Reducing Waste

Initiatives As a measure to promote and strengthen sustainable management, the Gunze Group is working to enhance new corporate value by transforming itself into a circular manufacturer.
As a pioneer in this field, we show examples below of some of the innovation efforts being undertaken in the plastic film business. We are currently working to deploy these initiatives horizontally at a Companywide level.
Our basic approach is to recycle waste generated from the Gunze Group’s manufacturing activities through horizontal and cascade recycling, while aiming for in-house recycling. As a specific initiative, plastic waste generated from plastic film factories is recycled into raw materials through horizontal recycling. For items that cannot be recycled horizontally, we will adopt a cascade process to recycle items into plastic products used in other business divisions (such as the hangers, hooks and sewing thread cones in the apparel business) to promote recycling within the Company. We also cascade recycle discarded cotton and synthetic materials from apparel factories into mixed paper (paper made by mixing pulp with waste materials) and use that within the Company. Going forward, we will advance proposals for the widespread use of these materials in external products as industrial materials. We are also promoting the recycling of the chemical substances (such as organic solvents) used at each factory both inside and outside the Company. Having completed the system and mechanisms for the horizontal recycling of organic solvents, the Engineering Plastics Division is able to generate profits by means of in-house recycling and is already putting the system to practical use.
At the same time, the Gunze Group will accelerate its transformation into a comprehensive circular manufacturer as a sustainable company for the future by further promoting reduction and reuse in a bid to limit the amount of resources used in manufacturing.

Examples of circular cotton paper use