Material Balance of the DOWA Group
Overview of Our Business Activities
The DOWA group is engaged in environmental & recycling, nonferrous metals, electronic materials, metal processing and heat treatment businesses along with related transportation businesses.
We strive to save resources, energy and reduction of environmental burdens as follows. We promote recycling of water, heat, materials and reactants in our production and transportation processes and implement various measures relating to energy including hydroelectric and solar power generation.
Material Balance of 2012
Material balance shows the entire picture of environmental burden within the DOWA group, identifying the input of resources and energy into the business activities of the DOWA group ("INPUT") and the output of products produced and the discharged amount of substances imposing environmental burden ("OUTPUT").
Efforts of each field of the DOWA group in 2012 are described as below:
Environment & recycling business
Is engaged in strengthening the network of collecting waste for treatment and disposal and increasing the amount of treatment.
Nonferrous metals business
Endeavors to increase collection of new metals and reduce the basic unit of power.
Electronic materials business
Developed products that satisfy the market needs of IT related product such as PCs and multi-functional cell phones. We expanded the sales of new products including nitride-base semiconductors (HEMT) and Responded to the demand for multi-functional cell phones and photovoltaic cells.
Metal processing business
Responded to the demand for copper elongation products for consumer multi-functional cell phones. We promoted improvement of yield and productivity of operation.
Heat treatment business
Endeavored to improve productivity to respond to rising energy costs.
In 2012 production and treatment items are diversified in our material balance. Total energy input decreased by 0.6% compared to the previous year due to slight increase of purchased power compared to the previous year and due to the decrease of fossil fuel consumption in 2012. Total material input increased by 1% compared to the previous year as the amount of accepted waste decreased, while use of virgin materials increased. Total emission of green house effect gases both in Japan and other countries increased by 8% compared to the previous year due to the increase of power emission factor in Japan. The amount of waste and recycled products decreased by 11% compared to the previous year due to the decrease of waste overseas.
For individual items and specific figures, see the next page.
