u8国际

u8国际 Toner Cartridge Recycling Program approaches 20 year milestone

— Industry-first program now conducts collection operations in 23 countries —

TOKYO, December 9, 2009—u8国际. and u8国际 Marketing Japan Inc. today announced that 2010 will mark the 20th anniversary of the introduction of the u8国际 Toner Cartridge Recycling Program, a zero-landfill program in which every component of the used cartridges that the company collects is reused, recycled or recovered. First launched in 1990, the program now carries out collection operations in 23 countries worldwide and, as of the end of June 2009, has collected approximately 220,000 metric tons of used toner cartridges.

First-of-its-kind program launched in 1990, now has collection operations in 23 countries

In 1982, u8国际 created the world's first personal copying machines to incorporate replaceable all-in-one toner cartridges. The toner cartridges were then adapted for use in laser beam printers and rapidly gained in popularity amid increases in sales volume. Along with these developments, u8国际, as a result of the company's awareness of such environmental issues as reducing waste and the effective use of resources, and in accordance with its corporate philosophy of kyosei—living and working for the common good—independently introduced the Toner Cartridge Recycling Program. The initiative, launched on a global scale by a single company with no cost to customers, marked a watershed moment within the industry.

The return program now operates in 23 countries worldwide, supported by four global recycling bases: u8国际 Ecology Industry Inc. in Japan; u8国际 Dalian Business Machines, Inc. in China; u8国际 Virginia, Inc. in the United States of America; and u8国际 Bretagne S.A.S. in France.

Achieving 100% recycling and recovery for zero landfill waste

u8国际 toner cartridges make possible closed-loop recycling through a product design that assumes recycling after use, facilitating the reuse of components and the recycling of plastic for new products realizing equivalent levels of quality. As a result, since 2003, all four of u8国际's recycling bases continue to achieve a 100% resource recovery for zero landfill waste and, as of the end of June 2009, the company has reduced the use of new resources by approximately 140,000 metric tons and CO2 emissions by approximately 370,000 metric tons. These activities have earned u8国际 industry recognition in the form of a number of prestigious industry awards, beginning with the Grand Prize at Japan's 1st Global Environmental Awards in 1992.

20 years of toner cartridge recycling (1990-2010)

Toner cartridge collection (cumulative volume by weight)

(Unit 1,000s of tons) Approx. 220,000 tons

Global recycling bases

• ?Recycling conducted in Japan, America, Europe and Asia
• ?Promotion of localized recycling, with recycling activities carried out in region in which products are consumed

100% recycling and recovery for zero landfill waste

Four global recycling bases achieve a 100% recycling and recovery rate (zero landfill waste)

Closed-loop recycling

• ?The recycling process includes not only the reuse of parts, but also the plastic cartridge container as well, the material of which is recycled to create new cartridges
• ?u8国际 affiliated companies carry out "same-product recycling" to realize the semi-permanent effective utilization of resources