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Nikkei Ecology

May 2006 Issue

Cover Story

Environmental management goes “from cradle to cradle”
Strengthen your products with LCA (life cycle assessment)


“Toyota shock” wakes up the industry

LCA can raise the competitiveness of products

Make eco-friendliness of the products visible to boost up their sales

LCA requires improvement of eco-friendliness throughout the supply chain

Part and material manufacturers takes LCA more actively in their strategies

LCA for the first time -- how to begin and how to use

Report

Appropriate waste treatment progresses using IT as a new weapon

IC tags and other tools are now available for individual management of each waste item and safe treatment of confidential documents and medical waste

Learn about Technologies

First Step in Technology
[Wind power generation systems] Japanese manufacturers succeed in developing wind mills that generate more than 2,000 kW by taking better measures to cope with the unique geography in Japan

Products
[Tires made mainly with non-petroleum materials] Use of petro-based materials is reduced by increasing the gripping performance of natural rubber

New Energy
[CIGS thin film solar cells] Honda Group starts mass production of solar cells with CO₂-free society in their view

Energy Conservation
[Small-sized co-generation system with cooling feature] New system with 25-kW gas engine can generate electricity while supplying cold water to cool the air

“Honor Students” in Recycling
[Styrofoam] Skillful control keeps the temperatures of metal molds at the optimal, quadrupling sales plan to 2 billion yen

Learn about Environmental Laws

Easy-to-Understand Environmental Law
[Revision of the four relevant laws] While removal of asbestos at the time of extension or remodeling of buildings is to be obliged, the measures by the government would not be sufficient even after revisions

How to Read the Waste Disposal Law Part 4
Article 12 gives foundation to responsibilities of waste generators but easily leads to unintended illegal acts

Environmental Laws Q & A
Why are the measures to treat the oil-polluted soil stipulated in a guideline, not as a regulation in the law?

This Month’s Environmental Law
Revision of the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law and other bills regarding environmental issues are ready to be presented to the 164th ordinary Diet session

Trend and News

Environmental Policy
Dispute over the PSE (Product Safety, Electrical Appliance and Materials) Mark issue finds a deliberately ambiguous solution, while discrepancy with the 3R policy becomes obvious

Recycling
Decreased trading of used PET bottles endangers the foundation built by the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law

Eco Car
Toyota and GM disagree over the environmental burden between hybrid cars and fuel cell cars

Energy Conservation
Revised Energy Conservation Law is to be implemented in April with unsolved problems for operation, including the responsibilities put on the shippers

Food Recycling
Largest food recycling factory in Japan elucidates problems

Hazardous Substance
Accidental spillage continues in PCB treatment facilities

New Energy
Is “Ethanol Crisis” coming?; shortage of ethanol materials imposes anxiety for supply shortage of bio-fuels for automobiles

Measures against Global Warming
Shipping of “carbon-offset strawberries” is started

Hazardous Substance
False alarm for “total ban of plastics” shakes up the industry

Green Finance
IFC sets new standards for investments and loans; the “equator principles” for private banks are to be revised

CSR Frontline

UK gets shaken up by the sudden repeal of obligation of OFR, including reports on environmental and social aspects

Brazil becomes the ninth largest economic power, while the gap between the wealthy and poor remains large behind the rapid development


Kyoto Mechanism
Q and A to understand the Kyoto Mechanism

Q: How should we decide whether or not to procure the emission rights?

A: Management decision should also take the murky policies into consideration


Learn about Environmental Issues

Truth and False of Environmental Science
[Forest conservation] How much CO₂ can the forests in Japan absorb?

Threats Waiting around the Corner
Death of more than 4,000 sea birds makes an appeal from Shiretoko (Hokkaido) and Tsushima (Nagasaki) about the oil pollution crisis of Japan, the “marine nation

Junko Edahiro’s Eye-Opening Facts on Environmental Terms in English
[Global dimming]


Column

Kankan Gakugaku (Active Argument over Environmental Issues)
Keiji Washio, professor of Kyoto Seika University

Secret tips for environmental management
Good sense of proportion is an essential property for the staff in environmental management departments

Cuisines of Japan
Thoughts over rice and rural environment

Honest Opinions by the “Eco-Moms”
Anxiety over the tap water

Artisanship in repairing
Wind instruments by Yamaha Corporation

The reality of NPOs
[Kiko Network] The “missionary of global warming” functions also as a network hub for NPOs

Report

Inside-Out
[How to manage the waste materials] “Another Ferrosilt” is left in the soil untreated

From BusinessWeek
Next is the era for the “moon energy”

WorldWatch Institute
China pays back the heavy bill of the “economic-growth-first” policy by the serious incident at the sate-run chemical factory

ECO Seminar

How to Make the Best Use of ISO
[Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. Part 1] Effects of integrated certification are promoted by networking the environmental management

New Environmental Study
[Corporate support in the ex-Communist countries] Retired technicians come from Japan to help the countries to promote environmental technologies

Quick Guide to Environmental Key Words
“Eco tour”

World Trend

From EU
Will the severe winter raise the public awareness on the Directive of Eco-Design of Energy-using Products (EuP Directive)?

From UK
Starts of JI Supervisory Committee lifts up expectation of emission right consumers

From USA
Continuing barbarism in the Australian forests is indeed acts of environmental destruction

From Germany
Linking the EU’s emission right trading system with other systems in the world has too many problems; finding solutions may require more time, at least later than 2010

From China
Chinese government lifts the restrictions for compact cars in the cities to promote energy conservation, providing market opportunities to Japanese auto makers