Initiatives for Management of Chemical Substances Contained in Toshiba Group Products
Toshiba Group provides a wide range of products, from electronic devices to building- and facility-related equipment, industrial systems, and energy and social infrastructure products. Various chemicals are used to manufacture these products. Toshiba Group considers "minimizing the risks involved in the use of chemicals," the precautionary principles proposed and adopted at the WSSD*1 and other conferences, as an important challenge to address if it were to properly manage these chemicals. We have been promoting initiatives to specify the chemicals to be managed, to eliminate the use of specified chemicals (including the use of substitute substances), and to reduce the amount of chemicals contained in our products. In addition, we share information on such specified chemicals in each process of our production activities in order to minimize the risks of these chemicals to human health and the global environment.
Also, to respond to the globalization of business, Toshiba Group takes global measures to manage chemicals contained in products. We gather and assess the latest trends in policies and regulations on chemical management of countries around the world and reflect them in Toshiba Group's management of chemicals.
Furthermore, Toshiba Group promotes the Green Procurement initiative, which specifies prohibited substances, which are prohibited from use in procured items such as product materials and parts, and managed substances, which are monitored for use in procured items, to be reduced and substituted to mitigate their environmental impact. Our aim is to procure products, parts, and materials with less environmental impact in cooperation with our business partners and suppliers.
Rank A (prohibited) substances are those prohibited or restricted from use in products (including packaging) by laws and regulations in Japan and abroad, and include substances on the Declarable Substance List of IEC 62474: Material Declaration for Products of and for the Electrotechnical Industry prepared by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For substances in the IEC 62474 Declarable Substance List that are stated on the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) of EU's REACH Regulation, we manage them as Rank B (managed) substances.
Toshiba Group Environment-related Substance List
| Category | Definition |
|---|---|
| Rank A (Prohibited Substances) |
Substances whose presence is prohibited in procurement items (including packaging) in Toshiba Group. Substances whose use in products (including packaging) is prohibited or restricted by domestic or foreign laws and regulations. |
| Rank B (Managed Substances) |
Substances whose environmental impact should be reduced, based on actual usage, via reduction of use and substitution, or recovery and detoxification in a closed system. |
| Category | Definition |
|---|---|
| Rank A (Prohibited Substances) |
Substances whose presence is prohibited in procurement items (including packaging) in Toshiba Group. Substances whose use in products (including packaging) is prohibited or restricted by domestic or foreign laws and regulations. |
| Rank B (Managed Substances) |
Substances whose environmental impact should be reduced, based on actual usage, via reduction of use and substitution, or recovery and detoxification in a closed system. |
- Due to sector-specific conditions and other circumstances, details of the management of chemicals (substances managed, management levels, threshold values, etc.) may differ among Toshiba Group companies.
Examples of regulations on chemicals contained in products in different countries
- RoHS: The Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment
- U.S. TSCA PBT Rules: The regulations on the five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals and PBT-containing products and articles in accordance with the TSCA (U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act) Section 6(h).
Promoting Substitution of the Phthalates
As part of our priority measures for managing chemicals contained in products, Toshiba Group promotes substitution of the four phthalates* restricted by the EU RoHS Directive
Phthalates were widely used as a plasticizer for PVC and other plastics, but they are regulated in EU due to concerns about their reproductive toxicity and regulations are now spreading worldwide. Although progress has been made in the use of alternatives for cords and internal wire cable coatings as well as for various types of packing for electrical and electronic equipment, phthalates are still commonly used and there is a risk of contamination. Therefore, checks must be carried out to ensure that products do not include phthalates, and any phthalates found must be replaced.
Toshiba Group is steadily promoting the management of chemical substances contained in products by positioning four phthalate esters as a prohibited substance in the Toshiba Group Green Procurement Guidelines and by establishing internal technical standards for material testing methods, including a simplified method developed by the Company for testing phthalate esters contained in polymer materials.
- Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, di-n butyl phthalate, and di-isobutyl phthalate. These substances are used mainly as plasticizers for plastics (cable coatings, etc.), and there are some concerns about their effects on the human body.