Nintendo Co., Ltd. established the Environment Committee in September 2011, with the company President serving as committee chair, in order to promote environmentally conscious activities. We also established our Environment Policy to guide environmental activities and implemented the PDCA (Plan - Do - Check - Act) cycle environmental management system, with defined targets specific to environmental activities.
Some of our overseas subsidiaries also have established groups to promote the environmental activities of the company.
Nintendo's Environment Policy
Environment Policy
- Nintendo is committed to preserving a healthy planet to bring smiles to future generations.
- 1. Pursue a better environment
- We strive to provide eco-friendly products and services, and to prevent pollution.
- 2. Comply with the rules
- We comply with various laws, standards and rules that relate to our office and manufacturing activities for the creation of a better environment.
- 3. Continual improvement
- We established an internal system to identify areas for improvement to ensure that we continually refine our business activities.
Environmental Education
Nintendo believes environmental education is a critical part of its efforts to preserve the environment.
Nintendo Co., Ltd. continually works to increase awareness within its organization, distributing the Environment Card, which includes our Environment Policy and a description thereof, to all employees and providing environmental awareness information on the corporate intranet.
Some of our overseas subsidiaries also work to increase employees' awareness of the environment by holding educational events.
The Green Team's mission is to work with management and employees to improve material and resource utilization while reducing our carbon footprint and environmental waste streams.
To heighten company-wide awareness, we feature a green-focused article every month on Nintendo of America's corporate intranet site where a member of the Green Team shares facts about green initiatives along with green suggestions from employees.
Nintendo of America recently has expanded composting programs*1 to our Redwood City office, Kirkland Operations Facility and the 4900 building on our Redmond Campus.
In 2011, we celebrated Earth Day*2 with suppliers and waste management partners in attendance at our Corporate Campus to discuss green options with employees for the office and home. For Earth Day 2012, we focused on educating employees about our recycling and expanding composting programs, as well as online training and educational tools that promote the use of e-books and electronic training documents.
In addition, we hold a bi-annual employee electronics recycling event at all of our U.S. offices, allowing employees to bring in electronics from home to be repurposed or recycled through third-party recycling partners.
- *1 Composting program
- Systems which contribute to reducing the amount of waste by composting office kitchen waste, etc.
- *2 Earth Day
- First implemented by the U.S. in 1970, the day on which worldwide events are held to raise awareness of the natural environment.
Nintendo has established internal standards for designing eco-friendly products that consider the global environment, from the product planning stage all the way through end-of-life disposal. We constantly work to improve our product development processes and include ways to decrease our environmental impact, including incorporating designs that improve energy efficiency to reduce CO2 emissions, selecting component materials with a lower environmental load from the viewpoint of appropriate chemical substance control and selecting easily recyclable packaging materials to conserve resources.
Our Approach to Chemical Substance Control
Nintendo applies strict internal controls to its use of chemical substances. These standards incorporate the precautionary principle*3, with the goal of preventing adverse health effects and reducing our environmental impact.
Pursuant to Nintendo standards, Environment-Related Substances are subject to various restrictions, depending on their classifications as: Banned Substances, Substances Subject to Early Withdrawal or Substances Under Application Control. We are also working toward compliance with the REACH Regulation*4.
- *3 Precautionary principle
- Proactively avoiding or minimizing the use of chemical substances that could pose a health or environmental risk, even if causation has not been scientifically proven.
- *4 REACH Regulation
- A regulatory framework in the European Union (EU) that deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. REACH requires the registration and management of chemicals in the EU in accordance with their use. Nintendo periodically checks the use of chemical substances by its production partners to verify whether any parts contain Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC); if so, Nintendo is obligated to report the fact. None of Nintendo's products contain substances that require REACH registration.
- Banned Substances
- Restricted-use substances currently subject to enacted legislation or substances that Nintendo deems inappropriate for use.
- Substances Subject to Legal Regulation
- Cadmium and cadmium compounds, Hexavalent chromium compounds, Lead and lead compounds, Mercury and mercury compounds, Tributyltin Oxide, Tri-substituted organostannic compounds, Dibutyltin compounds, Dioctyltin compounds, Polybrominated biphenyls, Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, Polychlorinated biphenyls, Polychlorinated naphthalenes, Short chain chlorinated paraffins (with 10-13 carbon atoms), Asbestos, Azocolourants and azodyes which form certain aromatic amines, Ozone depleting substances, Radioactive substances, Phthalate Esters (six substances), PFOS, Benzene, Dimethyl fumarate, Specified Benzotriazole
- Substances Regulated by Nintendo
- Natural Rubber (may cause allergic reactions)
- Substances Subject to Early Withdrawal
- Substances expected to be classified as Banned Substances due to the enactment of future legislation. As part of our risk management and environmental protection efforts, Nintendo plans to switch over to alternative substances and remove such substances from our products as soon as possible.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Chlorinated Compounds, Bromine Compounds
- Substances under Application Control
- Substances that, with prolonged exposure, pose a potential health risk, and in Nintendo's view, require continual monitoring of their content levels.
Antimony and Antimony Compounds, Arsenic and Arsenic Compounds, Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds, Bismuth and Bismuth Compounds, Nickel and Nickel Compounds, Selenium and Selenium Compounds, Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) (excluding PBBs and PBDEs), Bis (2-methoxyethyl) phthalate, Bisphenol A, Alkylphenols (carbon atoms: 5 to 9), 2,4-Dichlorophenol, Di (2-ethylhexyl) adipate, Benzophenone, Octachlorostyrene, Trichloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene, the REACH Candidate List of SVHC for Authorization
For more information about our efforts, visit Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s CSR Q&A: Environmental Measures.
Green Procurement*5
Nintendo Co., Ltd. maintains strict control over its manufacturing processes and applies Green Procurement standards to ensure that its products comply with laws and regulations regarding toxic chemical substances. To protect the environment, Nintendo Co., Ltd. has established its own Green Procurement Specifications. Production partners*6 and component parts that meet our standards are certified as Green Suppliers and Green Parts. We manage these parts and materials in a database to avoid any use of uncertified parts.
- *5 Green Procurement
- Prioritizing the selection and procurement of products and component parts that are environmentally friendly and free from harmful substances.
- *6 Production partners
- The manufacturing factories to which Nintendo outsources product assembly and the suppliers of component parts and materials.
- Green Supplier and Green Part Certification
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We certify Green Suppliers and Green Parts on-site at the suppliers' production facilities with each Green Part being certified separately by category. As of the end of March 2012, Nintendo has certified a total of 668 Green Suppliers and 14,323 Green Parts.
Nintendo Co., Ltd. requires its production partners to perform their own analyses of the chemicals contained in the parts they deliver to Nintendo, especially for certain substances of particular concern, such as phthalate esters, which are categorized as Banned Substances.
We also issue manufacturing process guidelines to our production partners that specify methods for controlling the use of such substances, because there is always a risk of contamination during the manufacturing process, even if these substances are not used in the raw materials.
- Green Procurement Promotion Project
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Nintendo Co., Ltd. has applied the Green Procurement Promotion Project since fiscal year 2005. As part of this initiative, we hold monthly project meetings to discuss our compliance with laws and regulations in various countries, and how we can strengthen our environmental efforts going forward.
Our overseas subsidiaries also promote green procurement practices. All operations manuals, packaging and shipping containers for which each subsidiary is responsible, from planning to production, must use materials that meet Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s Green Procurement Specifications.
- Working Toward Eliminating the Use of Specific Chemical Substances
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Nintendo manages chemical substances in accordance with the RoHS Directive*7, and we have also obtained GS Certification*8 and evaluate the use of allergens and other substances.
As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce our environmental impact, we are aggressively seeking replacement materials for polyvinyl chloride and bromide fire retardants, which we categorize as either Substances Subject to Early Withdrawal or Substances Under Application Control. Whenever and wherever possible, we seek substitutes that can guarantee product safety and quality. For example, we have eliminated all polyvinyl chloride in our plastic playing cards and internal components of our game systems, and have incorporated halogen-free components in some of our products.
- *7 RoHS Directive
- A European Union (EU) Directive that restricts the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants in certain types of electrical and electronic equipment.
- *8 GS Certification
- A product safety certification mark recognized throughout Germany which provides verification that a product has been tested by an independent testing authority as compliant with requirements of the German Equipment Safety Law and can therefore display the GS mark.
- Verification Testing of Chemical Substances Contained in Products
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To ensure that our products contain no Banned Substances, Nintendo Co., Ltd. has a department that specializes in chemical analyses. Chemical substances contained in the component parts are monitored by testing, generally at the final stage of the specification reviews or during the mass production trials. We use in-house equipment for the majority of these tests, but when necessary or appropriate, use the services of an international organization for third-party certification.
Energy-Saving Design
Nintendo is committed to developing products that are as energy-efficient as possible. Even after our products are launched, we continually work to lower their energy requirements.
Promoting Resource Conservation, Recyclable Design
In designing our products, Nintendo avoids relying on the use of composite materials*9, and instead favors easily separable and, thus, more recyclable materials. Additionally, we clearly indicate what materials are used in our products. We also work to reduce the use of unnecessary resources by minimizing the amount of packaging wherever possible.
- *9 Composite materials
- Materials comprised of two or more different raw materials, such as "paper + aluminum" or "paper + plastic," which are generally more difficult to recycle.
To promote resource conservation, Nintendo Co., Ltd. is working to digitize operations manuals included with packaged software products.
We are pushing forward with our efforts to incorporate an electronic manual in most Nintendo 3DS software.
In another attempt to conserve resources, for example, we have removed some of the plastic structure from our Nintendo 3DS Game Card cases, without jeopardizing the quality of the Game Card, in order to reduce the amount of plastic.
Electronic manual
Post-Sales Recycling
Nintendo considers the promotion of products and packaging recycling to be one of its most important initiatives. In the various countries we operate, we provide consumers with information regarding recycling, and participate in take-back and recycling programs.
To learn more about our local recycling efforts, visit Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s CSR Q&A: Environmental Measures.
Nintendo employs a fabless production model, in which we outsource all of our production processes, such as product manufacturing and assembly, to domestic and overseas production partners. As a result, Nintendo's environmental efforts focus mainly on its business processes, and we advance our initiatives to conserve energy and make more effective use of limited resources. We also continually strive to track the environmental efforts in our production partners' production processes.
Energy-Saving Activities
Whenever a new office is designed and built for Nintendo, we always take into account environmental considerations, including incorporating eco-friendly air conditioning, facility lighting and more.
* Excludes information for Nintendo of Korea for fiscal years 2007 to 2009.
* We revised the amount of CO2 emissions from Nintendo Co., Ltd. for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
In January 2012, Nintendo of Europe converted the electricity supply to its offices and warehouses to hydro-electric power, which is one form of renewable energy*10. Hydro-electric power is clean energy that does not emit CO2, so we estimate that our CO2 emissions will be reduced by 815 tons in 2012.
- *10 Renewable energy
- Energy that occurs naturally such as solar, hydro and wind, etc.
Nintendo Benelux, which is located in the Dutch state of Utrecht, supports a state-led clean commuting initiative, which encourages people to use public transportation instead of driving private cars to work. Nintendo Benelux pays an annual fee to the state in exchange for travel cards, which can be used for buses, trains and rental bicycles. Nintendo Benelux has now participated in this initiative for three years, and 20 of our 32 employees are currently taking advantage of clean commuting.
Promoting Waste Reduction and Recycling
We recognize the importance of resources, and work hard both to minimize the production of waste and to separate any waste products for recycling. We also strive for effective resource utilization.
At each of its offices, Nintendo Co., Ltd. has established a system of waste processing and management, including recycling, and has appointed a supervisor to oversee an organizational system at each location.
Similar systems for waste management and recycling have also been put into place at our overseas subsidiaries. Current efforts include conversion from paper to electronic workflows to reduce paper consumption and waste output.
* Excludes information for Nintendo of Europe's Italy branch.
* We revised the amount of waste from Nintendo France and Nintendo of Korea for fiscal year 2010.
Reducing Water Use
Nintendo recognizes that water shortages can be a serious issue in various regions around the world, and that water will become an even more precious resource in the years to come. With this in mind, we have taken steps to reduce our water usage, including installing water-conserving equipment when designing and building new offices. In addition, some of our overseas subsidiaries are also conserving water resources by, for example, employing septic systems that reuse stored rainwater for toilets or landscape irrigation.
* Excludes information for Nintendo of Europe's Italy branch.
* We included the amount of water usage from Nintendo of Korea from fiscal year 2010. The amout of fiscal year 2010 from Nintendo of Korea was revised.
