realize a recycling-oriented society through the recycling of plastics, among others. |
| 3) |
A shock-resistant, moldable and heat-resistant plastic used widely as plastic components for the external and internal parts of home appliances and OA equipment. |
| 4) |
Repelle is a registered trademark of Suzuka Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. The Repelle system resolves technical problems such as decreased physical properties, variations in form and color reproduction encountered in plastic recycling. |
| 5) |
An auxiliary agent with high thermostable properties that, when making plastic pellets, helps recover and maintain the physical properties of plastic that has had its strength reduced due to heat stress. |
| 6) |
It is possible to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the entire production process for recycled plastic – from pellet creation to molding plastic products – to one-tenth compared with using new materials, as calculated using LCA software and industrial tables. |
| Suzuka Fuji Xerox’s Plastic Recycling Plant Overview |
| Name |
: |
Suzuka Fuji Xerox, Yokkaichi Plant |
| Location |
: |
1000 Kawajiri-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Pref.
(Inside the Kawajiri area of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation’s Yokkaichi Plant) |
| Business description |
: |
Manufacture of plastic recycled from used plastic |
| Site area |
: |
1,820㎡ |
| Floor area of factory wing |
: |
770㎡ (one-storied steel structure） |
| Capacity |
: |
2,300 tons/yr |
| Employees |
: |
13 |
Investment
(factory, building, equipment) |
: |
300 million yen |
|
PRESS CONTACT:
General Affairs Unit
Suzuka Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Tel: 0593-71-8500 |
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