Contribute to a Sustainable
Society through Business
Basic Approach
Ushio has created a vast array of products by leveraging the technologies it has cultivated since its founding. This product creation has been strongly supported by our core technologies for controlling light, and our keen ability to perceive social issues. Going forward, we will continue to utilize our core technologies to provide solutions that resolve social issues, thereby supporting human well-being and societal growth.
Three-Pronged Structure for New Business Creation
We have established the Business Creation Division, which integrates R&D, marketing, and intellectual property functions, with a view to creating and providing new value. Through this division, we will accelerate new business creation aimed at resolving social issues.
Examples of Business Creation with Greater Social Value
Example 1. Climate Change Countermeasures
Promoting Technological Development aimed at Reducing GHG
In terms of action against climate change, we have established a vision based on creating a world where global net zero carbon emissions and the wellbeing of people are in harmony with each other. We aim to help mitigate climate change through light and electrical discharge technologies.
We have selected several climate change countermeasure themes in consideration of carbon and nitrogen circulation with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Under each of these themes, we are engaged in co-creation with numerous companies and organizations as we work towards their commercialization.
Promoting Technological Development to Reduce N2O Levels
In order to reduce levels of nitrous oxide (N2O, which has high global warming potential), Ushio has been working on ways to use its excimer lights to decompose N2O. In addition to progress in terms of performance and academic collaboration, this project was selected as the FY2023 Research Theme for Sewers Application Research by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Promoting Social Application of Solar Cells
As part of the social application of cylindrical solar cells, Ushio is working with and promoting the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s fiscal 2022 University Researcher Business Proposal System. We are also working to contribute to the creation of next-generation solar cells through research on technology that utilizes light in manufacturing processes.
Example 2. Food Initiatives
Shift to Sustainable Food Production Systems and Providing Sufficient Stable Food Supplies for Human Development
With the global population projected to rise to approximately 9.7 billion by 2050, demand for food is expected to increase significantly. Against this backdrop, serious food shortages due to limited water supplies and the impact of agricultural land development and chemical fertilizers on global warming are areas of concern. In the future, the creation of new food production systems that increase productivity while being eco-friendly will be crucial. Ushio has started by aiming to produce soya beans, which have high utility as an alternative source of protein, in plant factories, and we are developing optical technology to improve resource efficiency and crop functionality. We will continue working to create systems capable of producing large quantities of food all year regardless of the climate in the country concerned.
Contributing to the Establishment of Sustainable Land-based Aquaculture Systems and Global Food Security
The proportion of people who include fish in their diet is growing worldwide, and there have been continuous efforts to increase global aquaculture production. At the same time, Japan has seen annual fishing catches decrease due to factors such as aging workforces in the fishing industry. Ushio launched its land-based aquaculture project to do what we can to improve this situation. We collaborate with large companies considering land-based aquaculture, working to resolve issues they are facing with the aim of counteracting falling catch rates in Japan. By applying our specialist optical technology, we will continue to contribute to food security and the widespread adoption of land-based aquaculture in Japan and beyond.
Example 3. Healthy Life Expectancy Extension
OoC: Providing a Platform to Speed up Drug Development
With intensifying competition in new drug development and the shift to the latest biopharmaceutical products, the challenges faced by pharmaceutical companies in terms of drug development are growing greater year by year. This makes reducing development periods and efficient drug development testing crucial issues. Conditions for OoC*1 are also growing more favorable due to developments such as the passing of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 *2 in the United States at the end of 2022, enabling alternative testing methods to be used for new drug registrations by removing the requirement for animal testing.
Against this backdrop, our OoC projects are also moving forward with development aimed at pharmaceutical companies in Europe, the United States and Japan. We have received inquiries from several major pharmaceutical companies, with the potential to lead to significant sales. We are also actively engaged in awareness-raising activities, such as cosponsoring OoC-related events, in which pharmaceutical companies participate, in Japan and overseas, and holding exhibitions of the development results and chip workshop *3 initiatives.
In Japan, we are participating in a group led by the Tohoku Institute of Technology as part of an AMED *4 project related to the practical application of OoC and have established our position as an OoC manufacturer. We are working on the social application of OoC through a system of industry-academia-government collaboration that includes pharmaceutical companies. Ushio has also been cited as a domestic OoC manufacturer in a report by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry *5, one example that shows how our OoC initiatives are gaining recognition, including among major pharmaceutical companies in Japan and overseas.
- *1 OoC: Organs On Chip
- *2 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act 2.0
- *3 A service offering dialogue-based joint development of original chips for pharmaceutical companies
- *4 AMED: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
- *5 Second interim evaluation committee of the Foundational Technology Development Project for the Promotion of Regenerative Medicine and Gene Therapy Industrialization
Example 4. Focus Areas for Contributing to the Realization of DX
Battery Manufacturing Processes: Contributing to Improved Performance through Surface Treatment Technology
Lithium-ion batteries are manufactured using a combination of different materials. One such material is aluminum positive electrode current collector foils, and the graph below shows the results of applying Ushio’s excimer vacuum UV (VUV) and atmospheric plasma (AP) surface treatment technologies to this material. It shows that the discharge capacity after VUV/AP treatment increases compared to an untreated surface.
This is due to the cleaning effects of VUV/AP treatment and can contribute to improving the cruising range of electric vehicles. We will continue to develop processes for solid-state and other next-generation batteries, and will keep improving manufacturing technologies and performance.
Semiconductor Thermal Processing: Contributing to Energy Saving in Semiconductor Manufacturing Processes
As semiconductor performance advances, more power is required to manufacture them, resulting in high demand for energy saving.
In response, we have demonstrated that energy saving in heating processes can be achieved by combining specific materials with LED heating, and presented our results at an international academic conference. The graph below shows a comparison of energy consumption in ferroelectric heating processes, which are expected to have applications in next-generation memory materials. It shows that using LEDs can lead to significant energy savings compared to conventional halogen lamps (HL). We will continue to pursue the possibilities of photoheating in areas beyond energy saving as we aim to contribute to next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Policy on Green Products
Impacts on climate change span the entire business. In particular, manufacturers that provide energy-using products, such as Ushio, tend to have a higher percentage of the impact on climate change from the use of their products, which poses a significant risk. However, in a situation where various companies are tackling climate change, if they develop products that have less impact on climate change, we believe this will be an opportunity for customers to choose.
With the theme of creating safety, reassurance, and environmentally conscious solutions, Ushio has expanded this scope to include all business areas, including products, development, and services. In order to promote environmentally conscious design and development that contribute to energy saving, we have established energy saving items as one of our own certification standards for Super Green Products, and have been continually contributing to energy saving through the promotion of sales of certified products.
In fiscal 2023 and beyond, we will continue to work on reducing CO₂ emissions during product use as part of our materiality (important issue). We will continue to develop energy-saving products, including super green products.
Plan for Reducing CO₂ Emissions Using Development of Green Products and Actual Results
| Plans | Status of achievement* | Actual results | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | Reduce Scope 3 Category 11*1 CO₂ emissions by 12.7% compared to FY2017 (SBTi target) | ✓ | Reduced Scope 3 Category 11*1 CO₂ emissions by more than planned compared to FY2017 |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
| FY2023 | Reduce Scope 3 Category 11*1 CO₂ emissions by 15.3% compared to FY2017 | ||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
| Medium to long term |
|
||
|
|||
* ✓: achieved; ―: not achieved
Development of Environmentally Conscious Products
At Ushio, we incorporate our Green Product Assessment Manual into our Design Standards so we can pre-evaluate the environmental impact of our products starting in the design stage. When the environmental performance of a product has been improved based on this evaluation, it is certified as a "green product." If a product is outstanding even among green products, and uses innovative environmental technology on a completely different level from existing products, it is certified as an SG product.
Development of Super Green Products
We are working to create green products and certify products that actively employ innovative environmental technologies as "super green products" in accordance with our own certification criteria. Super green products are front-runner products with excellent environmental performance in terms of energy savings, long-term use, 3R design, materials used, and applications. These products have cleared numerical standards by Ushio Environmental Factor. Currently, many of our products are certified as super green product.
Evaluation Criteria of Super Green Products
The certification standard for Super Green products is comprised of the following three requirements.
1) Green product score of 80 or more (based on green product assessment standards)
2) Environmental factor of 1.5 or more (calculated in comparison to previous products, with FY2015 as the baseline year)
3) Attainment of transparency
Environmental Factor
Environmental factor is calculated by dividing the environmental efficiency of the target product by the environmental efficiency of the equivalent product in the baseline year. Ushio calculates a product's environmental efficiency by dividing product value (performance) by environmental impact. Product value is calculated by multiplying energy output by lifespan. Environmental impact is calculated with this formula: √ [(Energy input)²+(3R volume)²＋(Chemical substances content)²]
1. Energy output: For lamps, primarily lighting output and intensity in the necessary wavelength range
2. Energy input: Energy consumed in using the product
3. 3R volume: Product size and weight (quantity of resources used)
4. Chemical substances content: Quantity of substances with environmental risk contained in the product. For example, if the environmental factor is α for a given product, it signifies the following improvements over the baseline year
・A product performance improvement by a factor of α, assuming the product environmental impact is held constant. A product environmental impact reduction by a factor of 1/α, assuming the product performance is held constant
Actions Regarding Green Products
When designing products, Ushio is required to conduct a green product assessment. This assessment of green products includes more than 60 points to be cleared, and we designate products that satisfy such necessary benchmarks, including improvement of environmental factors, as green products.
Life Cycle Assessment Activities
LCA stands for Life Cycle Assessment, a method of quantitatively estimating and evaluating the resources and energy used by a product and its environmental impacts from raw materials procurement to manufacturing, use, recycling, and final disposal. Furthermore, LCA evaluate the potential environmental impact of a product.
Implementing LCA
No matter how much CO₂ emissions are reduced at factories, these activities are not meaningful if CO₂ emissions increase when the manufactured products are actually used by customers. Meanwhile, products can provide both cost and environmental benefits for customers if they use energy-efficient products. Therefore, to quantitatively measure the environmental impact of products and services over the entire lifecycle, Ushio formulated LCA guidelines in 2006 and has implemented LCAs ever since.
Product LCA Information
Used in a broad range of fields, from industrial applications to illumination and business domains, Ushio's products create an environmental load on wide-ranging fronts throughout the entire product lifecycle. We are persisting with efforts to reduce the environmental load for society as a whole by devising various environmentally conscious countermeasures and utilizing numerical values at each stage of the product lifecycle to ascertain an overall profile of the environmental load. In this manner, the Ushio Group is striving to contribute to society through conserving the environment. As part of these efforts, we disclose Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) evaluation results for lamps widely used in offices and households, including discharge lamps and lighting power sources for projectors. The results of these evaluations are utilized for improvements in product design and manufacturing processes as well as for in-house environmental education.
Specific Examples of LCA Initiatives
High-Intensity Discharge Lamp for Data Projectors (NSH Lamp) and Lighting Supply Source
In this case example, Ushio calculated CO₂ emissions for one lamp at each stage of the product lifecycle. We learned that CO₂ emissions during lamp usage account for approximately 98% of total CO₂ emitted during the entire product lifecycle, mainly resulting from electric power consumption. The next largest proportion of CO₂ emissions is from materials used in the lamp, which account for about 1.5% of emissions, mainly the reflector, front glass, and other glass materials. Our assessments thus reveal that CO₂ emissions are particularly large during the usage stage. The development of energy-conserving lamps is therefore crucial as an improvement measure.
Product evaluated: High-intensity discharge lamp for data projectors (Direct current lighting 300W)
Period of usage: 1,500 hours
Product flow: Materials →manufacturing (production plant) → distribution → usage → disposal
CO₂ Emissions by Life Cycle Stage
Lighting Power Source for High-Intensity Discharge Lamp for Data Projectors
In this case example, Ushio calculated CO₂ emissions for a lighting power source at each stage of the product lifecycle. We learned that CO₂ emissions occurring at the stage of the materials used in the power source accounted for around 54% of the total CO₂ emitted during the entire product lifecycle. Moreover, these materials were mainly transistors, diodes, and other semiconductor device materials. The stage responsible for the next largest proportion of CO₂ emissions is the stage of usage, which accounts for about 45% of the total emissions, mainly resulting from electricity loss. The electricity loss at this stage of usage is calculated by converting the load loss into CO₂ emissions. Our assessments thus reveal that particularly large CO₂ emissions result from materials used and from the usage stage. Improvement measures include selecting semiconductor elemental devices with a lower environmental load, reducing the number of semiconductor elemental devices that cause large environmental loads by improving power source circuits, and raising the efficiency of lighting power sources by developing energy-saving technologies.
Product evaluated: Lighting power source for high-intensity discharge lamp for data projectors (AC lamp NSHA 230W)
Period of usage: 11,750 hours (3.5 hours per day for 100 days per year over five years: based on the Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry's EcoLeaf Program, Product Specification Criteria (PSC) for data projectors, No. AG-03)
Product flow: Materials →manufacturing (production plant) → distribution → usage → disposal
Volume of CO₂ Emissions at Each Stage of the Product Lifecycle
* This power source is manufactured overseas and thus we have excluded the shipping stage.
* For the same reason, we have used values related to production in Japan for CO₂ conversion unit values.
