5. Eco products
At Sumitomo Electric, we define environmentally friendly products and services as "eco products". In our optical fiber business, we are committed to the development and promotion of eco products that reduce environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle, from the material acquisition, manufacturing, installation, and usage to the end-of-life of optical fibers and cables. In the future, we will continue to contribute toward the sustainable transformation of society through the innovative development and production of optical fibers.
1. Two-core fiber (multi-core fiber)
Two-core fiber is a fiber that has two "cores" for propagating optical signals within a single fiber.
Doubling the transmission capacity allows for fewer fibers compared to conventional fibers. This significantly reduces the environmental impact associated with manufacturing and transportation.
Sumitomo Electric has successfully achieved world's first mass production of two-core fibers, and is leading the industry by its multi-core fiber technologies.
2. Low attenuation fibers
Our ultra-low-loss fiber minimizes the attenuation of optical signals, enabling more efficient transmission over longer distances. This technology requires fewer regenerator stations and repeaters in long-haul communications, reducing the environmental impact of building, operating and maintaining infrastructure.
3. Reduced diameter fibers
Compared to conventional fibers, reduced-diameter optical fibers have a lower environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle, from raw material supply to end-of-life.
・Raw Material Supply: The smaller diameter of the fibers requires less materials.
・Manufacturing: The smaller diameter of the fiber allows for more fiber or cable to be wound per spool. This boosts manufacturing efficiency and decreases energy consumption.
・Transport: The lighter weight of the fiber and cables enhances packaging and transportation efficiency and leads to lower carbon emissions.
・Use: The lighter weight of the cables results in reduced energy consumption during installation.
・End-of-Life: The cable disposal burden is reduced due to the less use of materials.
Sumitomo Electric offers a diverse range of reduced-diameter fibers that comply with ITU-T G.652.D/G.657 and G.654 standards. Visit our website to explore our optical fiber product lineup.
4. High geometrical accuracy and resistance to fiber breakage
Sumitomo Electric's optical fibers have excellent tensile strength and high geometrical accuracy, and have been highly praised by many customers over the years. The tensile strength, which exceeds international standards, ensures the product's reliability against problems such as breakage during cable manufacturing. In addition, the high geometrical accuracy contributes to a reduction in connection losses. This increases the yield in optical cable and equipment manufacturing processes, as well as in installation operations, leading to a reduction in environmental impact over the entire life cycle.
5. Commitment to provide environmental impact data
Sumitomo Electric's optical fiber business will actively provide information on environmental impact assessment data, such as product carbon footprints and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), and work daily to assist customers in selecting the most environmentally friendly products.
