Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global agenda set up by the 193 members of the United Nations in September 2015. SDGs consist of 17 goals and 169 targets, aimed at achieving a sustainable world, which are adopted as universal goals by countries all over the world.
In order to achieve the SDGs, a variety of entities such as national governments, companies, and civil societies need to unite and work together to best utilize our existing resources.
Click the link below to access to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for more details:
https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/sdgs/index.html
In recent years, an urgent need to form a “recycling-based society” has arisen that will lead us to control our resource consumption and reduce our environmental impacts. Efficient use of existing resources and the ability to recycle items will be two necessary steps to achieve a sustainable society, and these activities must be promoted. The current conventional economic society is merely a “mass production, consumption, and disposal-based” world.
We at Hara Trading Co., Ltd. have been so aware of the importance of SDGs that we undertake our business activities with the goal of being a sustainable citizen. Our operating principles include a mission that dictates we must conserve resources and employ labor practices that are environmentally friendly. This mission helps us to join with other like-minded companies to move towards becoming a society of recycling and sustainability.
Among the 17 SDGs, there are several devoted to the promotion of community-wide recycling. We are a distributor and service provider for the products and components which are used in remanufactured toner cartridges. Through our business and services, we have greatly contributed to achieving SDGs.
In offices and shops, laser printers are pervasive. Toner cartridges, which are comprised of non-degradable industrial plastic, can be restored and reused. This significant product reuse both protects our environment and utilizes our resources more effectively. Why throw away such a large, heavy device when it can be reused?
Hara Trading Co., Ltd. is a distributor of consumable parts and components, which are integral in the repair and remanufacturing of these spent cartridges. Amid increasing social concerns about ocean pollution and global warming, we are proud that our business has contributed to promoting efficient utilization of resources, conserving our environment, and reducing CO2 emissions to realize a sustainable society in the future.
- CO2 emissions can be reduced by 3.4kg per one piece of reused toner cartridge.
Click the link below to access the Ministry of Environment’s “Fun to Share” page for more information (in Japanese):
https://ondankataisaku.env.go.jp/funtoshare/entry/list/004613_1.html
- We are a member of Association of Japan Cartridge Remanufactures (AJCR). AJCR has also been engaged in a program to reduce CO2 emissions substantially. As one of its activities, AJCR has quantified the amount of CO2 emissions using the Life Cycle Assessment method (LCA). The LCA results indicate a significant reduction in CO2 emissions from remanufactured toner cartridges. Our tangible activities and results have been recognized and lauded in the industry, and AJCR has received the Encouragement and Recognition Award from the LCA Society of Japan in 2018.
Click the link below for more details (in Japanese):
https://www.ajcr.jp/statistics/co2-reduction/
Through the partnership with Yokohama city government, we are actively involved in Yokohama’s 3-R program: “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.” We are committed to reducing solid waste within the city of Yokohama so that our future generations will be able to enjoy all it has to offer.
Click the link below for more details (in Japanese):
https://r-hiroba.city.yokohama.lg.jp/
Furthermore, as a member of AJCR, we are working hard to promote the use of remanufactured toner cartridges to various industries in Japan, in cooperation with our fellow member companies.
Click the link below for more details (in Japanese):
https://www.ajcr.jp/
In order to contribute to the remanufactured toner cartridge industry, we have provided many companies with training so they can achieve STMC certification (*1). Through this training, highly-qualified remanufactured toner cartridges can be produced, which allows consumers to buy quality remanufactured toner cartridges with confidence.
The terms “clone,” “compatible,” and “new build” refer to toner cartridges that are produced by parties other than OEM manufacturers or genuine remanufacturers. These cartridges are newly made using brand-new plastic parts and materials. Therefore, we cannot call these cartridges “sustainable.” These plastics are also of questionable quality.
For quality purposes, we recommend customers use an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) toner cartridge or and OEM remanufactured toner cartridge. For environmental purposes, we recommend customers use a remanufactured cartridge, as it has a significantly lower environmental impact than the impact created in making a new cartridge. Companies seeking to reduce their environmental impact can do so easily by switching from new OEM cartridges to remanufactured cartridges. If you too are trying to achieve citizenship in a sustainable society, as well as improve your CSR activity, we encourage you to choose remanufactured toner cartridges.
