Packaging and Logistics
Environmental burdens can result from the use of fuel in the course of distributing products and parts, and through the use of packaging materials. Olympus is working to bring our activities into harmony with the environment from the perspective of logisticsNote1.
Note1: Logistics is an integral part of the supply chain. Simply put, it is the efficient and progressive flow of goods, including storage and services, from the point of production to the point of consumption to meet customer needs, and the planning, implementation and control of information relating to these processes.
Reducing Environmental Load by Optimizing Packaging and Logistics
Olympus monitors CO2 emission levels resulting from both domestic and international logistics and uses the resulting data to reduce CO2 emissions through measures that include changes to the transportation modes used and the improvement of loading ratios.
The Olympus packaging & logistics system is divided into product logistics and parts logistics. We are making great efforts to reduce the environmental load from the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) viewpoint in developing compact and lightweight packaging, reducing the number of packaging materials used, and developing returnable packaging containers made using recycled materials, in light of the characteristics of the products and parts to be transported.
We are also surveying and analyzing the actual effects (impact, vibration, temperature, and humidity) on products and parts while products are being delivered to customers, in the international transportation environment. We aim to optimize packaging and logistics to avoid difficulties and waste by reviewing the company's packaging and cargo test methods and packaging design standards based on the results of these analyses.
Measures to Reduce the Environmental Load due to Packaging and Logistic
Reducing Packaging through New Technology
The new pulp injection mold (PIM) technologynote2 developed by Olympus reduces the amount of packaging required and facilitates reuse and recycling. It is also free of harmful substances. The use of this technology for packaging materials used with precision equipment has been shown to provide the following benefits.
(1) Enhanced freedom of design facilitates the production of compact packaging.
(2) Impact resistance characteristics can easily be controlled in various ways, such as changes to the composition of the materials.
(3) Because the required shapes can be molded in a single process, packaging assembly loads can be reduced.
At the prototype stage, Olympus has successfully used this technology to achieve reductions of 10-20% in packaging weight and volume. The use of this packaging technology is expected to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted during packaging manufacture and transportation to between one-third and one-half of levels with conventional styrene and containerboard packaging.
Comparison of Environmental Loads with Conventional Packaging Based on Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Note3 Analysis
The data for the PIM technology were estimated by Olympus based on production-related observations. LCI analyses for packaging methods other than PIM were estimated using statistics published by related organizations, including the Plastic Waste Management Institute and the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association.
Note 2: PIM is an injection molding technology whereby shapes are formed by filling molds with materials made from paper, starch and water and then cooling them. The materials are antistatic and heat-resistant and can be molded into shapes just 0.2mm thick. The basic technology was jointly developed by the Yokoi Laboratory at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Daiho Industrial Co., Ltd. and Nissei Plastic Industrial Co., Ltd.
Olympus carried out applied research concerning the use of PIM technology to reduce packaging volumes as a member of the PIM Consortium, which was established under the auspices of the Foundation for the Promotion of Industrial Science to explore applications for the new technology.
Note 3: This is an LCA method used to compile input-output accounts relating to environment load items, using data for resource and energy inputs and production or product and waste outputs.
Development and Introduction of Returnable Containers for Repaired and Replaced Products
In the past, repaired and replaced products for use in medical facilities were shipped in disposable containers. However, this method led to a range of issues, including the work involved in opening containers in warehouses, sales sites and medical facilities, and environmental concerns about the packaging.
Olympus Medical Systems has overcome these problems by developing a new returnable container system in cooperation with the Logistics Development Division of Olympus Corporation. The advantages of the returnable containers and the benefits achieved through their introduction are outlined below.
Advantages
The returnable containers are superior to conventional containers not only in terms of environmental performance, but also from the viewpoints of transportation quality, ease of use and reduced complexity.
| Category | Conventional Containers | Returnable Containers |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental performance | Exterior: Containerboard cases Interior: Plastic foam Disposal after one use |
Exterior: Plastic containerboard Interior: Elastic film Extended use |
| Transportation quality | Transportation quality unchanged | |
| Ease of packaging products for repair | Time-consuming | Time saved through use of "magic bands" |
| Complexity of use in medical facilities | 70 packaging formats | Complexity reduced through use of three standard formats instead of 70 |
Benefits
The introduction of the new containers has brought the following benefits.
| Usage of Packaging | Reduce 90,000 little per year |
|---|---|
| Usage of Cardboard | Reduce 1.5 ton per year |
Olympus will continue its efforts to reduce environmental loads through initiatives that take into account environmental factors as well as site conditions.
Used One-way Container |
Newly developed Returnable Containers |
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