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Development of Environmentally Conscious Products : Toshiba Visual Products Company

Environmental Conscious Products

Visual Products Company / Storage Products Company focuses on developing Environmentally Conscious Products (ECP), which the environmental impact brought through products life-cycle reduced, to build up sustainable recycling society.
From products planning stage, fulfilling requirements for quality, cost and compliance, we address to develop products based on environment-design assessment so that environmental impact brought through products life-cycle effectively is reduced and Environmentally Conscious Products realized.

MRM, Expanded Recycling Programs

Toshiba also announced that it has expanded its recycling program to include television and other consumer electronics with drop-off locations in all 50 states.

Toshiba will utilize Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, L.L.C. (MRM), a joint venture between Toshiba, Panasonic Corporation of North America and Sharp Electronics Corporation, to implement the program. Furthering the goal to increase recycling efforts across the industry, consumers can drop off Panasonic and Sharp branded consumer electronics products at any of the 280 locations nationwide, providing more convenience for the consumer.
Toshiba's recycling program will involve a number of different collection opportunities, including existing municipal recycling centers, private recycling centers and non-profit organizations. The goal is to leverage consumer behavior by maximizing convenience and ultimately creating an efficient and effective recycling program. For more information and a list of the locations where Toshiba, Panasonic and Sharp branded electronics can be dropped off for recycling, please visit www.mrmrecycling.com.

Toshiba will continue to look for new ways to expand its environmental efforts.

Approaches to ENERGY STAR® Program

Toshiba's partnership with organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through participation in voluntary programs such as ENERGY STAR® is a key part of our effort to play a leading role in helping establish a sustainable society through the reduction of greenhouse gases.

Toshiba has 23 current LCD televisions that qualified the latest ENERGY STAR 4.1 specification for televisions.

ENERGY STAR 4.1 qualified models are listed below.
Model name:19C100,19CV100,19SL400,22C100,22CV100,22SL400,26CV100,26SL400,32CV100, 32SL400,40SL500,40UL605,40UX600,46SL500,46UL605,46UX600,46VX700,46WX800,55SL500, 55UL605,55UX600,55VX700,55WX800.

Plan for reduction of PVC and BFRs in TV

Toshiba is promoting efforts to eliminate polyvinyl chloride and brominated flame retardants from its products.

■Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Toshiba prohibits the use of PVC in packing materials.
Separately from packing materials, Toshiba will introduce PVC alternatives for all remaining uses of PVC in TV parts by the end of FY2009, as we identify alternatives that have lower impacts on the environment and health, and that do not compromise product function, performance or quality.
Additionally, any PVC alternative should be a technically reasonable substitute.


■Brominated flame retardants (BFRs)

Toshiba prohibits the use of PBB (poly-brominated biphenyls) and PBDE (poly-brominated biphenyl ethers), including Deca-BDE, in all Toshiba brand TVs.
Toshiba will introduce BFR alternatives for all remaining uses of BFRs in TV parts by the end of FY2009, as we identify alternatives that have lower impacts on the environment and health, and that do not compromise product function, performance or quality.
Additionally, any BFR alternative should be a technically reasonable substitute.

We will bring TV 55X1 to market in December 2009. There is no BFR in the cabinet and no PVC/BFR in the main control circuit board of this TV.


Visual Products Company / Storage Products Company creates Environmentally Conscious Products by four approaches, "Energy-saving", "Resource-saving", "Recycling" and "Green". With those, CO2 emissions from products life-cycle is aimed to reduce.

CO2 reduction target through environmental consciousness for products

Toshiba Group aims to reduce 35.7 million of CO2 in 2025, lifting previous reduction target 1.06 million tons of CO2. This amount is nearly equivalent with a half of CO2 emitted in Tokyo in 2006. To respond this, Visual Products Company / Storage Products Company sets target to reduce 400 thousand tons of CO2 by our products in 2010.
To begin with, we go ahead with achieving our target by energy-saving design for TV and DVD, our leader products.

Calculation of CO2 by products

Based on CO2 emissions by 2000 model through its life-cycle, a difference with CO2 emissions by life-cycle of a measured model is counted as reduced CO2 per one unit.

* CO2 reduction target by products in Visual Products Company / Storage Products Company.


Energy-saving performance

As consumer become more environmental conscious, “Energy Saving” become the important choice criterion when consumer buy the product. We aim to provide the products that the energy saving performance is excellent. The usage of “energy-saving products” does not only reduce CO2 emission but also effect a saving of electric bill.

Energy-saving on LCD TV "REGZA"

Four approaches for
energy-saving
Automatic image adjustment matched in the watching environment LCD panel of energy saving
Design considered saving resource and recycle No operation and no signal power-off function

Compared with one year ago, 127 kwh/year equal to 20% of the power consumption amount was reduced.

Go to the environmental approach of REGZA

*2 Digital LCD TV for 42V type twice velocity
(Announcement on March 4, 2009)

Resource-saving

For resource-saving we reduced the resource that was used by designing the products lightly and thinly. We address reducing environmental impact by using the recycled paper more than 70% for the packaging cardboard.

Resource-saving on high vision DVD recorder "VARDIA"

Resource-Saving on "VARDIA"
  RD-X1 RD-G503
Hard Disc 80GB 500GB
Unit mass 8.4Kg 5.2Kg
Packaging mass 2.4Kg 1.3Kg
Unit volume 18,473cm3 9,997cm3

Go to the environmental approach of VARDIA

Recyclability

From effective utilization of resources standpoint, we think primarily of readily-decomposable so that built-in parts can be recycled in products final stage.

Specify raw materials for more than 25g of plastic

In case more than 25g of plastic is used in products, label raw materials of the plastic. In left-side picture PS (polystyrene) is a raw material. (rule out transparent material and extruded material)

Green

Visual Products Company / Storage Products Company outlaws the use of 6 substances restricted under RoHS Directive. Besides, we move to reduce and replace other toxic substances.

Halogen-free Hard Disc Drive

Halogen and Antimony-free printed-wiring board (2.5")

Hard disk drive is shipped to mount onto the multiple products as a OEM for various clients of the world. Our Hard Disc Drive has been adopted "Halogen and Antimony-free printed-wiring board" (refer left picture) which do not contain halogenated flame retardant expected to generate dioxin when in incinerating and antimony, toxic heavy metal, into our all models.
And we realized to make "MK4085GSX" Halogen-free (chlorine and bromine) completely in its whole unit as our advanced challenge. We continue to promote Halogen-free in all models in the future. Commencing with Halogen-free introduced here, we remember to get one step ahead than the movement of the world in mind.

Go to the environmental approach of Hard disk drive

Go to Green activity including RoHS

Indicator of Environmentally Conscious Products

Global warming, prevention of ozone depletion, energy-saving and etc., there are many issues we need to strive.
The indicator to promote these are "Environmental Efficiency" and "Factor". "Factor" is an indicator so that products value can be evaluated by comprehensive and quantitative calculating considering product value and environmental impact together.
Toshiba Group employs our own unique environmental efficiency, "Factor T", and is enhancing environmental actions

Go to Toshiba Group's Factor T

* The C8000 series is products certified as excellent ECP.

Calculation of value factor

We introduce QFD(Quality Function Deployment) method as means of expression for products value.

Calculation of environmental impact reduction factor

We evaluate environmental impacts of products by LCA

Environmentally Conscious Products

Hereby we would introduce Environmentally Conscious Products by Visual Products Company / Storage Products Company. (*1)

(*1) Images are extracted from "Eco Products Directory 2008" issued by APO.

* Click images to enlarge.

Products Environment-related Data

* Trend of power consumption of REGZA (32" LCD-TV)
* Trend of energy efficiency of Hard Disc Drive
* CO2 emissions in each phase of life cycle of 2007 main products

Trend of power consumption of REGZA (32" LCD-TV)

Trend of energy efficiency of Hard Disc Drive

(*1)Energy efficiency- an index showing energy-saving performance measured and calculated with method defined for specified devices under Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy. In the case of Hard Disc Drive, calculated by dividing power consumption (W) measured under specified method by memory capacity (GB)

(*2) Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy- the law in order to rationalize the use of energy. Under this law, as shown above, target figures are settled for products for domestic shipments by the target year.

CO2 emissions in each phase of life cycle of main products (*5) [Kg-CO2]

* LCD-TV (REGZA)

* DVD recorder(VARDIA)

* Business camera

* Hard Disc Drive

(*5) Calculated based on LCA software "Easy-LCA"