Q&A
1. Environmental Initiatives / General
1-1
How does CIPA support and approach the environmental activities of its member companies?
Open
1-1
CIPA collects and shares information about related domestic and foreign laws and various guidelines concerning the environment in the Environment Working Group, and enacts desirable countermeasures in cooperation with its member companies, thereby raising the level of environmental compliance activities of the member companies.
1-2
What kind of organization has CIPA formed to conduct environmental activities?
Open
1-2
In CIPA, the Environment Working Group under the Business Operation Committee studies environmental activities. And to deal with an important environmental challenge, a subcommittee may be set up under the Environment Working Group to conduct activities according to the needs.
1-3
What initiatives does CIPA take regarding environmentally friendly design?
Open
1-3
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies challenges concerning laws and regulations related to energy conservation and resource saving in Japan and overseas, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to the laws and regulations. Member companies take initiatives to reduce product weight while completing functions by applying slimming and weight reducing technologies. Furthermore, they make efforts to design products so drive use secondary batteries can be removed easily and to use reusable materials as packaging materials etc.
2. Environmental Initiatives / Global Warming Prevention Activities
2-1
What is CIPA doing as activities to prevent global warming?
Open
2-1
CIPA is collecting and sharing the latest information about international standards which calculate emissions of greenhouse effect gasses (for example, LCA, Carbon Footprint, Environmental Footprint) beginning with domestic and foreign energy conservation regulations, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to these regulations and standards.
And its member companies make efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse effect gasses based on each company’s voluntary action plans to prevent global warming.
2-2
What initiatives does CIPA take to visualize environmental loads in order to prevent global warming?
Open
2-2
CIPA collects the latest information about, (for example, LCA, Carbon Footprint, Environmental Footprint), enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to these regulations and standards.
3. Environmental Initiatives / Forming Circulatory Society
3-1
What efforts does CIPA make to form the circulatory society?
Open
3-1
CIPA promotes awareness among its member companies of the need for actions stipulated by, for example, Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources and Act on Promotion of Recycling of Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Japan as initiatives to form the circulatory society, and shares information about resource recycling in foreign countries, through the activities of the Environment Working Group under the Business Operations Committee. And by visiting recycling companies in Japan to perform fact-finding surveys of how products of the industry association are dismantled and disposed of, it promotes the best possible initiatives to encourage environmentally friendly design with its member companies.
3-2
What initiatives does CIPA take regarding waste material reduction activities?
Open
3-2
CIPA collects information such as related laws and regulations, and various guidelines etc. of each country and region concerning waste regulations, studies response proposals and makes proposals. And member companies conduct waste material reduction activities according to voluntary action plans of each company.
3-3
What does CIPA think of design to simplify the disassembly of products?
Open
3-3
CIPA thinks that design to enable recycling companies to easily disassemble cameras is design that lets them easily remove the drive use batteries. This conforms with the desire, “we want there to be no drive use batteries to lower processing costs, and at least being able to easily remove them is an important element”, a view obtained from visits to recycling companies in Japan and interviews with concerned people at these companies. And regarding further design response, CIPA conducts studies according to future changes in the state of recycling processes.
3-4
What initiatives does CIPA take regarding the use of reprocessed materials?
Open
3-4
CIPA puts top priority on providing a stable supply of high-quality safe products so metal materials, which are supplied stably without quality deterioration of reprocessed materials, are used as materials that contain reprocessed materials. CIPA strives to use reprocessed materials: cardboard to make boxes in which products are packed, reprocessed paper to print users’ manuals, and reprocessed plastic to make bags in which to package products. However, there are problems with artificial resin materials, deterioration of the quality of the materials caused by recycling, stability of supply and so on, so in the past it was difficult to use these materials, but some member companies are trying to use reprocessed materials as the bodies of products.
4. Environmental Initiatives / Reducing Environmental Risk of Chemical Substances
4-1
How does CIPA handle specified chemical substances, whose use is restricted inside and outside Japan?
Open
4-1
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies challenges concerning laws and regulations concerning specified chemical substances inside and outside of Japan, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to the laws and regulations. Additionally, the member companies promote the development of required alternative technologies based on each one’s voluntary action plan for the elimination of specified chemical substances and work on to comply with various regulations including the RoHS Directive or REACH Regulation of each country and region. There are also member companies voluntarily working to achieve halogen-free and to reduce allergic reactions to exterior components. You can learn about chemicals whose use is restricted from green procurement standards etc. described on the website of each member company.
4-2
What kinds of initiatives does CIPA take as halogen-free activities?
Open
4-2
CIPA is aware that at this time, halogen-free is handled by voluntary regulation.
Therefore, CIPA does not take unified initiatives.
And its member companies voluntary take halogen-free initiatives.
5. Environmental Initiatives / Compliance with Global Environmental Laws and Regulations
5-1
How does CIPA handle the laws and regulations (such as EU WEEE Directives) on waste materials in each country and region?
Open
5-1
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies challenges concerning the laws and regulations (such as EU WEEE Directives) on waste materials in each country and region, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to these regulations.
5-2
How does CIPA handle the laws and regulations (such as EU RoHS Directive and REACH Regulation) on chemical substances in each country and region?
Open
5-2
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies the problems concerning the laws and regulations (such as EU RoHS Directive and REACH Regulation), enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to these regulations.
5-3
Are cameras subject to EU RoHS Directive?
Open
5-3
EU RoHS Directive covers electrical and electronic equipment products. Therefore, it covers film cameras which use electricity and digital cameras. It does not cover mechanical film cameras, which do not use electricity. And interchangeable lenses which use electricity are covered by the RoHS Directive.
5-4
What kinds of initiatives does CIPA take to respond to recycling regulations of each country and region?
Open
5-4
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies the problems concerning recycling regulations of each country and region, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to these regulations.
5-5
What kinds of initiatives does CIPA take to respond to energy conservation regulations and eco-design regulations of each country and region?
Open
5-5
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies the problems concerning energy conservation regulations and eco-design regulations of each country and region, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to these regulations.
5-6
What kinds of initiatives does CIPA take to respond to packaging and container regulations of each country and region?
Open
5-6
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies the problems concerning packaging and container regulations of each country and region, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to the laws and regulations.
5-7
What kinds of initiatives does CIPA take to respond to battery environmental regulations of each country and region?
Open
5-7
CIPA collects and analyzes the latest information and identifies the problems concerning battery environmental regulations of each country and region, enabling its member companies to respond appropriately to these regulations.
6. Communications with stakeholders
6-1
What kinds of links does CIPA have with other organizations concerning environment related matters?
Open
6-1
CIPA participates in environment related committees of electric machinery and electronic related organizations and the Japan Machinery Center for Trade and Investment (JMC) to exchange information with these organizations and the JMC. And as necessary, CIPA takes actions directed at administrative bodies by submitting its opinions to the governments of various countries while working on form consensuses with a wide range of concerned industrial associations.
6-2
Has CIPA set up an office to accept inquiries concerning environment related matters from the governmental bodies etc.?
Open
6-2
CIPA accepts inquiries from the governmental bodies etc. at its executive office, while the Environment Working Group under the Business Operation Committee responds to these inquiries.
6-3
Which department of CIPA is in charge of studying and taking action concerning environment related matters?
Open
6-3
CIPA department in charge is the Environment Working Group under the Business Operation Committee. And as necessary, subcommittees or study committees etc. are formed under the Group to quickly respond from a more specialized standpoint.