Realization of a Resource Recycling Society

リード文

In today’s society, in which mass production and mass consumption continue to expand along with global economic growth and increases in population, pollution of the natural environment and damage to ecosystems related to the disposal of waste have become problems, while at the same time it is projected that our limited resources may run dry. In consideration of this situation, we have set Realization of a Resource Recycling Society as one of the major items of our medium-to-long term ECO Vision for implementing our business activities, and have been promoting a variety of initiatives on a company-wide basis.

Targets

In order to realize a resource recycling society, we have been working to achieve the following goals since FY2023.

Final Landfill Disposal Rate of Industrial Waste
  • Maintain 1% or less every year.
    1. Coverage: ONO’s manufacturing plants/research institutes, and logistics centers.
Recycling Rate
  • Increase the recycling rate for all unnecessary materials to 60% or more in FY2025 and 80% or more in FY2030.
    1. Calculation: In accordance with the calculation rules of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Associations of JAPAN, FPMAJ.
    2. Coverage: Unnecessary materials (wastes, valuables, free materials, etc.) generated from ONO’s manufacturing plants/research institutes, and logistics centers.
Reduce the Environmental Impact of Product Packaging
  • Use eco-friendly materials for 100% of the paper used for the individual packaging boxes of our marketed products by FY2030.
    1. Prioritize the use of FSC® certified paper, and use other recycled papers for materials that it is not possible to use FSC® certified paper.

Progress

The total volume of our industrial waste in FY2023 increased by 76.9tons compared with the previous year. The increase was mainly due to the generation of highly active liquid waste in association with test production and verification of our new product, Kyprolis, at our Yamaguchi Plant, as well as simultaneous disposals which were conducted due to discontinued products.
The final landfill rate of our industrial waste in FY2023 was 0.02%. We defined “Reduce the final landfill rate (Final landfill volume/industrial waste volume×100) to no more than 1.0%” as zero emissions. We continued to achieve zero emissions in FY2023 as well by recycling rather than landfilling industrial waste that was emitted in association with business activities.
In FY2023, we actively promoted the optimization of industrial waste (including specially controlled industrial waste) treatment contractors and promoted other initiatives such as the conversion of paper waste and metal waste that are no longer needed, as well as the conversion of used plastics into a valuable resource. Our recycling rate jumped to 70.3%, a significant improvement from 39.6% in the previous fiscal year. Our calculation method for recycling is based on the ideas on recycling of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Associations of Japan and thermal recycling is not included in the recycling.

Industrial waste volume and Special management industrial waste volume (hazardous waste volume)

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  • Sites covered by this data: Fujiyama Plant, Joto Pharmaceutical Product Development Center, Yamaguchi Plant, Minase Research Institute, Fukui Research Institute*1, Tsukuba Research Institute and Logistics centers*2
  • Fukui Research Institute (closed in 2022)
  • Data from distribution centers (outside facilities) where our pharmaceutical products are stored was added from FY2021
  • Special management industrial waste (hazardous waste) is defined under the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law as waste that has properties of explosiveness, toxicity, infectiousness, and/or possibly causing damage to human health or the living environment.

Industrial waste volume (by item)

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  • Sites covered by this data: Fujiyama Plant, Joto Pharmaceutical Product Development Center, Yamaguchi Plant, Minase Research Institute, Fukui Research Institute*1, Tsukuba Research Institute and Logistics centers*2
  • Fukui Research Institute (closed in 2022)
  • Data from distribution centers (outside facilities) where our pharmaceutical products are stored was added from FY2021

Final landfill disposal volume and Final landfill disposal rate of industrial waste

graph
  • Sites covered by this data: Fujiyama Plant, Joto Pharmaceutical Product Development Center, Yamaguchi Plant, Minase Research Institute, Fukui Research Institute*1, Tsukuba Research Institute and Logistics centers*2
  • Fukui Research Institute (closed in 2022)
  • Data from distribution centers (outside facilities) where our pharmaceutical products are stored was added from FY2021

Recycling rate

graph
  • Calculation method: Based on the calculation manual of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Associations of Japan.
  • Coverage: Industrial waste (including specially controlled industrial waste), general waste from business activities, valuables, and free materials
  • Sites covered by this data: Fujiyama Plant, Joto Pharmaceutical Product Development Center, Yamaguchi Plant, Minase Research Institute, Fukui Research Institute*1, Tsukuba Research Institute and Logistics centers*2.
  • Fukui Research Institute (closed in 2022)
  • Data from distribution centers (outside facilities) where our pharmaceutical products are stored was added from FY2021

Initiatives

We have organized a nature positive sub-committee (formerly the resource recycling sub-committee) consisting of waste management operators under the Environment Management Committee, and have been promoting activities by setting the following basic policies: "promotion of the 4Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle)" and "selection of materials with a reduced environmental impact.” We have worked to reduce waste generation across the company by reducing paper documents through digitization as well as engaging in the investigation and analysis of processes that generate waste and we are considering and evaluating the introduction of equipment to reduce the volume of waste to reduce emissions. Furthermore, we are promoting resource recycling activities, such as reuse and recycling, etc., and switching materials to materials with low environmental burden.

(Major initiatives)
refuse
  1. Promoting the purchase of products compliant with the “Act on Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities”.
reduce
  1. Reduction of waste through thorough separation
reuse
  1. Sale of experimental equipment that is no longer used due to replacement or aging with the aim of reuse
  2. Reuse of wooden pallets at our company by converting them into valuable resources and wood chips
recycle
  1. Conversion of paper waste and metal waste that are no longer needed
  2. Conversion of used plastics into a valuable resource
  3. Conversion of plastics into fuel
  4. Use of food waste (kitchen waste and leftovers) generated at cafeterias as animal feed
  5. Material Recycling of PTP Packaging Waste
other
  1. Optimization of industrial waste (including specially controlled industrial waste) treatment contractors
Material Recycling of PTP Packaging Waste (Fujiyama Plant)

In FY2023, the Fujiyama Plant began recycling PTP packaging waste produced during the pharmaceutical packaging process. PTP sheets, which are widely used as a packaging material for pharmaceuticals, are formed through the thermocompression bonding of plastic material and aluminum foil, making them difficult to separate and sort. Unnecessary waste materials could conventionally only be disposed of via incineration, which is why our recycling rate until now has only been at around 10%.
We are now able to recycle 100% as raw material to be used for new products, a feat that we were able to achieve thanks to a peeling machine which separates plastics and aluminum. This also eliminates the need to incinerate packaging waste, thereby reducing our company’s CO2 emissions.

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Food waste recycling (Minase Research Institute)

At the Minase Research Institute, kitchen waste and leftover food from cafeterias were incinerated and cinders were disposed of in landfills. However, by taking advantage of special provisions regarding the Waste Disposal Act, etc., in Japan’s Food Recycling Law, the institute has switched to animal feed, which in turn has made it possible to recycle general business waste that is difficult to recycle. In addition, since the number of employees coming to the office to work fluctuates on a daily basis due to the adoption of various work styles such as teleworking, we are striving to reduce food loss by sharing with our cafeteria vendors how many employees are actually coming to the office to work on a daily basis so that appropriate amounts of food can be prepared.

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Appropriate Waste Management

The Resource Recycling Sub-committee holds monthly meetings to discuss measures for promoting the 4Rs and proper disposal, to consider initiatives for implementation, and to verify effects, among other matters. In addition, in order to implement the appropriate disposal of waste, we have determined to give priority to contractors that are certified as excellent companies. On-site observation of intermediate treatment contractors is conducted every year, and we confirm that the appropriate disposal of waste is implemented. The final landfill sites are checked every five years. We continuously implement thorough and appropriate disposal of waste.

Initiatives for Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical Development / Manufacturing Processes

We are also working on computer simulation technology in the field of formulation development. This step reduces the number of experiments held and reduces how many raw materials are used (waste).
In addition, we are also working to shift the wet granulation phase of the production process for a portion of our products from a batch production system to a continuous manufacturing system. Doing so will yield various advantages, such as allowing us to respond flexibly to changes in demand while also saving space by making manufacturing equipment more compact. This shift is expected to help reduce the volume of raw materials needed during pharmaceutical development. We estimate that this can allow us to slim down the weight of raw materials needed during pharmaceutical development by approximately 13% when it comes to products under development. By expanding the scope of continuous manufacturing applications in the future, we aim to not only save more energy but also further reduce the volume of raw materials used in our operations.

Extending the Validity Period of Our Products

We strive to extend the validity period of our products by obtaining long-term quality assessment data for each product. Extending the shelf life of products will result in reducing the risk of product disposal due to expiration.

Product Packaging

When it comes to product packaging, based on the results of a questionnaire survey at medical institutions on product packaging, we are engaging in activities from the two aspects of ease of use and environmental friendliness. In terms of the environment, we are working to promote the reduction of its environmental impact by changing packaging materials and forms to help save resources and selecting eco-friendly materials. Upon disposal, we have also switched to material labels and packaging forms that encourage recycling.
Furthermore, in response to the results of the questionnaire survey, we changed the method of binding blister package sheets for new products from bag-type (transparent pillow packaging) to band-type. We also changed the tray (partition) of the injection packaging box from plastic to paper materials, which not only reduced the volume of plastic used, but also reduced the capacity (48% per box). With regard to paper consumption, the digitalization of attachments, an initiative which began since August 1, 2021, has reduced paper consumption at our company by approximately 44 tons per year (estimated based on the volume of manufacturing and sales items shipped from our factories in FY2022).

In addition, we have changed paper-based materials for individual packaging boxes to FSC®-certified paper, and switched the inks we use to vegetable oil inks. We also verify the quality of primary packaging that comes into direct contact with pharmaceuticals to further promote the selection of materials that reduce our environmental impact.

Major initiatives Progress
Changing packaging materials from plastics to paper-based materials Changing packaging materials for parts of products. Started distribution of the products in FY2020.
Reconsideration and changing the method of binding Blister package sheets(Adopting the band-type) A total of 8 products as of the end of March2024
Switching individual packaging box materials to FSC®-certified paper.* A total of 31 products as of the end of March2024
Selecting vegetable oil inks. A total of 11 products as of the end of March2024
  • In addition, under our medium- to long-term environmental targets, the adoption rate of FSC®-certified paper for individual packaging boxes of our marketed products is 64% as of March2024.
Initiatives to reduce the volume of plastic used
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Switching of individual packaging box materials to FSC®-certified paper and selecting vegetable oil ink
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In Japan, there is an enforced law called the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law, which covers the recycling volume of containers and packaging waste for products sold by sellers. This is to promote the recycling of containers and packaging waste, and based on this law, some of the containers and packaging materials for the products we sell are recycled.

FY2023 (Unit: tons)
  Container and packaging usage Obligatory recycling volume
Plastic 193.5 56.2
Paper 163.8 0.8
Glass (colorless) 0.0 0.0
Glass (brown) 0.2 0.0
Commissioning fee paid for recycling:3,506 thousand yen

Other efforts

Introduction of paper files

We have introduced paper-based files since January 2020. By switching some plastic files to paper files, we are able to reduce the volume of plastic used.

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Use of photocopy paper or purchase of stationary materials

For photocopies, we perform print management, and a cloud storage system "BOX", which was introduced globally in October 2017, promoted paperless storage and reduced the volume of work required to store and share files. As for purchasing, we have indicated in an easy-to-understand manner whether the products listed in the purchasing system are in compliance with the “Act on Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities” and promoted awareness within us so that each employee has environmental awareness.

External Evaluations & Awards Related to Resource Recycling

  • In recognition of our efforts to reduce waste at our headquarters, we were awarded the Osaka mayor’s commendation in 2021.
  • We received the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Promotion Council President’s Prize during the FY2020 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) Promotion Merit Awards
  • In recognition of our efforts to promote the reduction of business-related waste and encourage proper disposal at our headquarters, we were awarded the Osaka mayor’s commendation in FY2023 for the category of “Outstanding Waste Reduction Building .”