Sustainable factory

Because we acknowledge the environmental impact of production process, we aim to be more efficient while lessening it

Given that we acknowledge the environmental impact of the production process, we aim to be more efficient while lessening it at the same time
Back in 1998, SMC Corporation began to make an organisational effort in implementing environmentally friendly and energy-saving measures in our factories.

Alleviating our carbon footprint

We are taking a broad approach to measuring and reducing carbon emissions in our operations. Based on this premise, we acknowledge that the largest source of CO₂ emissions in SMC’s business activities is from the use of electricity.

SMC aims to reduce the emission of CO₂ by incorporating constant energy-saving efforts. These efforts have led us to achieve a reduction in CO₂ emissions (intensity) of 50% since we first started monitoring back in 1998.

Handling chemical substances with care

We strive to eliminate the use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) by switching to alternatives with lower GWP (Global Warming Potential) values.
We are also working in reducing the overall use of chemical substances through the prevention of evaporation, prevention of removal, and reuse.

1% yearly reduction in energy consumption is our target

As a part of the SMC Corporation’s adherence to the Japanese Act on Rationalising Energy Usage, we commit to a yearly reduction of 1% in our energy consumption. This affects our 6 Japanese production centres, as well as the Japanese Technical Centre.

Reducing – Reusing – Recycling industrial waste

At SMC we practise strict waste sorting and promote the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
We aim to reduce our waste disposal costs by transforming waste into valuable resources.

Monitoring environmental burdens

We keep track of the environmental burdens generated through the consumption of resources and energy during the design, development and manufacturing of our products.

*1: CO₂ from production activities is the amount of CO₂ emitted from use of energy
*2: Recycle refers to the amount that is discharged as material of value and reused and/or recycled as materials and thermal energy

We always comply with environmental regulations

Following the EU Waste Legislation on PCBs, the operators who take custody of electrical equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) must properly dispose of it by March 31, 2027.
SMC held five items of equipment containing low levels of PCB and seven items of equipment containing high levels of PCB. However, in FY 2018, SMC correctly disposed of all items of equipment containing PCB.
We care about ROHS Directive

What gets measured, gets managed

Based on our own circumstances, all SMC factories are equipped with SMC’s flow switches to enable early detection of air leaks.
Other measures towards energy efficiency include the use of solutions that automatically shut off the air source during plant downtime, which reduces the use of purge air* by 30% (compared to our conventional operation).
* The air used to discharge the remaining air from air pipes when a plant starts operation