Effective Use and Conservation of Water Resources

  The Yamaha Group has been using wastewater from production processes since the first half of the 1970s, recycling it as cooling water and using a reverse osmosis membrane (RO membrane) device, as well as actively pursuing a policy to prevent leakage. Through these and other initiatives, total water consumption in fiscal 2011 was 1.32 million cubic meters, a reduction of 3% year on year.

Water Consumption

• * Yamaha Corporation Headquarters and factories, and Yamaha Group manufacturing companies in Japan

  Facilities that recycle the effluent discharged during wafer production processes were installed at Yamaha Kagoshima Semiconductor Inc. around 1999. This has helped reduce the well-water pump displacement used in pure water production. In addition, the company undertook a complete renewal of all effluent treatment facilities in fiscal 2003 significantly enhancing effluent treatment capacity. As a result, the annual amount of water being reused totals 200,000 cubic meters.

  At Yamaha Corporation's Toyooka Factory, RO membranes and ion-exchange resins are used to remove impurities from wastewater discharged during the manufacture of wind instruments. As a result, the Company successfully reuses 70,000 cubic meters of wastewater annually. In addition, steps have been taken to relocate underground tanks and pipes above ground as a part of efforts to prevent well-water leakage used by the Factory.Further, Yamaha started reviewing water supply in line with the shifting of production process for wind instruments from the Yamaha Corporation Saitama Factory to the Toyooka Factory in 2011. Investigations are continuing for more efficient water use.

Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane device (Toyooka Factory)

  Utilizing ion-exchange resins, Yamaha Corporation is reusing wastewater discharged during the manufacture of wind instruments at its Saitama Factory. In 2006, the Factory undertook a complete renewal of its wastewater treatment facilities. This initiative helped reduce water consumption by 20% through improvement in treatment capacity. Currently, the Factory is making do with 30,000 cubic meters of reused water annually.

  Yamaha Corporation's Kakegawa Factory has been recycling processed wastewater used by onsite wastewater treatment facilities since fiscal 2004. Steps are being taken to reduce water consumption by reusing 1,000 cubic meters as wet painting booth recycling water annually.

Wet painting booth(Kakegawa Factory)

Xiaoshan Yamaha Musical Instrument Co., Ltd.

  In line with the relocation and new establishment of the Factory at Xiaoshan Yamaha Musical Instrument Co., Ltd., which manufactures wind instruments and piano parts, a newly installed state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility came online in October 2010. These facilities enable the reuse of wastewater to a level equivalent to pure water. Over 90% of the Factory's wastewater is reused in manufacturing processes.

Wastewater treatment facility