YKK AP Issues “Environmental Report 2023”

Main points of environmental activities in FY2022 (details) 

[1] Climate change 

With the company’s aim of achieving carbon neutrality, CO₂ reduction in buildings has become a key theme, and YKK AP hopes to contribute to a reduction in CO₂ from buildings through initiatives to develop, sell, and popularize high thermal insulation windows. High thermal insulation windows are able to limit the inflow and outflow of heat from windows compared with conventional aluminum windows, meaning the company can contribute to CO₂ reduction when air conditioning is in use. The type of window and glass, plus the combination of these, leads to differences in the effectiveness of energy consumption reduction, so the company has completed trial calculations on the effectiveness of the thermal insulation when the energy consumption is 100 for aluminum windows (insulating glass) in a single-building home model house. Multiplying this effectiveness by the number of sales each fiscal year gives YKK AP’s contribution to CO₂ reduction as a company; in FY2022, this was 127% compared with FY2020. 

In addition, YKK AP has set the target of reducing CO₂ emissions in-house by 50% compared with 2013 by 2030 and obtained certification from the SBT initiative, but is increasing this to a reduction of 80%. It is also accelerating carbon neutrality, aiming for 2040. To achieve these targets, the company is promoting measures that focus on energy-saving at an annual rate of more than 1.3%, switching fuels, and introducing renewable energy, and in FY2022 achieved the Plan by updating production equipment and expanding the operation of solar power generation. In the future, YKK AP will expand energy creation to a total of 16,300 kW by FY2024, accelerate the introduction of renewable energy with the goal of 9,100 t CO₂ reduction compared with FY2020, and work on greenhouse gas reduction and responding to climate change through all processes in its business activities as it moves toward carbon neutrality. 

 [2] Resource recycling 

In FY2022, YKK AP continued to have a recycling rate of 100% in manufacturing bases in Japan, and achieved zero emissions in terms of waste from plants and factories*⁴ for 18 successive years since FY2005. In overseas manufacturing bases, the company is focusing on increasing the recycling rate by moving to recycle waste that was simply incinerated or put into landfill, and aims for a recycling rate of at least 99% in both overseas and Japanese manufacturing bases by 2024. 

Waste emissions were reduced by 807 t in FY2021 through work to limit emissions via reasonable material input and turning waste into valuable resources. Waste plastic and paper scraps become waste if left as they are, but turn into valuable resources for manufacturing RPF,*⁵ thus driving reduced emissions. In February 2022, the company introduced RPF manufacturing equipment in the Kurobe Ekko Plant, and in FY2022 this produced 191 t of RPF. In FY2023, the company expects to expand the combinations of waste (raw materials) put in, and create 200 t. In overseas manufacturing bases, waste was reduced in DALIAN YKK AP CO., LTD. in FY2022, but increased in YKK AP AMERICA INC., YKK AP CO.,LTD. (China), and PT YKK AP INDONESIA. However, in FY2023, the plan is for a 160 t reduction, mainly by drying out the large amounts of dirty mud produced as waste and turning this into a valuable resource in overseas bases. 

When it comes to recycled materials used in products, YKK AP is actively engaged in using not just in-house aluminum waste but also aluminum waste from cities as a raw material, and in FY2022 the recycling rate was 27%. The company updated its aluminum melting furnace in the Shikoku Plant in FY2022, and aims for a 39% rate in FY2024 by constructing a new recycling furnace in FY2023. 

The company strives to reduce vinyl scraps and chips generated via manufacturing processes through effective production, and to reuse the scraps and chips generated for vinyl material. In FY2022, vinyl waste was reused as the raw material for gaskets for insulating glass, and through this an in-house recycling rate*⁶ of 28% was achieved. YKK AP aims for this to be 100% by FY2026 (APW scraps:*⁷ 100% in FY2024). 

In the future, YKK AP will work to reduce input materials and on-site construction materials and limit the formation of defective products during transportation, as well as contribute to reducing emissions and constructing a recycling-orientated society by recycling unnecessary things generated in-house as much as possible and making effective use of these based on a circular economy approach.