Collection of Returnable Packaging for Massage Chairs Starts

Matsushita Electric Works Ltd., a major Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer, developed an eco-friendly system for collecting returnable packaging for massage chairs. Test operations have been under way since May 2005 in the Chubu District, central Japan. Under this system, packaging materials are collected by distributors who deliver the products from factories to customers. It is estimated that one seventh of the energy consumed by packing the products will be reduced, in terms of CO2 emissions and compared to the conventional method. The company is examining possibilities for expanding the test area.

The company has been using heavy-duty cardboard boxes for packing and delivering the bulky, heavy massage chair products, which moreover have many motor parts that require precision controls, but the boxes left behind at customers' households have been a major waste problem. The new system incorporates newly designed returnable packages that are retrieved on delivery, and the company has been able to reduce cardboard use by about eight kilograms per machine, and achieve zero packaging waste by collecting all cushioning materials and liners from customers. These are recycled or disposed of at its factories.

The company introduced a new delivery system for lighting fixtures and other products in December 2001 that employs reduced, lighter packing materials. This system has also nearly halved the time needed for fixture installation, gaining a positive reputation among electricians. Initially introduced in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the system is now being used throughout the country.

http://panasonic-denko.co.jp/e/corp/about/

Posted: 2006/02/08 02:13:26 PM
Japanese version