Trend of regulations and policy of Matsushita elec. W. Ltd. toward environmentally conscious materials

摘要

With environment-related legal regulations being tightened to encourage a higher recycling rate, it has become increasingly crucial, at the stage of the product planning and design, to select materials that place fewer burdens on the environment and which are easier to recycle after use. Particularly after the recent enactment of six new environmental protection laws, it will be increasingly important to select environmentally-conscious materials that can achieve the 3Rs: "reduce", "reuse" and "recycle". In reference to recent trends in legal regulations and environmental activities undertaken by our company, this article describes the environmental considerations to be taken for materials, particularly from the viewpoint of achieving the 3Rs and minimizing environmental impact during the life cycle of the materials.