News

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation was awarded the LCA Society of Japan Chairman's Award in recognition of its efforts in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of copper cathode and home appliance recycling.

LCA is a method for quantitatively assessing the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle, including raw material procurement, manufacturing, transportation, use, and disposal. The LCA Society of Japan Awards, now in its 21st year since 2004, is a long-established award program aimed at "supporting companies, organizations, and researchers working to reduce environmental impact from the life cycle of products," which is supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and THE NIKKAN KOGYO SHIMBUN, LTD. (THE DAILY INDUSTRIAL NEWS).
We assess the carbon footprint of copper cathode produced at our copper smelters in Japan using LCA methods and use this information to address climate change and improve engagement with stakeholders. The assessment results have been completed with a third-party critical review by the Japan Life Cycle Assessment Facilitation Centre (*1). Additionally, the environmental impact reduction effects of home appliance recycling have been evaluated across six factories from our five group companies (*2), and a cloud-based automatic LCA calculation system has been developed. These efforts have been recognized, leading to the receipt of the Chairman's Award.

Our Group will continue to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by assessing and improving the environmental impact of our operations through LCA.

(*1)

This is a process in which LCA experts verify whether the implemented LCA meets the requirements of international standards.

(*2)

Regarding used home appliances, we calculate and compare "(a) the environmental impact until resource recycling when recycled" and "(b) the environmental impact when not recycled (landfill the home appliances or recycle only the steel and landfill the rest)," and evaluate the difference ((b) - (a)) and as the environmental impact reduction effect.

[LCA Society of Japan Chairman's Award: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation]

Award Name:
Carbon Footprint Calculation and Third-Party Critical Review of Copper Cathode and LCA for Home Appliance Recycling

• Initiatives for Copper Cathode
  The copper cathode produced at our Group's domestic copper smelters is evaluated for its carbon footprint using the LCA method, contributing to the consideration of climate change countermeasures. This assessment provides foundational data that enhances engagement with stakeholders, including suppliers and customers. Additionally, the evaluation results have undergone a third-party critical review by the Japan Life Cycle Assessment Facilitation Centre.

Press release on June 18, 2024
Carbon Footprint Calculation for Electrolytic Copper Awarded Third-Party Verification
URL: https://www.mmc.co.jp/corporate/en/news/2024/news20240618.html

• Initiatives for Home Appliance Recycling
  For the LCA of home appliance recycling, we assess the environmental impact reduction effect of home appliance recycling at five companies and six plants in our Group. We have established and are operating an automatic LCA calculation scheme using a cloud-based system.

[Related Information]

About LCA Japan Forum Awards (LCA Japan Forum website)
URL: https://www-lca--forum-org.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ja

Our company's initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality
URL: https://mmc.disclosure.site/en/themes/92