Vision

A global culture of mass production, mass consumption, and mass waste has contributed to the depletion of natural resources and disruption of ecosystems. It has become essential for companies to use resources efficiently in all stages of business, from procurement of raw materials to disposal of waste. PHC Group has identified preservation of natural resources as one of our sustainability materiality topics, and set KPIs and targets to reduce the amount of water used and amount of waste created per unit of consolidated sales at manufacturing sites and laboratories, as well as the amount of packaging materials per unit of consolidated sales.

Initiative

Reconsideration of Packaging Materials
- Biomedical Division -

In the Gunma area of Japan, where the PHC Biomedical Division is located, we are promoting initiatives to reduce packaging materials such as waste plastic, starting from the product development stage. In procurement, by eliminating cardboard packaging for packing delivery and switching to hanging packaging, as shown in the image below, we were able to reduce the amount of cardboard waste by 3,856kg in fiscal year 2023. In addition, due to the revision of our Quality Management System (QMS), our product assessment process has included questions related to packaging for products developed since April 2024.
In addition, we are working on product development with an eye toward environmental considerations, such as improving recycling through thorough separation of materials and increasing the effective usage rate of materials to minimize waste.

Employee Voices

Masahiro AonoMaterial Management Section
Assembly Manufacturing Group
Biomedical Plant, Biomedical Division
PHC Corporation

While considering delivery materials using trolleys, we had to solve three challenges: 1) the dimensions of the supplier's elevator, 2) the ability to switch between three types of packing, and 3) the minimum number of trolleys we needed to function. It took us a year to perfect the design, making many prototypes and seeking collaboration from other departments. We also visited the supplier many times to gather feedback on our operation, which was achieved with cooperation from all these stakeholders.

Plastic Recycling
- IVD Division -

In April 2022, the "Plastic Resource Circulation Promotion Act" was enforced, and “Renewable substitution” was added to the original 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). In the Matsuyama area of Japan, where the PHC IVD Division is located, we are not only reconsidering the design and materials of products that use plastic, but also considering more thorough separation methods internally and identifying a waste processing company that can help us recycle more materials by turning them into raw materials. As a result, in fiscal year 2023, we recycled an additional two tons of material per year in the Matsuyama area, achieving a recycling rate of approximately 45% of the total plastic used, contributing to a reduction of the burden on the environment.