Research & Development of Eco-Friendly Products

ASICS not only tries to reduce environmental impact associated with its business activities, but is also active in the research and development of "eco-friendly products".

　In order to implement a recycling oriented manufacturing system for the realization of a society with potential for greater sustainable development, a corporate-wide standard for eco-friendly products called the "ASICS ECO PLAN Mark Recognition Standard" was established in FY2006. The standard sets several rules under the four concepts of "clean, saving, sustainable, and recycle" and recognizes "eco-friendly products" that conforms to those rules as being worthy of receiving the ECO PLAN mark. We will continue to research and develop eco-friendly products in order to have more products with the ECO PLAN mark.

ASICS ECO PLAN mark

ASICS ECO PLAN Mark Recognition Standard

ASICS continues to make efforts to establish a recycling oriented manufacturing system in order to hand down the environment responsibility to the next generation. Products that conform to the following rules shall be recognized as the company's eco-friendly products and the ASICS ECO PLAN mark shall be given to them.

Clean	We will reduce environmental impact in manufacturing activities. * Products made of environmentally-friendly materials for reduced impact at time of disposal * Products constructed with materials that easily biodegrade and breakdown to reduce environmental impact at time of disposal
Saving	We will save energy and resources used in manufacturing activities. * Resource saving products that use less materials * Products that make efficient use of resources by adopting common materials * Energy saving products with an energy efficient manufacturing process
Sustainable	We will reduce wastes by extending product life. * Products that allow repair and replacement of worn out parts or those with a construction that makes repair and replacement easy * Products that use durable materials and are of durable construction
Recycle	We will recycle products towards the goal of a recycling oriented society. * Products designed for the recycling system (product collection recycling product) * Products that make use of waste materials * Products that make use of recycled materials
Packaging materials	We consider packaging materials to be parts of the product and will make efforts for the reduction and simplification of packaging materials.

　The performance for the financial year of 2006 was measured against the newly established ASICS ECO PLAN Mark Recognition Standard. While the total amount of new development decreased from the previous year by application of the new standard, the numbers of newly developed products in the sports wear and sports gear categories have increased. As a result of this change, the performance result shows a better balance between categories. For the sports shoes category (athletic), the number decreased as the use of wear-resistant AHAR, which has been adopted in many products, has become a standard feature, and does not make the product eco-friendly according to the new and more stringent standard. We will continue our efforts in the research and development of eco-friendly products in various fields according to the new standard.

More Environment-Friendly Shoe Boxes

　ASICS has reviewed the material for shoe boxes and, as a result, changed it to cardboard with higher recycled paper content from conventional thick paperboard. In addition, for shoe boxes already made of cardboard, the cardboard usage was reduced by 12% by adopting a new construction that allows us to reduce wasted pieces in the cutting process.
　We will continue to simplify and reduce the weight of packaging materials to save resources.

　ASICS is producing a series of sports wear made of recycled polyester fibers. The Eco Factory series are made from recycled PET bottles. They are produced in a short lead-time production line for delivery within 30 to 45 days, thereby making them available for selection by teams and organizations. The series consist of training wear, windbreakers, T-shirts, polo shirts, and accessories, all of which are recognized by the Eco Mark.

　At the end of 1998, ASICS had set it as a company policy to abolish the use of PVC starting with the products introduced in the year 2001. Although we made every effort in the product planning to achieve this goal, the abolishment is not complete as PVC is still required for a part of shoes sold in certain countries and some components for fitness equipment that need to be extra durable (e.g. shields on electric cables). We will continue to reduce the usage of PVC while aiming to completely abolish any use in the future.
　In addition to the above effort, we are developing more products using recycled materials and are also determined to take action in all aspects of business operation for the preservation of environment.
　One of the outcomes of these efforts can be seen in the development of a sports bag made of a polyurethane coated material, which has the same level of durability as PVC but is more environment-friendly.