June 26, 2020 – Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004), its Group companies, and their cooperative companies continued to perform aluminum can recycling activity in fiscal 2019 (April 2019 – March 2020), collecting approximately 4.43 million cans: equivalent to about 67.8 tons of aluminum when converted at the rate of 15.3 grams of aluminum per can*.
Showa Aluminum Can Corporation, a consolidated subsidiary of SDK, started its aluminum can recycling activity in 1972. The activity spread across the Showa Denko Group in 2001, continuing until today. In SDK, we have in-house program to educate employees about aluminum can recycling and officially commend workplaces and individual employees in accordance with employees’ participation rate or volume of collected cans, aiming to vitalize the recycling activity. In fiscal 2019, a total of 8,057 employees, or 97.6% of all Group employees in Japan, participated in the activity.
Collected aluminum cans are purchased by the Group, and used mainly by Showa Aluminum Can Corporation to produce aluminum cans to contain beverages. Recycling of aluminum cans not only contributes to the promotion of efficient use of resources, but also reduces electricity consumed to produce aluminum by 97%, compared to the process in which we produce aluminum from bauxite ore. The Group donates the money resulting from the recycling activity to regional councils of social welfare, welfare facilities, and volunteer groups that aid people with special needs. Thus, this activity has been firmly established as a social action of the Showa Denko Group.
The Showa Denko Group aims to contribute to the solutions of social issues, which leads to achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through the Group’s business activities. In addition to the aluminum can recycling, the Group has been operating businesses which support creation of a recycling-oriented society, including production of ammonia utilizing used plastics as a raw material and production of graphite electrodes which are essential for the recycling of iron and steel scraps. Through the provision of products and services, the Showa Denko Group will continue contributing to the creation of a society where affluence and sustainability are harmonized.
*This conversion rate was announced by Japan Aluminum Can Recycling Association as the average of FY2018.
About Showa Denko K.K.
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.