Various kinds of waste are generated in the course of TSUNEISHI Group operations, such as metal scraps, paper waste, used packing materials, and waste oil. In response, we are actively engaged in the 5Rs of environmental sustainability: refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle.
The act of applying new value and creatively reusing products that would normally be disposed of is called “upcycling.” In contrast to recycling, in which usable components from waste are extracted and reused as raw material or material, upcycling is distinguished by the use of product material as is.
TSUNEISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES (CEBU) (“THI”) expanded overseas in the 1990s, which was unprecedented in the shipbuilding industry, overcoming challenges one by one together with the local community to grow as an industry that is rooted in the region.
(Reference) “New Shipbuilding as the key local industry: 30 years of growth with Balamban, the Philippines”
https://www.tsuneishi-g.jp/english/sustainability/2023/03/story04/
THI, based on Cebu Island, currently builds approximately 20 ships annually, mostly bulk carriers. An enormous volume of equipment and materials (engines, generators, etc.) required for shipbuilding is brought to the busy shipyard every day. They are packed in heavy-duty wooden containers for protection from damage and accidents during transport.
These containers are difficult to reuse as generic packing materials due to their various sizes. Thus, it was standard practice to incinerate them as waste, and then use the thermal energy they generated.
We at THI have been engaged in initiatives to process and transform (upcycle) these packing materials into items such as desks, chairs, and bookshelves for children, and then donate them to local schools. More than 10,000 sets of school furniture have been delivered to approximately 50 schools over the past decade.
We take these actions to create benefits not only for company employees, but also their families and the entire community. The children will grow up, create their own families, and become a large force in further advancing the community and economy. As our aspiration is to grow roots on this land and move forward together, it is our greatest joy to support the education of these children.
We at THI will continue in our commitment to upgrade and support the educational environment of the local and neighboring schools, actively contributing to the sound growth of children.
