Case Studies of Group Companies' Initiatives

The process of developing silver halide photographs in stores and labs produces waste solution. Our Group has long had all of this waste solution properly collected and disposed of as industrial waste. SHIMAUMAPrint,Inc. Kagoshima Lab and LaboNetwork Co., Ltd. Takamatsu Lab have enhanced their environmental efforts by introducing equipment to concentrate this waste solution.

At the Kagoshima Lab, the photographic waste solution concentrator has reduced the number of visits to collect waste solution, which previously amounted to 720 tonnes per year (the equivalent of 80 large tanker trucks) by roughly 90%. Likewise, while the Takamatsu Lab used to produce 461 tonnes of waste solution each year (the equivalent of 52 large tanker trucks), the concentrator has enabled it to reduce the number of collection visits by roughly 10%. Together, the efforts by these two labs have cut GHG Scope 3 emissions by over 54 t-CO2.In addition, silver halide waste solution contains rare metals. By concentrating the solution, they have also succeeded in generating new revenue exceeding the costs involved.

At the Shinjuku Office, bottle caps from used plastic bottles were utilized to support vaccination efforts. Bottle caps are normally simply thrown away, but through this initiative, they are instead collected and sent to a bottle cap collection company that partners with Japan Committee, Vaccines for the World’s Children (JCV), an NPO that provides vaccination support. The collection company sells the bottle caps as recyclable materials and donates the profits to JCV to aid in efforts to provide children around the world with vaccinations. Our Group believes that everyday efforts such as these can also contribute to ESG activities.

On July 1, 2024, we relocated our head office to SHINJUKU i-LAND WING, 6-3-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo.
In relocating to the new office, we worked to create a workspace that is mindful of the environment, while also helping employees to feel a sense of fulfillment in their work. As a result, we made extensive use of environmentally friendly office furniture.

For example, some of our chairs use 100% recycled olefin resin, which is made from polylaminate and recycled disposable food packaging. Olefin resin is impact-resistant, lightweight, and less likely to produce dioxins and other harmful chemicals.
In addition, we also chose flooring materials that do not produce dioxins and which reduce the greenhouse gases produced during combustion by half, compared to conventional materials.

For our meeting rooms, we made a point of choosing domestic wood. Using domestic wood allows the forest cycle of planting, growing, harvesting, and using to run smoothly. This is thought to revitalize forests, thereby improving the forest environment. In addition, domestic wood involves shorter transportation distances than imported wood, thereby lowering CO2 emissions from transportation.
Furthermore, wood is regarded to have a range of psychological, emotional and health benefits, such as its soft and warm texture, and its relaxing scent which alleviates stress. We believe that these characteristics of wood will contribute to improving our work environment.

LaboNetwork Co., Ltd. runs a BtoB business. It produces photo prints and albums for photo studios, handles print orders on consignment for photo apps, and offers photo-related systems.
Starting in June 2023, LaboNetwork began offering a product that is focused on sustainability, among its lineup of “Me:llow Series”(*1) album products.
In addition to the “Me:llow Album Nature,” which was exhibited and well-received last year at PHOTONEXT2023(*2), LaboNetwork launched a new product, “Me:llow Album Resort” on May 2, 2024. This new addition to the “Me:llow” series is specialized for weddings.
We demonstrate our commitment to sustainability by using ethical materials, such as fibers made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled cotton.

In November 2023, at SHIMAUMAPrint,Inc. we finished installing solar panels on the roof of our Kagoshima Photo Lab and began generating power.
We had recently added more production equipment to keep pace with growing business volume, which had led to higher power consumption. In addition, the large rise in electricity costs in 2022, which reflected the geopolitical situation, has had a further impact. As such, lowering electricity costs had become a major management issue. We had been working to reduce power use by introducing an energy management system for air conditioning. Installing the new solar power system has enabled us to generate roughly 30% of the electricity we use, while also curbing our greenhouse gas emissions.

In June 2023, Kitamura Camera started selling original photo stands made from eco-friendly recycled cork and recycled acrylic. The photo stands, which are sold at approximately 80 stores, are based on the concept of “showcasing memories and feelings together.”

The photo stand uses cork material recycled by the nonprofit organization RE-kikou, as part of its ‘CIRCLE OF CORK’ initiative. In our production process, we ask persons with disabilities for cooperation, which supports their independence and participation in society.
We also use recycled kraft paper for the product packaging material. The product packaging work is handled by social welfare facilities in Mutsu-shi, Aomori, through the cooperation of RE-kikou.

LaboNetwork Co., Ltd. has been offering the ShaMoji service since September 2022, as part of its social contribution activities.
"ShaMoji" is a service for visually oriented children and their families, speech therapists (ST), and social workers (SW). Users can order card-type support tools for use in settings where visual aids are required. This service allows users to provide data from their own photos to create unique photo cards.