Environmentally Conscious Products
The Sumitomo Heavy Industries Group, based on “Sumitomo’s Business Philosophy” as well as our Group’s “Purpose” and “Business Principles,” provides products that simultaneously enhance social value and corporate value, thereby contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.We have established “Environmental Consideration Items (24 Items)” to promote environmentally conscious research, development, and design throughout the entire product life cycle.Each item is addressed in accordance with the business characteristics of each division and affiliated company, and these efforts are managed through our Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure continuous improvement.Starting in FY2025, we also established our own guidelines with reference to the ISO 14040 series to visualize our contribution to reducing environmental impacts throughout the product life cycle. Based on these guidelines, we began visualizing the CO2 reduction effects achieved during the product use phase.We will continue to enhance our evaluation methodologies and promote the steady implementation of these initiatives.
| No | Major Classification | Environmental Consideration Items (24 Items) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product Life Cycle Assessment | ・Evaluation of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ・Calculation of Carbon Footprint (CFP) |
| 2 | Reduction and selection of raw materials | ・Reduction of materials used ・Understanding chemical substances contained ・Ensuring traceability of raw materials ・Use of raw materials with low environmental impact |
| 3 | Resource conservation and recycling of products | ・Design considering the 3Rs (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle) ・Lightweight design ・Long-term use design |
| 4 | Energy conservation during product manufacturing | ・Structural design that is easy to manufacture |
| 5 | Reducing environmental impact during product transportation | ・Optimization of product weight, shape, and volume ・Optimization of in-house/outsourced production ・Packaging material amount and composition |
| 6 | Reducing environmental impact during product use | ・Energy-saving during the use phase ・Improved ease of disassembly |
| 7 | Reducing environmental impact when disposing of products | ・Reduction of waste |
| 8 | Compliance | ・Compliance with the laws and regulations of each country |
| 9 | Product safety and environmental integrity | ・Ensuring safety ・Protection of water resources ・Biodiversity conservation ・Chemical substance management |
| 10 | Providing environmental information on products | ・Acquisition of eco-labels / third-party certifications ・Providing maintenance information ・Education for users and suppliers |
Sustainability Plus Products
Examples of Products Contributing to Environmental Impact Reduction
The SHI Group considers contributing to the reduction of environmental impacts throughout the product life cycle to be an important value. Here, we introduce representative products whose environmental value can be quantitatively demonstrated, such as through energy conservation and the effective use of resources.
CFB Biomass Boiler (Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler)
Our circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers have the capability to stably burn all kinds of solid fuels, ranging from biomass to refuse derived fuel (RDF), in order to reliably produce highly-efficient and clean energy.
These boilers make use of regional biomass and waste, thereby contributing to a reduction in CO2 emissions and advancing the post fossil-fuel era. This is a power generation system able to fulfill its role as a clean balancing power source for stabilizing electric grids even in the coming society when our main power supplies will be renewable energies.
The CFB Biomass Boiler captures sulfur oxides (SOx) inside the furnace using limestone as the sorbent. The CFB design eliminates the need for traditional flue gas desulphurization (FGD) systems, emitting no more than 50 ppm SOx (6% O2 equivalent). Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are avoided by employing low-temperature and staged combustion, which decreases production to less than 50 ppm (6% O2 equivalent). Particulate matter is kept below 20 mg/m3 (6% O2 equivalent) with an electrostatic precipitator or bag filter, achieving a low environmental footprint.
Hydraulic Excavators
Our hydraulic excavators are equipped with a fuel-efficient clean engine and proprietary hydraulic system offering both low fuel consumption that is unsurpassed and more efficient operability, resulting in highly-efficient fuel performance.
This superior fuel performance that these excavators deliver surpasses the 2020 JCMAS fuel standard to acquire the highest rank ☆☆☆ certification, which is awarded to those products that meet the fuel performance standards at 100% or higher.
The clean engine, SPACE5α, which significantly reduces exhaust, surpasses world-class level exhaust gas standards and the Off-Road Act’s 2014 standard. When compared to similar conventional models, our hydraulic excavators emit 80% less NOx, which places them in an even higher eco-friendly class of construction equipment.
Sloped-Ejection Jet Pump-Type Sand Lifter System (SUMIJETTER II)
Grit jet pumps are used at pump stations and wastewater treatment plants where they separate and remove debris and sand in the water to protect other treatment equipment downline and streamline processing. The jet pump system requires a significant amount of power to operate the pressure pump, so one challenge has been to reduce the amount of power needed.
For the sloped-ejection jet pump-type sand lifter system “ SUMIJETTER II,” a concerted effort was made to reduce pressure loss, thereby reducing power required by more than 40% compared to conventional products. This has contributed significantly to its decreased power consumption. In addition, the decreased power consumption makes it also possible to lower the capacity of the pressure pump. This also reduces costs, including those for electrical equipment.
