cycle society.

The highest award of the Prize of the Minister of the Environment for Food Recycling Promotion of fiscal 2009

Organization name: Aleph Inc. (Sapporo City, Hokkaido)

The company has established a recycling network in which raw garbage generated from “Bikkuri Donkey” which has about 130 hamburger restaurants throughout the country is fermented and dried by garbage disposers installed at each restaurant, composted at the partner farms and used for cultivating vegetables. It has also made draff generated from in-house beer factories into methane gas for power generation and made waste edible oil into biodiesel. These efforts are utilizing food wastes multilaterally, and a comprehensive well-balanced recycling system involving consumers has been established.

### 5. The Commendation for Contributors to Promote Reduction, Reuse and Recycling

The Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Promotion Council commends people who have taken the initiative in 3Rs (Reduction, Reuse and Recycling) and achieved significant performance, provides the Commendation for Contributors to Promote Reduction, Reuse and Recycling and gives eight related ministers' prizes including prime minister's one every year for the purpose of encouraging these activities.

The Prize of the Prime Minister of fiscal 2009

Winner: Sekisui House, Ltd. (Osaka City, Osaka)

Title: Continued Zero Emission Activities in Industrialized Housing – The Industry’s First Achievement of Zero Emission in Four Sectors –

The winner has achieved zero emission (100% recycling rate) in four sectors; production of housing materials, construction of new building, follow-through maintenance and housing improvement. Moreover, the company has a leading role in 3Rs promotion in the housing industry, e.g., it extends the life of housing and recycles housing with a new business which renovates and sells company-owned used houses introducing the latest specifications.

### 6. The Commendation for Resource Recycling Technologies and System

The Clean Japan Center publicly seeks, discovers and commends projects and efforts which contribute to the control of waste generation and reuse and recycling of wastes in order to encourage and spread those projects and efforts.

The Prize of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of fiscal 2009

Winner: Kanuma Office, Sony Chemical & Information Device Corporation (Tochigi Prefecture)

Title: Ban on the Use of Organic Solvents in the Industrial Adhesive Tape Manufacturing Process with the Method of Ultraviolet Photopolymerization

The winner has improved the traditional adhesive tape manufacturing method and advanced the development of adhesive tape without organic solvents and succeeded in the mass production. As a result, not only organic solvents for solution polymerization or viscosity control but also heat quantity for drying became unnecessary, the tape can be manufactured with only electrical energy needed for ultraviolet irradiation and the energy for the manufacturing process has drastically reduced.

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## I ndustry Efforts toward the establishment of a sound material-cycle society

1) Environmental Voluntary Action Plan

The Japan Business Federation has formulated “Environmental Voluntary Action Plan” on measures for wastes and advanced industry efforts by conducting follow-up survey every year.

Since the recent industry efforts toward the establishment of a sound material-cycle society are not only measures for wastes but also various things such as 3Rs (Reduction, Reuse and Recycling), the Japan Business Federation expanded the Environmental Voluntary Action Plan in March 2007, i.e., the plan was reformed from “Measures for Wastes” to “Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society.”

At the same time, based on the fact that the conventional industry goal (final disposal volume of industrial wastes in fiscal 2010 decreases by 75% compared to that in fiscal 1990) had been achieved a year ahead of schedule for four straight years since fiscal 2002, the goal was revised that final disposal volume of industrial wastes in fiscal 2010 decreases by 86% compared to that in fiscal 1990 (the second target).

## 2 ) Follow-up survey in fiscal 2009

The Japan Business Federation conducts follow-up survey on the situation of efforts in each industry every year in order to promote voluntary industry efforts and increase transparency of the efforts. According to the result of follow-up survey in fiscal 2009, the final disposal volume of industrial wastes in fiscal 2008 was about 6.44 million tons, greatly decreased compared to