Environmentally Friendly Products and Services
Environmentally Friendly Design and Green Procurement
The Yamaha Group performs product life-cycle assessments that cover all product life-cycle stages, ranging from material procurement to production, transportation, use, and disposal, and uses other methodologies to identify the characteristics of the environmental impacts of its various product lines. This information is used to practice environmentally friendly design based on the major environmental impact characteristics of specific products.
For chemical substances contained in our products, we have created standards for use in products, established a management system, and perform green procurement.
Major Product Characteristics Identified through Life-Cycle Assessments and Measures
Acoustic Instruments
Characteristics
- No energy consumption during use (lack of need for electricity, etc.)
- Long lifespans (often used for several decades)
- Primarily made using renewable timber, but present risks of deforestation and resource depletion via illegal thinning
- Lack of material recycling infrastructure like that seen for household appliances
Measures
- Sustainable timber procurement that does not contribute to deforestation or resource depletion
- Extension of lifespans through enhancement of maintenance services and reuse frameworks
- Development of material recycling frameworks
Electronic Instruments
Characteristics
- Lower energy consumption than standard household appliances as most products do not have idle power consumption
- Lifespan on par with standard household appliances
- Large environmental impact from manufacturing metal components due to need for excavation and smelting, environmental pollution risks from runoffs attributable to plastics and chemical substances
- Lack of material recycling infrastructure like that seen for household appliances
Measures
- Reduction of use and replacement of substances that impact the environment
- Extension of lifespans through retrofitting
- Utilization of biomass and other renewable resources
- Development of material recycling frameworks
AV Equipment and IT Equipment
Characteristics
- Relatively large energy consumption due to constant operation of some IT equipment and idle power consumption of AV equipment
- Lifespans heavily influenced by specifications and versions of connected equipment
- Large environmental impact from manufacturing metal components due to need for excavation and smelting, environmental pollution risks from runoffs attributable to plastics and chemical substances
- Lack of material recycling infrastructure like that seen for household appliances
Measures
- nergy-efficient design
- Reduction of use and replacement of substances that impact the environment
- Utilization of biomass and other renewable resources
- Development of material recycling frameworks
Management of Chemical Substances Contained in Products
Some chemical substances contained in distributed or sold products require proper treatment at the time of disposal or have the potential to adversely impact people’s health or the environment. For this reason, countries around the world have been strengthening restrictions on chemical substances contained in products and requiring data disclosure.
With this regard, Yamaha Corporation has established the Standards for Chemical Content in Products. These standards are used to manage chemical substances in products during design and development to help ensure legal compliance and reduce environmental impacts. The standards are revised when necessary in response to legislative changes, the accession of voluntary standards, and other factors.
Management System for Chemical Substances Contained in Products
In order to manage the chemical substances contained in products, it is imperative to identify and control the chemical substances contained in the parts and materials that make up finished products. The Yamaha Group has implemented a management system for such chemical substances, and supplier cooperation is requested as we conduct surveys of the chemical substances contained in parts and work to manage these substances.
Furthermore, the Yamaha Group has adopted the industry-standard format for the communication of information on the chemical substances contained in products.*1 We also have systems in place for furnishing flexible responses to the ongoing addition of chemical substance regulations, such as the expansion of the list of substances of very high concern in the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations.*2 At the same time, Yamaha holds briefing sessions to gain the understanding and cooperation of suppliers in regard to managing the chemical substances used in components.
Promotion of Green Procurement
In accordance with the Yamaha Group Green Procurement Policy, the Yamaha Group promotes green procurement in which it sources materials with low environmental impacts throughout the entirety of product life cycles, spanning from resource extraction to disposal. The policy compiles our requests of suppliers, and we ask suppliers to cooperate with surveys on the chemical substances used and contained in the articles they supply as well as the status of chemical substance management. Information on chemical contents and chemical substance management practices received from suppliers is compiled in a database for use in confirming the chemical substances contained in products and in complying with environmental regulations. The policy is revised as necessary by changes in the global regulatory climate.
Yamaha Eco-Products Program
The Yamaha Group launched the Yamaha Eco-Products Program in 2015. This program is designed to clarify environmental standards for products and promote environmentally friendly products. A Yamaha Eco-Label is affixed to those products meeting our environmental standards, thus certifying them as Yamaha Eco-Products. Our objective is to provide straightforward information on the environmental considerations incorporated into products to assist customers in the decision-making process when selecting a product.
A total of 16 new product models were certified under the Yamaha Eco-Products Program in fiscal 2023. As of March 31, 2023, the number of certified products, including prior products, was 484, of which 16 were newly developed products bearing the Yamaha Eco-Label.
In fiscal 2023, sales of Yamaha Eco-Label certified products accounted for approximately15% of total net sales.
Products Certified in Fiscal 2023
Products Supporting the Reduction of Environmental Impacts
Yamaha Group products are not only for general consumers but also for businesses. Some of our products help to reduce the environmental impact of our customers’ business activities or can be used to reduce environmental impacts during the use of products manufactured by the customer. The Group works to reduce environmental impacts throughout society by means of the development and promotion of such products.
Products / Services | Environmental characteristics / Benefits | Related pictures |
---|---|---|
ADECIA remote meeting sound solution | Contribution to reduction of CO2 emissions through remote communication that does not require movement by people | |
Unified communications speakerphone | Contribution to reduction of CO2 emissions through remote communication that does not require movement by people | |
Micro prober flexible printed circuit conduction and insulation inspection devices (Yamaha Fine Technologies Co., Ltd. product) |
Waste reduction and resource conservation benefits from improved yield rates for product subject to tests | |
Helium leak tester (Yamaha Fine Technologies Co., Ltd. product) |
Support for compliance with automobile environmental regulations and reductions in environment impacts from driving | |
Hydrogen leak detector (Yamaha Fine Technologies Co., Ltd. product) |
Promotion of hydrogen as next-generation form of energy |