Development of Environment-Friendly Products
at Furukawa Electricby Ken'ji Uesugi *, Kazunori Ishikawa *, Masanobu Shimizu *, Eiji Shiramatsu *,Hiroshi Hirukawa *, Masaki Nishiguchi * and Shin Muramatsu *2

1.

INTRODUCTION

Environmental problems are increasing in severity, creating a need for initiatives at the corporate level. To protect
the environment and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, Furukawa Electric recognizes that "the21st century is the century of the environment", and in
response to the needs of society and our customers, isactively working to develop environment-friendly products
and technologies. Our aim is to develop a range of commercially viable "environment-harmonized" products-products that at every stage, from materials selection,
manufacture and use to distribution and disposal, will be
non-toxic and of low environmental impact.

2.

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The Committee for the Development of Environmentally
Friendly Products has been set up as a company-wideorganization, with subsidiary working groups dealing witheach area of operation. It comprises a Research andDevelopment Section, Marketing Section, Operations
Section and Environment Control Section, and its function
will be to harmonize company requirements with customer
needs, to plan and develop commercially viable environment-friendly products reflecting this, and to introduce
them to customers. Each working group will proceed withplanning and developing products in the area under its
control.

3.

DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT AND REPRESENTATIVE ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

The development of environment-friendly products aimed
at the reduction of environmental impact and the realization of an environment-conscious society will be carriedout in accordance with the following basic concepts:*

Environmentally Friendly Products Development Committee,
R & D Div.
*2 Environmentally Friendly Products Development Committee,
Marketing Promotion Dept.

(1) Development of Products with Reduced Environmental Impact
It is essential that products not create environmental
problems when they are used, but further, they should
not be the source of toxic by-products when they are
eventually disposed of by incineration or in landfills.
Furukawa Electric has developed an electrical wirewith low environmental impact sold under the ECOACE brand, which uses no PVC, other halogenous
substances or lead compounds. Also, with a view torecyclability, we are also proceeding with the development of modular products that will be easier to recycle.
In the field of electronics there is strong demand forlead-free solder, and we are developing such materials for both plating and soldering applications.
(2) Development of Products to Prevent Ozone Layer
Depletion
The main agents of ozone layer depletion are chlorofluorocarbon compounds, or CFCs. We are developing devices and processes that do not use CFCs,
together with products adapted to CFC substitutes.
We are also developing a reflow oven that eliminates
washing and use of CFCs, and refrigerant-resistantwindings capable of being used in cooling systems
using CFC substitutes.
(3) Development of Products that Contribute to
Reducing Waste and Achieving a Recycling-Oriented
Society
Waste not only causes environmental pollution, it
depletes the limited stock of natural resources. We
are moving to develop products that reuse wastematerials, products that feature unification of materials to facilitate recycling, and products that arebiodegradable and thus do not leave residual waste
products. These include underground ducts madefrom cable waste, can stock made from recycled aluminum, biodegradable resin sheet, etc.
(4) Development of Products that Contribute toPreventing Global Warming
Through the development of products that realize
energy savings, clean energy systems and the like,
we are developing products that contribute to the prevention of global warming. These include high-performance heat-exchanger materials, solar photovoltaic
systems, products using micro heat-pipes, and more.

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Table 1

Typical environment-friendly products
Stage ofField of application

Name of productFeaturesdevelopment*

1. Products with reduced environmental impact
Home appliances, power dis-

• ECO-ACE environment-friendly electrical wire

NP/UD

Non-halogen, lead-freetribution, communications
Automobiles

NP

Lead-freeElectronic parts

NP

Lead-free• HPWR II heat- and refrigerant-resistant windingsHome appliances, automotive

NP

For CFC substitutes• SALAMANDER nitrogen-atmosphere reflow ovens

Electronic equipment

NP

Eliminates CFCs

• "FULL-COAT" functional resin-coated aluminum sheets

Electronic equipment

NP

Eliminates lubricants• Lead-free electrical wire
• Lead-free plated parts of electronic equipment
2. Products that contribute to preventing ozone layer depletionand cleansers
3. Products designed for reduced waste disposal and improved
recyclability
Cans

NP

• Recycled aluminum distribution wire

Wire and cable

NP

Recycling• All-aluminum air-conditioners

Home appliances

NP

Unification of materials• Recycled aluminum can stock• CCBOX and Information Box underground ducts• BIO-ACE biodegradable resin sheets

Recycling

Cable laying

NP

Reuse of materials

Packaging materials

NP

Biodegradability

4. Products that contribute to preventing global warming• MCPET high-reflectivity foamed sheets• High-performance heat-exchanging material

Lighting

NP

Saves energy

Automobiles

NP

Lightweight, saves energy
Saves energy

Electrical equipment

NP• Solar photovoltaic systems

Electric powerNP

Clean energy• Deep-sea CO2-fixing systems

Power generation

NP

Reduces CO2• Products containing micro heat-pipes

NP = new product; UD = under development

Table 2
Product category

Insulation material

Substitutes for PVC

Cross-linked polyolefin

Eco-Ace products for electrical equipment
Rated

Flame retardancy

temperature
105°C

Previous
wire/cable

Applicable standard

Perpendicular-class

UL1007

UL and CSA approval for tempera-

flame retardancy

UL1015ture rise limit of 105°C for electrical(ULVW-1)

UL1429appliances

wires and cables

UL1430
UL1431Substitutes for

Cross-linked polyolefin

125-150°C

Perpendicular-class

UL3265

UL and CSA approval for tempera-

flame retardancy

UL3266

ture rise limit of 125°C for electrical(ULVW-1)

UL3271appliancescross-linked
polyethylene cables

UL3398
UL3289Substitutes for PVC

Polyolefin

60-75°C

60°-class flame retar-

KIV, HKIV

Conforms to JIS C 3316

dancy

VSF, HVSF

Conforms to JIS C 3302

(ULVW-1)

VFF, VCT

Conforms to JIS C 3312

power cords

In the following paragraphs we will present examples of products based on these concepts that areproviding solutions in a wide range of fields (seeTable 1).
3.1 Products with Reduced Environmental Impact• ECO-ACE Environment-Friendly Non-Halogenous
Wire and Cable
By developing polymers and flame-retarding agents,
we have achieved products free of halogens, lead andphosphorous. These wires and cables use no lead orother heavy metals, phosphorous, or even haloge-

76

nous substances such as PVC in the sheath.
UL and CSA approval has been obtained for wires
for electrical appliances, and they are now in use(Table 2).
With regard to power transmission and distribution
cables, development work on general-use cables andhighly flame-retardant low-voltage cables for indoor
use has been completed, and they are already in use.
Furukawa Electric is building up inventories to enable
immediate delivery (see Table 3).
We have also developed flame-retardant opticalfiber cables for telecommunications.

Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000

Table 3

ECO-ACE power and distribution cables
ECO-ACE

Comparable conventional product

Cable category

Low- and high-voltage cableLow-voltage flat-strip cable

Insulation material

SheathType designation

Insulation material

EM-CE

Cross-linked

SpecialCV

Cross-linked

EM-CET

polyethylene

polyolefin

CVT

polyethylene

EM-EEF

Polyethylene

VVF

PVC

PVC

PVC

PVC

Control and instrumentation

EM-CEE

cable

EM-CEE-S

Insulated cable
Flame-resistant cable for firefighting (FP)*1
Flame-resistant cable for firefighting (HP)
Cable with

Cable

junctions*2
Molded junctions

SheathType designation

Polyethylene

EM-IE

Special polyolefin

FT-8-C

Polyethylene

NH-FT-3

EM-BH EM-CET

Specialpolyolefin
SpecialCVV

polyolefin

CVV-SSpecialpolyolefin

Cross-linked

Specialpolyethylene

polyolefin

Cross-linked

Specialpolyethylene

polyolefin

IV

PVC

FT-8-C

Polyethylene
Cross-linked

FT-3

BH

polyethylene
CVT

Cross-linked
polyethylene

PVC

Specialpolyolefin
PVC

PVC

PVC

Special polyolefin*1 Flame-resistant cable has always been made of ECO-materials*2 Polyolefin is used for both the cable and the molded junctions

Figure 1

SALAMANDER-XN nitrogen-atmosphere reflow oven

• Lead-Free Plating for Electronic Components
Lead-free plating for the leads of ICs, capacitors, connectors, printed circuit boards, etc. has been achievedby using a tin-bismuth alloy instead of the tin-leadmaterial used previously.
Furukawa Electric has also developed the "ECOLEADs" in which a base plating of tin is followed by anelectroplated surface layer of bismuth-tin alloy, andthen reflowed. This provides outstanding anti-whiskering properties, and also realizes lead-free soldering.
3.2

Products that Contribute to Preventing Ozone
Layer Depletion• HPWR II for Use with CFC Substitutes
These heat- and refrigerant-resistant windings are
now in use in the compressor motors of air-conditioning and refrigerating systems using CFC-substituterefrigerants (HFC-407C, R410A, R134a).

Figure 2"KOTA-KUN" underground cable duct using recycledresins• Lead-Free Electrical Wire
International trade in products containing lead compounds is restricted under the terms of the Basel
Treaty. As one step toward complete non-toxicity,
Furukawa Electric has developed electrical wire thatuses no lead compounds. By developing non-leadstabilizers for insulating resins, we have eliminatedlead thereby solving the problem of lead leachingfrom landfills. These are already being used in automotive applications.

• SALAMANDER-XN Nitrogen-Atmosphere Reflow
Oven
This reflow oven carries out the reflow soldering
process during the mounting of electronic components in a nitrogen atmosphere. This eliminates theneed to cleanse completed circuit boards, obviating
the use of CFCs and reducing depletion of the ozone
layer (see Figure 1).
• "FULL-COAT" Functional Resin-Coated Aluminum
Sheets
These functional resin coated aluminum sheets provide enhanced formability, corrosion resistance, scuffand fingerprint-resistance, resistance to chemicals,
electrical conductivity, ease of printing, and anti-bacterial and anti-mold properties. They are also self-77

wrapping are disposed of in landfills, they are completely broken down by the action of microorganisms
in approximately one year.
• "KOTA-KUN" Underground Cable Duct Made from
Cable Waste (Figure 2)
Plastic underground cable ducts have been developed that retain the workability of plastic while offering
the resistance to soil pressure and vehicle loads
equivalent to concrete products or steel pipe. This
makes effective use of socially undesirable plastic
waste and increases the strength of corrugated ducts,
responding to the need for a compact configuration
for the laying of multiple conductors.
Figure 3

Illuminated signboards using MCPET high-reflectivity
foamed sheets

Figure 4

Solar photovoltaic systemlubricating, so that disposal of the lubricants andcleansers formerly used in the stamping process iseliminated.
3.3

Products that Contribute to Reducing Waste andAchieving a Recycling-Oriented Society• Recycled Aluminum Can Stock
The use of can stock made from used beverage canscontributes to promoting aluminum recycling.
• Recycled Aluminum Distribution Wire
We have succeeded in processing the old power distribution wire removed and retrieved by power utilities
by developing techniques for sorting the aluminum
wire, re-refining it and managing impurities, andremanufacturing it as wire rods and distribution wire.
• BIO-ACE Biodegradable Resin Sheets
BIO-ACE non-crosslinked foamed resin sheets aredesigned to be completely broken down into carbon
dioxide and water by the action of microorganisms.
Made of fatty polyester resins, they are biodegradable
while retaining the same properties as ordinary polyolefins. When foamed sheets used in packaging and

78• "KOICHI-KUN" Information Box Made from Cable
Waste
Japan's Construction Ministry plans to have an opticalfiber network of some 300,000 km in place by 2010.
To this end work has begun on the underground laying of ducts to carry the optical fibers, known as information boxes, alongside the nation's highways.
Furukawa Electric has developed plastic ducts madefrom cable waste, which have the advantages ofbeing easier to handle, quicker to install and cheaper,and also contribute to the establishment of a recycling-oriented society.
• National Project for the Development of Recycling
Technology
During the 5-year period 1991-96, the Japan Electric
Cable Technology Center (JECTEC) has been
involved with cable manufacturers under the aegis of
the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)
in research on thermal recycling through the development of liquefaction and pulverization technologies.
Since fiscal 1998, research has been going forward
on the use of PVC as solid fuel.
With respect to aluminum, funding from the New
Energy and Industrial Technology Development
Organization (NEDO) made it possible for the Japan
Research and Development Center for Metals(JRCM) and seven manufacturers of aluminum rolled
products to embark in 1993 on a 10-year project todevelop technology to promote aluminum recycling.
3.4

Products and Systems that Contribute toPreventing Global Warming• MCPET High-Reflectivity Foamed Sheets (Figure 3)
Furukawa Electric is the first in the world to succeedin the commercial-scale production and marketing ofwhite sheets 1 to 2 mm in thickness made of extrafine foamed polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Bubble
diameter averages 10 µm or less, so small that optical performance is outstanding, with a total reflectivityof 99% or more and diffused reflectivity of at least
95%.
Furthermore, there is no dependency of reflectivity
on wavelength, such as is characteristic of white-

Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000

painted steel sheets. Thus when they are used forreflective panels in illuminated signboards, it is possible to reduce the number of fluorescent tubes by 30%
and to eliminate color distortion for more natural color
rendition. It is anticipated that this product will findapplications in advertising signboards and directionalsigns for railway stations, roads, etc., as backlighting
systems for LCDs, and in lighting fixtures of all types.
• High-Performance Heat-Exchangers Material
High-performance internally multigrooved pipes deliver energy savings in home and industrial air-conditioners. We have also developed aluminum radiatorand air-conditioner materials for automotive applications that are lighter in weight, promoting better fueleconomy and reducing CO2 emissions.
• Solar Photovoltaic Systems (Figure 4)
These clean distributed power generating systems
use solar batteries to convert the sun's rays directly
into electricity. From engineering through construction, metering and maintenance, we can provide totalsolutions, and have built a track record with both
power utilities and local government bodies. And MITI
has awarded us the Minister's Prize for our solar photovoltaic system with snow-melting capability.
• Micro Heat-Pipes
Computers, servers and other electronic equipment
are becoming more compact, and device packing
densities move steadily upward. Furukawa Electric's
micro heat-pipes provide a solution to the associatedproblems of heat-dissipation and cooling, making possible greater availability of computing power alongwith energy savings. And they use water as the working fluid, avoiding restrictions on the use of CFCs.

3.5 Miscellaneous
In future, new product development must take account of
the environmental impact over the whole life of the product, and life cycle assessment is a technique that is gaining wide acceptance. Furukawa Electric has alreadybegun conducting life cycle assessments in relation to thedevelopment of insulated cables and aluminum heatexchangers.

4.

CONCLUSION

We have introduced some of the environment-friendly
products that have been developed by Furukawa Electric.
Recognizing as we do that the protection of the global
environment is one of the most important issues we face,
Furukawa Electric is committed, through the activities of
its Committee for the Development of Environmentally
Friendly Products, to continue with the development of
products that are responsive to the needs of society andour customers.
Furukawa Electric manufactures a broad range of products, from electrical wire and cable to fiber-optic components, machinery, and plastic and metallic materials, andwe will mobilize all of our expertise to advance solutions toproblems of the environment.
We invite interested readers to read further about ourenvironmental initiatives and environment-friendly products by visiting our web-site at:
http://www.furukawa.co.jp/enviro/english/index.html
Manuscript received on July 17, 1999.

• Deep-Sea Piping Systems for the Transport ofLiquefied CO2
Deep-sea fixing of CO2 is considered one of the mosteffective measures against global warming. In cooperation with the Research Institute of Innovative
Technology for the Earth, Furukawa Electric is conducting research on a system that can transport andstore liquefied CO2 in the sea at depths in excess of3000 m using flexible pipes suspended from floatingbase-stations.

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