5. Environment-Friendly Products and Recycling Technology
1) Environment-Friendly Products
To protect the environment and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, Furukawa Electric recognizes that“the 21st 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-friendly” products--products that at every stage, from materials selection, manufacture anduse to distribution and disposal, will be non-toxic and of low environmental impact.
♦ Development Concept and Representative Environment-Friendly Products
The development of environment-friendly products aimed at the reduction of environmental impact and the realizationof an environment-conscious society will be carried out in accordance with the following basic concepts:(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 electric wire with low environmental impact which uses no PVC, other halogenous substances or lead compounds.
In the field of electronics there is strong demand for lead-free solder, and we are developing such materials.
(2) Development of Products that Contribute to Prevent Ozone Layer Depletion
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-resistant windings
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 todevelop products that reuse waste materials, products that feature unification of materials to facilitate recycling, andproducts that are biodegradable and thus do not leave residual waste products. These include underground ducts
made from cable waste, can stock made from recycled aluminum, biodegradable resin sheet, etc.
(4) Development of Products that Contribute to Global Warming Prevention
Through the development of products that realize energy conservations, clean energy systems and the like, we aredeveloping products that contribute to the prevention of global warming. These include high-performance heatexchanger materials, solar photovoltaic systems, and more. In cooperation with the Research Institute of Innovative
Technology for the Earth, Furukawa Electric is conducting research on a system that can transport and store liquefied CO2 in the sea at depths in excess of 3000 m using flexible pipes suspended from floating base-stations.
In the following paragraphs we will present examples of products based on these concepts that are providing solutions
in a wide range of fields.
Typical Environment-Friendly ProductsFeatures

Name of productField of application

Stage of development*(1) Products with reduced environmental impact
ECO-ACE environment-friendly electric wires
Lead-free electric wires
Lead-free plated parts for electronic equipment

Home appliances, power distribution, communications
Automobiles
Electronic parts

NP/UDNPNP

Non-halogen, lead-free
Lead-free
Lead-free(2) Products that contribute to preventing ozone layer depletion
HPWR II heat- and refrigerant-resistant magnet wires
SALAMANDER nitrogen-atmosphere reflow ovens
FULL-COAT functional resin-coated aluminum sheets

Home appliances, automotive
Electronic equipment
Electronic equipment

NPNP
NP

For CFC substitutes
Eliminates CFCs
Eliminates lubricants and cleansers(3) Products designed for reduced waste disposal and improved recyclability
Recycled aluminum can stock
Recycled aluminum power distribution wires
All-aluminum air-conditioners
CCBOX and Information Box underground ducts
BIO-ACE biodegradable resin sheets

Cans
Wire and cable
Home appliances
Electric wire installation
Packaging materials

NPNPUDNPNP

Recycling
Recycling
Unification of materials
Reuse of materials
Biodegradability(4) Products that contribute to preventing global warming
MCPET high-reflectivity foamed sheets
High-performance heat-exchanging material
Products containing micro heat-pipes
Solar photovoltaic systems
Deep-sea CO2-fixing systems

LightingAutomobiles
Electronic equipment
Electric power
Power generation

NPNP
NP
NP
NP

Energy conservation
Lightweight, saves energy
Saves energy
Clean energy
Reduces CO2*NP = new product; UD = under development

11(1) Products with Reduced Environmental
Impact(2) Products that Contribute to Preventing
Ozone Layer Depletion■ Non-Halogenous Wire and Cable■ HPWR II for Use with CFC SubstitutesBy developing polymers and flame-retarding agents, wehave achieved products free of halogens, lead and phosphorous, which permit easy disposal by incineration. Wiresfor electrical appliances, power supply cords, highly flameretardant low-voltage
cables, and "ECO-ACE"
general cables for indoor
use are already in use.

These heat- and refrigerantresistant magnet wires are
now in use in the compressor
motors of air-conditioning andrefrigerating systems using
CFC-substitute refrigerants(HFC-R407C, R410A, R134a).

■ Copper Tube for Use with CFC Substitutes(Furukawa Super Clean Tube)
These are heat exchanger
copper tubes with improved
cleanliness in the tube's
inner surface. They are foruse with R134a, a new CFCsubstitute refrigerant used in
car air conditioners, as wellas in refrigerators and thelike in the future to reduce
the ozone layer depletion.

■ SALAMANDER-XN Nitrogen-Atmosphere
Reflow Oven

■ Lead-Free Electric Wires
By developing non-lead stabilizers for insulating resins, wehave eliminated lead
thereby solving the problem of lead leaching fromlandfills. These are
already being used in
automotive applications.

This reflow oven carries out the reflow
soldering processduring the mountingof electronic components in a nitrogen
atmosphere. Thiseliminates the needto cleanse completed circuit boards, obviating the use ofCFCs.

■ Lead-Free Plated Parts for ElectronicComponents■ FULL-COAT Functional Resin-Coated
Aluminum Sheets

Lead-free plating for the leads of ICs, capacitors, connectors, printed circuit boards, etc. has been achieved byusing a tin-bismuth alloy instead of the tin-lead material
used previously, sothat elimination oflead from customers'
mounting process canbe much improved.

These functional resin coated aluminum sheets provide enhanced
formability, corrosion resistance,
scuff- and fingerprint-resistance,resistance to chemicals, electricalconductivity, ease of printing, andanti-bacterial and anti-mold properties. They are also self-lubricating, so that disposal of the lubricants and cleansers formerly used in the stamping process is eliminated.

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(3) Products that Contribute to Reducing Wasteand Achieving a Recycling-Oriented Society(4) Products and Systems that Contribute toPreventing Global Warming■ Recycled Aluminum Can Stock■ MCPET High-Reflectivity Foamed Sheets

The use of can stock made from used beverage cans contributes to promoting aluminum recycling.

Furukawa Electric is the first in the world to succeed in thecommercial-scale production and marketing of white
sheets made of extra-finefoamed polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Bubble diameter isso small that optical performance is outstanding, with a
total reflectivity of 99% or more.

■ High-Performance Heat-Exchangers Material■ Recycled Aluminum Power Distribution Wires

High-performance internally multigrooved pipes deliver
energy conservations inhome and industrial air-conditioners. We have also
developed aluminum radiator and air-conditioner materials for automotive applications that are lighter inweight, promoting better
fuel economy and reducing
CO2 emissions.

We have succeeded in processing the old power distribution wire removed andretrieved by power utilities
by developing techniques for sorting the aluminum wire,re-refining it and managing impurities, and remanufacturing it as wire rods and distribution wire.

■ BIO-ACE Biodegradable Resin Sheets■ Solar Photovoltaic Systems

When these foamed sheets used in packaging and wrapping are disposed of in landfills, they are completely broken down by the action of microorganisms in approximately oneyear. We have developed anenvironment-friendly foaming
process based on our proprietary technology.

These clean distributed power generating systems use
solar batteries to convert
the sun's rays directly
into electricity.

■ KOHTA KUN Underground Cable
Duct Made from Cable Waste■ Micro Heat-Pipes

This underground cable duct with multiple bores makes
effective use of plastic waste. "KOICHI KUN" duct for information box use is also highly reputed.

Furukawa Electric's micro heat-pipes provide a solution to
the problems of heat-dissipation and cooling of electronicequipment, making possible
greater availability of computing
power along with energy conservation.

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