Turning waste into valuable materials in logistics centers

The ITOKI Group aims to contribute to a sustainable society and has launched the "ITOKI Ecosystem Initiative toward 2050 - Coexistence with Nature," which aims to contribute to the realization of a society with zero negative impact on ecosystems by 2050. One of the key areas of this initiative is "promoting resource circulation," and the company is working on "reducing waste generation" and "promoting recycling" in its Medium-Term Environmental Plan 2026.

In the logistics department, ITOKI Tokyo BASE has been working to turn previously discarded packaging materials (such as styrofoam and stretch film) into valuable resources, achieving zero waste for stretch film and significantly reducing overall waste. This initiative was spearheaded by Mr. Kakuno of the Logistics Department at the Engineering Headquarters. Let me introduce his efforts.

Ms. Kadono was in charge of the Head Office Environmental Affairs Department at the Chubu Logistics Center, but in July 2023 she was transferred to the Itoki Tokyo Base. She had been aware of the large amount of waste generated at the base, but seeing the situation firsthand made her realize the magnitude of the problem.

One of the factors contributing to the increase in waste volume is "ADDCELL," a booth-type furniture whose shipment volume has been increasing in recent years. Because it uses a large amount of polystyrene foam as packaging material, a large amount of waste was being generated. Mr. Kadono thought that "if we can make polystyrene foam a valuable resource, we can expect a significant reduction in waste," and while gathering information, he focused on introducing a melting machine. This is because the ingots (plastic raw materials made from polystyrene foam) processed by the melting machine can be taken back as a valuable resource. On the other hand, Tokyo BASE had the challenge of not being able to secure the 200V power supply necessary for the operation of the melting machine. Mr. Kadono analyzed the construction costs and the economic effects of making polystyrene foam a valuable resource and proposed the necessity of electrical work. The introduction of the melting machine was realized in 2024.

Furthermore, Mr. Kadono also began working on turning packaging plastic into a valuable resource. Since plastic cannot be processed in a melting machine, he searched for businesses in Koto Ward that could collect it as a valuable resource, and also worked on creating a system to separate plastic from waste. Separation is a labor-intensive task, but Izumi Shoten, which was contracted to collect and transport waste, cooperated, and a system was established in 2024 to newly handle the sorting work as well. As a result, the valuable resource conversion of packaging plastic was realized.

This initiative has made significant progress in promoting resource recycling. Previously, all expanded polystyrene was discarded, but by fiscal year 2025, 2.0 tons were converted into valuable materials. The amount of packaging plastic converted into valuable materials also increased dramatically, from 6.9 tons in fiscal year 2024 to 16.6 tons in fiscal year 2025. Furthermore, thorough sorting has led to improved organization and tidiness of the waste disposal site, receiving high praise from a transportation company that visited the site, which commented on its "extremely orderly" condition. Mr. Kadono reflects on this initiative, saying, "The conversion of packaging plastic into valuable materials would not have been possible without the cooperation of Izumi Shoten." He adds, "I hope people will pay attention not only to the arterial logistics, but also to the efforts of people like Izumi Shoten who support the reverse logistics."

Weight of valuable materials at the Itoki Tokyo Base (unit: tons)