May 16 2005
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) and its Group companies stepped up their aluminum can recycling activities in fiscal year 2004 (April 2004 - March 2005), collecting approximately 8,780,000 cans -- equivalent to around 142 tons of aluminum. More than 70% of SDK Group employees participated in the activities in the latter half of fiscal 2004. SDK aims to achieve 100% employee participation in the activities as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.
The aluminum can recycling activities started in 2001 when SDK merged with Showa Aluminum Corporation, which had already performed the activities for years. The collected cans are used to produce recycled aluminum cans.
Using the money resulting from the recycling, SDK made donations to regional social welfare organizations, earthquake disaster victims, and to groups of people with special needs for which SDK employees worked as volunteers.
The recycling of aluminum saves 97% of the electricity required for production of aluminum from bauxite ores. In 2003, Japan consumed 297,000 tons of aluminum cans, of which 243,000 tons were recovered. This means saving of as much as 4.83 billion kilowatt-hour of electricity, which can meet the needs of 16.27 million homes in the metropolitan area (Tokyo; Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba and Ibaragi prefectures) for one month, according to the Japan Aluminum Can Recycling Association.
In addition to energy saving, the recycling of aluminum cans contributes to conservation of valuable bauxite resources and reduction in waste.
SDK has been performing its Responsible Care activities since 1995, when it established action guidelines and issued a declaration to that end. SDK will further promote its aluminum can recycling activities to conserve energy and resources as well as to contribute to the goods of local communities in which it operates.
For more information on aluminium, click here.