Activities

Revising our list of voluntarily-managed chemical substances to 2,097 items

Mitsubishi Electric and its affiliates in Japan have been managing chemical substances on a voluntary basis since 1997. These include refrigerant fluorocarbons (HFC¹ and HCFC²) used in air conditioners and refrigerators, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and the six RoHS substances. Combined with the 462 substances designated under the PRTR law³ revised in November 2009 (354 substances before revision), the above comprise a current list of 2,097 substances we voluntarily manage under our comprehensive Chemical Substance Management System that encompasses purchasing information about materials and components.

In fiscal 2010 Mitsubishi Electric used 115 different chemical substances totaling 5,013 tons (fiscal 2009: 111 substances, 5,812 tons), while affiliates in Japan used 50 substances totaling 1,885 tons (fiscal 2009: 58 substances, 2,038 tons). Details of the release and transfer of these substances is shown in the figure below, while the 10 substances with the highest volume of release and transfer by the Mitsubishi Electric Group are outlined in the table below. We'll continue to assess and manage our use of these substances while we make efforts to eliminate any waste.

1

HFC: hydrofluorocarbon

2

HCFC: hydrochlorofluorocarbon

3

PRTR: Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, a system by which businesses assess and report to authorities the volume of potentially harmful chemical substances released into the environment and the volume transferred within waste. Authorities, in turn, compile and release information on total volumes based upon the reports and other statistics.

Mitsubishi Electric (Unit: tons)

Affiliates in Japan (Unit: tons)