About us > CSR Activities > Environmental Efforts > Environmentally Conscious Products > Implementation of LCA
Implementation of LCA
KYOCERA Document Solutions implements life cycle assessment (LCA) on all its products in order to grasp the negative environmental impact of products over their entire life cycle and then reduce it.
LCA, which stands for "life cycle assessment," is the method of "visualizing" the overall environmental impacts of each product and service, by clarifying the numerical values of the amount of consumed resources, consumed energy and generated waste at every life stage of the product/service concerned, including "resources procurement," "production," "transportation," "use," "waste disposal" and "recycling."
This "visualization" of environmental impacts (which take the form of global warming, depletion of natural resources, etc.) enables us to make objective evaluation of the effectiveness of our environmental action plans and achievements.
The LCA scheme is officially stipulated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the calculation method of LCA is prescribed by ISO14040 and ISO14044. Also, the standardized declaration process is described in ISO14025.
KYOCERA Document Solutions has acquired the EcoLeaf environmental label (the only Type III environmental label using the LCA tool in Japan) for its products. Building an internal data collecting system for implementing LCA and acquiring EcoLeaf System Certification have made it possible for the company to continue implementing LCA and to release information on EcoLeaf-certified products to the public in a timely manner.
Implementation of LCA is expected to produce the following effects:
- The conversion of achievements into numerical values enables us to make a logical choice of an optimal technology or the best method among multiple options.
- Visualization of environmental impacts in each stage of a life cycle enables us to clearly understand specifically what measures in which stage are the most effective in reducing environmental impacts.
- Understanding of environmental impacts (and the level of significance thereof) in respective stages enables us to be prepared for any potential subsequence (such as a subsequent emerging problem) in a specific stage, and also to implement any necessary measures to prevent identified impacts from affecting other stages.
- Clarification of numerical values that show the effectiveness of measures and the degree of effects enables us to use these values as grounds for scientific and objective judgment and determination of measures.
- The utilization of LCA data as our product data, which can be released through our website as soon as the product is introduced into the market, enables us to ensure the timely provision of environmental information to the public.
We carry out LCA for all of our products. Consequently, we can use such LCA data to make a comparative environmental assessment between a new product and its predecessor. Some examples of such assessment results are given below.
Specifications of target products
| TASKalfa 305 (target product for LCA) | KM-3060 (predecessor) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Printing speed (number of prints per minute) | 30 | 30 |
| 2 | Weight (kg) | 53 | 76 |
| 3 | Life-long ability to print (number of prints) | 540,000 | 540,000 |
| 4 | Date of release | January 2011 | November 2007 |
Examples of assessment results
The figure below compares TASKalfa 305 (target product) to its predecessor KM-3060 in the amount of global warming-causing emissions in a product life cycle.
Comparison of global warming-causing emissions in a product life cycle
Assessment results of the product itself
TASKalfa 305 weighs less than its predecessor, and its packaging materials also weigh less than those of its predecessor due to the introduction of molded pulp as a cushioning material. This saving of materials has resulted in 26% reduction in the amount of CO2 emissions caused in the materials production stage.
Assessment results of operational power consumption
The operational power consumption of TASKalfa305 is lower than that of its predecessor as a result of the reduction in standby power consumption to 1 watt (one ninth of that of its predecessor). This corresponds to a 27% reduction in the generation of CO2 emissions.
Assessment results of consumable components
The long-life design of TASKalfa 305 with a reduced use of consumable parts as well as the employment of a newly developed long-lasting toner have resulted in a 37% reduction in CO2 emissions attributable to consumable parts.
Thus, the implementation of LCA on products enables us to clearly understand the effects of environmental technologies introduced in each life stage.
We intend to effectively utilize these assessment results for the establishment of our next targets in designing future products. The objective is to create products that ensure minimal environmental impacts.
About us > CSR Activities > Environmental Efforts > Environmentally Conscious Products > Implementation of LCA
