Green PC
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Toshiba Personal Computer & Network Company's Basic Policy on the Environment |
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We at Personal Computer & Network Company aim at the realization of a better environment.
As a company undertaking development, design, production, and distribution of notebook PCs, servers, and business communication systems, all based on state-of-the-art technologies, we contribute to society by developing environmentally conscious products. Recognizing that the Earth is an irreplaceable asset and that it is humankind's duty to hand it on to future generations in a sound state, we contribute to the development of a sustainable society by pursuing creation of new value and symbiosis with the Earth, in accordance with Toshiba Group's Environmental Vision. |
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Promotion of Environmental Management |
| 1. We consider environmental stewardship to be one of management's primary responsibilities and promote environmental activities in harmony with economic activities. |
| 2. We assess the environmental aspects of our business activities, products and services, and specify objectives and targets for reduction of environmental impacts and prevention of pollution. |
| 3. We strive to continuously improve environmental management through internal audits and reviews of activities. |
| 4. We comply with applicable laws and regulations, both overseas and domestic, the Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, Toshiba Group Environmental Basic Policy, industry guidelines that we have endorsed, and our own standards for environmental protection. |
| 5. We strive to enhance the level of our environmental awareness and make a practical contribution to the environment through our work. |
| 6. We operate globally, and accordingly, promote environmental activities, and guide and support our overseas and domestic subsidiaries throughout Personal Computer & Network Company Group. |
Development and Supply of Environmentally Conscious Products and Services, and Reduction of Environmental Impacts of Business Activities |
| 1. We recognize that natural resources are finite and implement vigorous environmental measures to promote their effective and practical use in terms of both products and business processes. |
| 2. We develop and provide environmentally conscious products and services which contribute to the reduction of environmental impacts throughout their life cycles. |
| 3. We strive to reduce the environmental impacts of all business processes, encompassing design, manufacturing, logistics, sale, and disposal, with a particular focus on the prevention of global warming, efficient utilization of resources and control of chemical substances. |
Responsibilities as a Member of the Global Community |
| 1. We contribute to society through our environmental activities, which include the development and provision of excellent, environmentally conscious technologies and products and cooperation with society at large and with local communities. |
| 2. We are committed to maximizing disclosure and transparency in communications with stakeholders and society at large in order to facilitate mutual understanding. |
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Life Cycle Approach In developing environmentally conscious products, we reduce the environmental impact of our products throughout their life cycle. » Resource Saving Design We continue to limit the materials used in our products, while maintaining performance. » Energy Saving We continue to improve the energy efficiency of our products. Lower consumption of electric power by each individual user adds up to global energy saving. » Design for Recycling We implement product design that makes recycling of materials easy, including design for easy disassembly at end-of-life. » RoHS Compatible Design We designed and launched our first RoHS compatible notebook PC as early as September 2005. Since then, we have been developing and launching RoHS compatible PCs. |
"Environmentally conscious" design is a key challenge for PC manufacturers. Toshiba PC group contributes to the advance toward this ideal through diverse measures aimed at realizing a recycling society. |
Environmental Product Design >> Life Cycle Approach
| In developing environmentally conscious products, we work to reduce the environmental impacts of our products throughout their life cycles. |
| » Environmental design assessment |
| » Assess "value and environmental aspects" of a product (Factor T) |
Environmental Product Design >> Resource Saving Design
| We continue to limit the materials used in our products, while maintaining performance. |
| » Light, miniaturized products |
| » Reduction of residual materials |
| » Lengthening product life |
Mission: Aiming for maximum materials saving and development of robust products. |
 Light, miniaturized products
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| Portability is an essential concept in developing notebook PCs. They are carried from place to place, and the lighter and more compact the product is made, the better it is. To that end, the case needs to be thin. But it also has to be able to withstand external forces such as dropping, shock, and pressure that may cause damage. |
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Lengthening product life
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| The gap between the head and the disk in a hard disk drive is only about a nanometer. For this reason, the hard disk drive is one of the most delicate parts in the PC. If damages to the hard disk drive is decreased, the life of the PC will be lengthened. |
Commitments: Commitments for Toshiba PC |
| In order to achieve a slim product design we had to increase its strength, although we encountered the difficulties in realizing greater high-density packaging while halving the thickness of the product. |
Commitment 1 |
| Realizing a case only 0.6mm thick |
| Metal retains strength even when formed thin, but it is still relatively heavy and not a good material for portable products in general. We use magnesium alloy for our PCs, a metal, but light, to achieve 0.6mm thinness with acceptable hardness. We brought the magnesium die-casting process to mass production, and realized a 0.6mm thinness case. We did this by adopting technology such as the "film gate" - a thin, wide opening for pouring magnesium. |
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Commitment 2 |
| Reduction of residual materials on printed circuit boards |
| In manufacturing printed circuit boards, residual materials cannot be avoided. We are making efforts to minimize them. This example shows a case where we succeeded in a 50% reduction compared to the previous board through changes in the board layout and improvement of production facilities. |
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Commitment 3 |
| Protect Hard Disk Drives from accidental shock |
| The hard disk drive is a precise electro-mechanical device, and one of the most delicate parts of the PC. We have introduced a three-dimensional acceleration sensor for monitoring the position of a notebook PC. Inclination of the notebook PC that could lead to damage to the hard disk drive is calculated, and if it is reached - if the PC falls from a desk for example - the read/write head is retracted from the surface of the disk, avoiding damage to the disk or the head. |
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Environmental Product Design >> Energy Saving
| We continue to improve the energy efficiency of our products. Lower consumption of electric power by each individual user adds up to global energy saving. |
| » Development of "ACPI" power-saving system |
| » Additional power saving with Toshiba "Power-saving Utility" |
Mission: Why do we need to save power? |
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Reduction of CO2 emissions and stop global warming
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| Global warming, caused in major part by CO2 discharges, is one of the most serious environmental issues today. Energy consumption in production processes results in emissions of large volumes of CO2. Reduction of such emissions is a key challenge that we must continue to tackle. |
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Improvements in the energy efficiency of notebook PCs
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| Basically, the notebook PC is more energy efficient than the desktop PC. That said, we must continue to improve its energy efficiency so that we can use it for a longer period of time under the limited battery capacity without any functional degradation. |
Commitments: Commitments for Toshiba PC |
Commitment 1 |
| Development of "ACPI" power-saving system |
| If the CPU or other devices inside of a PC is set to low power mode, its processing speed slows. If the luminosity of the display is lowered, its operability is affected. Here is where power management becomes necessary. For instance, the power consumption of a device not in use can be kept lower, and the power supply can even be automatically shut off if it is not used for a certain period of time. |
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| ACPI |
| This energy-saving function was standardized as "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface" or "ACPI" by three companies: Intel, the CPU development company, Microsoft, which supplies the OS, and Toshiba, which provided knowledge of notebook PCs. |
| Major functions of ACPI |
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Commitment 2 |
| Additional power saving with Toshiba "Power-saving Utility" |
| In order to meet needs for use of PCs on the go, and for efficient power saving without sacrificing necessary functions, power saving in the mobile environment is becoming increasingly important. |
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| Power-saving Utility |
| We have developed an original "Power-saving Utility" making the best of the ACPI capabilities for our notebook PCs. The "Power-saving Utility" offers four power saving modes that enable the PC to accurately control CPU processing speed, LCD luminosity, and pausing of hard disk drives and LCD power OFF when not operating, depending on how the PC is used or on how much battery power is left. |
| Major Functions of Power-saving Utility |
Gives priority to performance in the AC power mode Gives priority to processing speed in the battery power mode For normal use Gives priority to operating time. |
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Environmental Product Design >> Design for Recycling
| We implement product design that makes the recycling of materials easy. |
| » Promotion of material recycling for use as part of a PC case |
| » Use of a magnesium alloy case |
| » Indication of raw materials |
Mission: Why is the reuse of raw materials pursued? |
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Prevention of resource exhaustion
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| Past oil crises taught us an important lesson - that the Earth's resources are finite and will be exhausted some day if we continue to consume them. Most plastics are derived from petroleum. It is important to promote the recycling of these plastics, as this directly contributes to preventing a drain on petroleum resources. We continue to implement design for recycling that allows plastic parts to be recycled and reused. |
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Reuse as materials
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| Recycling of plastics can be carried out through "material recycling" that reuses plastics as resin, "chemical recycling" that produces chemical raw materials, and "thermal recycling" that turns plastic into fuel. Plastics have the longest life cycle when reused as resin. This use also prevents a drain on resources and produces fewer environmental impacts than incineration or disposal in landfill. |
Commitments: Commitments for Toshiba PC |
| We implement product design that uses recycled materials for PCs, adopt materials that are easy to recycle, and promote materials recycling. |
Commitment 1 |
| Promotion of use of recycled materials for the PC case |
| We promote the use of materials recycled from various products used in the market. |
| Ex. Recycling plastic materials |
| We are accustomed to using recycled material in our daily life. When it comes to a Toshiba PC, reworked plastics are used as some parts of the PC case. |
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| PC parts that use recycled materials |
Commitment 2 |
| Promotion of material recycling by adopting a magnesium alloy case |
| There is a limit to the use of plastics in the manufacture ultra-thin PC cases. Sustained rigidity means thicker plastics. Magnesium alloy, on the other hand, has the advantages of plastic's light weight plus inherent rigidity. As it is a metal, recycling is not an issue. |
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| Magnesium Alloy Case We began using a magnesium alloy case in 1996, when we succeeded in manufacturing a PC case of only 0.7mm thickness. Magnesium alloy is as light as plastic with the rigidity of metal, so it can be used for ultra-thin cases and easily reprocessed. It is also suitable for recycling. However, manufacture of PCs using magnesium alloy requires advanced die-casting technologies and various secondary manufacturing processes, and the manufacturing cost cannot equal that of plastics. For the time being, we will use magnesium for PCs with a slim design concept. |
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Commitment 3 |
| Indication of raw materials |
| Plastics is a general term for polymers that can be processed and molded into different forms with heat and pressure. Strong, light plastics are widely used in manufacturing, including for PC cases.
However, there are difficulties in treating plastics as waste materials. For example:
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| Indication of raw materials Foreseeing such difficulties early on, Toshiba PCs has indicated raw materials of plastic components that are used for PC cases since June 1994. |
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Environmental Product Design >> RoHS Compatible Design
| As early as in September 2005, we designed and launched our first RoHS compatible notebook PC. Since then, we have been designing and launching RoHS compatible PCs. |
RoHS Directive |
| The Directive restricts use of six hazardous substances in electrical and electric devices in the EU from July 1, 2006 ;lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls(PBB), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDE). |
| » Establish a technical base compatible with RoHS |
| » Work RoHS compatibility into the development process |
Mission: Early Realization of RoHS Compatible Design |
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| We restrict use of hazardous substances by developing alternative parts and components, and by introducing new technologies.We are delivering products that help customers to feel secure and comfortable. | |||||||||||||||
Commitments: Commitments for Toshiba PC |
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| We restrict use of hazardous substances by developing alternative parts and components, and by introducing new technologies.We are delivering products that help customers to feel secure and comfortable. | |||||||||||||||
Commitment 1 |
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| Establish a technical base compatible with RoHS |
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We have been developing environmentally conscious notebook PCs for a long time. In 1998, we realized halogen- and antimony- free printed circuit boards that do not generate dioxin even if burned. We adopted lead-free soldering in 2001. Since the temperature of lead-free soldering rises to around 250 degrees centigrade, every part has to resist that temperature. In cooperation with parts suppliers, we realized lead-free soldering for all printed circuit boards made in our factory in 2003. Then we replaced the parts with RoHS compatible ones part-by-part and launched our first PC with a RoHS-compatible printed circuit board and case in January, 2005. Our last issue was to replace unit devices, such as DVD drives, with RoHS compatible alternatives. We realized that and launched our first PC with all of the parts and components that are compatible with RoHS. Interview about our high technological achievements with our engineer. (March, 2006) Summarized by Toshiba Corp. Personal Computer Network Company. RoHS compatible notebook PC developed by eco-design team. |
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Commitment 2 |
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| Work RoHS compatibility into the development processes |
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| We built a system that enabled us to integrate RoHS compatibility into all processes, from parts selection to manufacturing and shipment. We promoted RoHS compatibility by incorporating RoHS management in the PC development infrastructure. The flow path of product development and RoHS compatibility |
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| Interview about our technological achievements with our engineer. (January, 2006) Summarized by Toshiba Corp. PC & Network Company. | |||||||||||||||
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| We implement various measures to reduce environmental impacts in the production process of our PCs. |
| » Production without using hazardous substances |
| » Zero emission production |
| » Prevention of global warming |
Mission: Production without using hazardous substances |
| Hazardous chemical substances, if discharged, can have a serious impact on the environment, and on any people who come into contact with them. We continue to explore methods for making the use of chemical substances unnecessary in the manufacturing process. |
Commitments: Commitments for Toshiba PC |
| We embraced the goal of zero emission as a major environmental preservation activity. Zero emission was achieved at Ome Complex (Tokyo) in 2000. At Toshiba Europe GmbH Regensburg Operations (Germany) and Toshiba Hangzhou Co., Ltd. (China), our manufacturing facilities, we started to implement aggressive measures, and continue to do so, with our goal of zero emissions by 2010. |
Mission: Zero emission production |
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| Achieving zero emissions |
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| Zero emissions means that the final amount of waste for disposal(reclamation) after various processes is 1% or less of the total amount of waste discharged from by-products or other items generated by the manufacturing process. We should be able to reach this ideal if recycling is advanced positively and use of materials that are difficult to recycle is reduced at the same time. Moreover, to reduce the impact on the environment or people during the process of attaining zero emission, it is necessary to choose substances at the manufacturing stage which do not become harmful after disposal in landfill. | |||
Commitment: Challenge for Toshiba PC |
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We embrace the challenge of achieving zero emission as a major environmental preservation activity.
Zero emission was achieved at Ome Complex (Tokyo) R&D unit in 2000.
At Toshiba Hangzhou Co., Ltd. (China), our major manufacturing facilities, we started to implement aggressive measures in 2003, and continue to do so, with the goal of achieving zero emissions by 2010. Our manufacturing facilities have embraced the challenge of achieving zero emission. Ome Complex acquired ISO14001:2004. Toshiba Hangzhou Co., Ltd. (China) acquired ISO14001:2004. |
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The commitment to achieve zero emission |
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Mission: Prevention of global warming |
| Energy consumption during the production process produces a large amount of CO2. From now on, the effort to reduce CO2 emissions will increasingly be one of the most important measures in the prevention of global warming. |
Commitment: Challenge for Toshiba PC |
| At Ome Complex, we are sparing no effort to reduce CO2 emissions by applying multiple approaches: administrative improvement, energy-saving investment, energy saving, etc. We are also trying to reduce CO2 emissions associated with product logistics by improving transport efficiency. By implementing such measures, we aim to achieve the targets of a 25% reduction in the ratio of CO2 releases to net sales in 2010 compared with 1990. |