Sustainability - Product Initiatives (Promote Environmentally Conscious Design)
The Meiden Group is promoting development of environmentally conscious products that reduce our impact on the environment.
Any time we develop a new product, we evaluate it for energy and resource conservation, recyclability, environmental safety, and more, based on our Product Environmental Assessment Standard. If a product meets those standards, we certify it as a Meidensha Green Product.
To create products with even greater levels of environmental consciousness and contribute to the decarbonization of society, we have also introduced and operate a system of “super green products” for our company’s greenest products.
For the evaluation item “consideration of lifecycle,” we calculate CO2 emissions according to a life cycle assessment (LCA), and we encourage environmentally conscious design in order to reduce CO2 emissions.
The Meiden Group conducts an assessment of the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, from procurement of components through to disposal, in accordance with our Guidelines for Environmental Action. We use the LCA method to quantify the environmental impact of products and services, which helps us to improve environmental performance at the design and development stage and to conduct product explanations to customers and PR, etc.
As decarbonization-related markets grow and we look ahead to responses to regulations in Japan and abroad, we acquired SuMPO EPD*2 certification (formerly Ecoleaf) for our ester oil*1 transformers under the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO) SuMPO environmental labeling program. Ours is the industry’s first ester oil transformer to receive this certification.
The SuMPO EPD label is a certification system that discloses information on a product’s environmental burden throughout its entire lifecycle, from sourcing material to manufacturing, distribution, and use, through to disposal and/or recycling. We received this certification for the multifaceted evaluation on the environmental impact of our ester oil transformers that extends beyond visualizations of GHG emission levels in the product lifecycle to include information on factors such as resource circulation and its effect on air and water.
Visualizing GHG emissions will contribute to increasing the accuracy of customer Scope 3 emission calculations while also identifying areas for improvements in decreasing emissions across their entire supply chain. That will help our customers decarbonize while allowing us to respond to stakeholder disclosure requests with highly transparent ESG information.
As the world transitions to a carbon neutral society by 2050, we anticipate that environmentally conscious products will command a more domineering position in the marketplace. Acquisition of this stringent EPD third-party certification will certify this product line’s environmental performance from an objective standpoint while simultaneously providing a response to environmental regulations.
Moving forward, the Meiden Group will continue to develop and provide products with even greater environmental consciousness that help create a sustainable society.
| [Product] Smart Maintenance System for Railway Operators (a product using an IoT controller) | |
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| Product overview | In response to the shortage of new engineers due to the declining birthrate and aging population, railway operators are increasingly practicing CBM (Condition Based Maintenance) and labor-saving patrols and inspections. The purpose is to perform facility maintenance as efficiently as possible. To meet this need, we have developed a maintenance system that collects and stores information from sensors and meters attached to power receiving and transforming facilities and transmits it to higher-level equipment. This solution uses our IoT controller, which consumes less power than conventional products. |
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| How it is eco-friendly | The following are features of this product, with comparisons to an earlier Meiden product.
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| LCA estimate results |
Life cycle CO2 emissions
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| [Product] Drive Robot | |
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| Product overview | An autonomous driving system for finished vehicles on a chassis dynamometer. An electric actuator operates the accelerator, clutch, transmission, brakes, and ignition key in the same way a human driver would. The main body of the drive robot has a single-body construction that is now made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) instead of the conventional metal. |
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| How it is eco-friendly | The following are features of this product, with comparisons to an earlier Meiden product (a conventional seat-mounted drive robot).
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| LCA estimate results |
Life cycle CO2 emissions
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| [Product] High-Capacity, High-Speed PM Motor/Drive System | ||
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| Product overview | A high-capacity, high-speed PM motor (permanent magnet synchronous motor) operating at speeds of 10,000 RPM or more and inverter capable of high-frequency output. It achieves high-speed drive thanks to high-capacity, high-speed rotation technology and optimal inverter design. |
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| How it is eco-friendly | The following are features of this product, with comparisons to an earlier Meiden product (gear-increasing induction motor drive).
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| LCA estimate results |
Life cycle CO2 emissions
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| [Product] Simple IP-TC EC4-TC | |
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| Product overview | Remote monitoring and control equipment using built-in PC for hydroelectric power plants. Runs on Linux 64-bit OS and connects to PLCs* from four manufacturers. Static electric discharge noise conforms to B-402 electric power standard.
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| How it is eco-friendly | The following are features of this product, with comparisons to an earlier Meiden product (EC101D).
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| LCA estimate results |
Life cycle CO2 emissions
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