The English version of the 'Toshiba Semiconductor & Storage Products Company Environmental Report 2014' has been published and is available for download.
The Environmental Report 2014 covers in fiscal 2013, including efforts to reduce environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions in semiconductor and storage product production processes, as aspects of environmental management and working towards establishing a sustainable society.
The report also covers environmental communications and moves to preserve biodiversity at each manufacturing site.
In its ‘Introduction’, the report explains Toshiba Semiconductor and Storage Products Company’s wide-ranging activities, such as semiconductor and storage technologies that contribute to the realisation of smart communities, and community-based environmental activities at Oita Operations, also carries a conversation on the trend of SRI (Social Responsibility Investment) and expectation for enterprises between the president of Integrex Inc. and the staff members in charge of environment preservation of Toshiba Semiconductor & Storage Products Company.
According to Toshiba, its Semiconductor & Storage Products Company “seeks to contribute to society’s safety and security, the creation of rich value and the reduction of environmental impacts, guided by Toshiba’s Environmental Vision 2050, which points the way to living richer lives in harmony with the earth.”
Key current considerations:
- One of the major characteristics of the smart community is to use decentralised control systems. Taking energy as an example, unlike conventional centralised supply systems, the decentralised system allows end locations, such as factories, commercial facilities, farms and houses to generate and control electricity.
- The micro-inverter solution for solar power generation is proving increasingly important. It converts electric power obtained from a solar power generation system and targets homes and medium and small-sized businesses that are expected to have an increased demand for solar power in the future.
- The use of high performance and long service life lithium batteries in battery systems is currently spreading. However, the lithium battery presents disadvantages due to its high cost and the fact that its remaining power cannot be known. Meanwhile, when used in electric cars and hybrid cars, only about 60% of the original performance of the lithium battery is actually used. Accordingly, one solution is to effectively reuse the batteries that have been used in motorcars.
- Smart meters that use semiconductors rather than coils.
Key elements of Toshiba’s environmental management:
- Improvement of the environmental management system
- Evaluation through life cycle assessment (LCA) of the environmental impact of certain products
- Business activities designed to reduce environmental impact and risks
- Environmental communication
This report is published as a booklet and is also available on-line here.
