Contributing to Global Environment Through Our Business
For basic views, structure, and targets, please refer to Environmental Management.
For performance data for environmental indicators, please refer to the CSR Book (ESG Data).
Initiatives and Results
The Sumitomo Electric Group is striving to increase environmentally friendly products as an environmental policy and when developing new products, as well as when making major design changes to existing products, we perform environmental assessment of products to promote energy saving and reduce use of resources. Calculating the contribution to society of the products, we certify the products with particularly outstanding environmental features as “Eco products.” From fiscal 2023, through “Go for Green 2025,” a mid-term target which aims to realize a greener environmental society, we are striving to increase the sales of products and services capable of making green contributions (a business activity that helps realize a greener environmental society).
Eco Products (Eco Symbol Program)
After conducting an environmental assessment of a product, we review the product under the Eco Symbol Program, which complies with ISO 14021. Products that have passed this review are certified as “Eco products,” which are considered to have particularly outstanding environmental features, and the Eco Symbol Mark (trademark) is given to such products. Through this program, we work to promote the development of environmentally friendly products and their widespread use in the market.
Assessment criteria in the Eco Symbol Program（Environmental Claims）
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Reducing use of harmful chemical substances
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Recycled content or increasing the proportion of recycled content used
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Reducing use of resources
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Utilizing recovered energy
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Reducing waste
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Energy efficiency, energy management and energy saving
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Water use efficiency, water management and water saving
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Products with longer service life
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Reusability and refillability
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Recyclability
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Dismantlable design
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Degradable
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Compostability
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Reduction of GHG emissions
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Renewable Material
<Expanding Eco Products Sales>
In FY2024, five products were newly certified as Eco products, including wireless LAN-capable 10G-EPON ONU (environmental claim: reduced resource use) by the Broad Networks Division and a copper rough wire (environmental claim item: use of recycled materials) by the Electric Conductors Division. As of FY2024, a total of 384 products were certified as Eco products, and Eco products sales reached 1,938.4 billion yen, far exceeding the target of 1 trillion yen set out in the “Mid-term Management Plan 2025.”
Green Contribution
We define the products and services in our businesses that contribute to the realization of a Green and Environmentally Friendly Society as “Green Contributions” and work to increase sales of such products and services. Specifically, these are products and services used in such fields as renewable energy, hydrogen, and electric vehicles.
<Increasing Green Contribution Sales>
Green contribution sales for FY2024 were 618.5 billion yen, mainly from Environment & Energy and parts and materials for electric vehicles, achieving the FY2024 target of 600 billion yen.
