Jun 28, 2023
ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation
ITOCHU Metals Corporation
ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Ichiro Tsuge, President & CEO) and ITOCHU Metals Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Tsuguyoshi Nakatani, President & CEO) announced today the start of a demonstration experiment for the efficient collection of waste and optimization of waste routes with the goal of recycling industrial waste in relation to the disposal of furniture using StateEco, a platform developed in-house by ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation for the visualization of waste treatment. Taking part in the Furniture Recycle & Renew Association1 (hereinafter “R&R Association”), a group that pursues circular economy in the furniture and interior goods industry, ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation and ITOCHU Metals Corporation will seek to establish traceability throughout the process from the collection of industrial waste to its final disposal and achieve resource recycling.
The goal of the experiment is to demonstrate the optimization of routes for transporting waste beds and mattresses and the visualization of the status of waste disposal. The two companies will centralize information such as the size, number and weight of waste beds and mattresses from the business operators participating in the R&R Association. They will be transported via the collection route that maximizes the load per truck. StateEco centralizes information, visualizes the process from the collection of waste to its final disposal and calculates the optimal route for transportation in terms of both time and cost using artificial intelligence (AI) and a platform capable of checking the status of waste on a real-time basis.
Optimizing transportation routes reduces fuel consumption and GHG emissions. It also visualizes the status of the collection and transportation and disposal of the ferrous materials collected, which leads to the proper disposal of waste.
In this experiment, the Smart.i∞ electronic manifest2 registration service provided by ITOCHU Metals Corporation is used to coordinate data and submit manifests as a proxy. In this way, the data entered by waste collection and transportation businesses and waste disposal businesses will be managed and verified. The goal of this to streamline the clerical work of waste-emitting businesses and improve the accuracy of information.
With the demonstration experiment, the R&R Association seeks to help participating companies acquire certification through the Ministry of the Environment’s wide-area certification program,3 while establishing a system for recycling waste furniture into raw materials. The manufacturers and distributors that have acquired certification will be able to undertake waste disposal for customers, which will improve recycling rates and reduce the risk of illegal dumping.
Going forward, ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation will utilize the knowledge obtained from the results of the demonstration experiment and the data that lead to environmental improvement to offer an eco-friendly logistics platform. Staying true to its philosophy, “Leveraging IT’s potential to change future for the Global Good,” ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation will strive to change the economy (green transformation, GX) in pursuit of carbon neutrality.
Overview of the demonstration experiment
Objective: Efficient waste collection and recycling of waste
Period: June - August 2023
Details of the experiment:
① Collect and visualize data throughout the process from the collection of waste to its sorting and disposal for resource recycling
② Use Smart.i∞ to submit electronic manifests as a proxy
③ Collect data and optimize transportation routes to reduce GHG emissions
Demonstration experiment diagram
- *1 A non-statutory organization composed of 35 companies including domestic furniture manufacturers, retail distributors, logistics businesses and others that was established within the furniture and interior industry with the goal of facilitating resource recycling, reducing GHG emissions and conserving the ecosystems Established in June 2023
https://www.kagurandr.com/ - *2 A three-party system involving a waste-emitting business, a waste collection and transportation business and a waste disposer for the exchange of information in a network via an information processing center with the goal of managing the destination of industrial waste and preventing illegal dumping
- *3 A program that allows a company certified by the Minister of the Environment that manufactures, processes and distributes products to collect the waste generated as a result of the company’s products and recycle it into raw materials for products This does not require the submission of manifests and makes it possible to reduce registration work.
Contact Information
ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation, Corporate Communications Dept.
E-mail:press@ctc-g.co.jp
You can contact us via the web form
ITOCHU Metals Corporation, Recycle Business Promotion Division, Choshi
E-mail:k-chiyoushi@itochu-metals.co.jp
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