Our Approach

Global consumption of resources is expected to double by 2050. ^*1 LIXIL has designated the realization of a circular economy as one of our focus areas to achieve LIXIL Environmental Vision “Zero Carbon and Circular Living” and has included it among other material issues. With the aim of ensuring the sustainable use of limited resources and reducing waste, we are promoting circular production throughout the entire product lifecycle - from the procurement of raw materials including metals, timber, resin, and ceramics, manufacturing, consumer use, disposal, and recycling. We do this through the sustainable use of materials and informed product designs that facilitate recovery through recycling and reuse.
While the amount of plastic waste has more than doubled worldwide over the past 20 years, the recycling rate remains at a stubbornly low 9%. ^*2 Fueled by the LIXIL Plastics Action Statement, we are reducing the amount of, and closing the loop for the plastics we use, and developing alternative materials.

LIXIL Plastics Action Statement (A new page will open) PDF: 1.3MB >

To achieve our goals, we are taking a comprehensive strategic approach and pursuing mid-term targets in each of three phases: Our Operations, Our Value Chain, and Expanding Our Impact. Beyond simply fulfilling our corporate responsibility to minimize the environmental burden of our business and products, we are also working to create new value in the environmental field together with all of our stakeholders to deliver greater global impact for the environment and society.

*1 "Assessing Global Resource Use" by UNEP (A new page will open) >
*2 "Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options" by OECD (A new page will open) >

Defining Our Strategic Approach and Mid-Term Targets

Our Operations

Waste Reduction and Recycling at Production Sites

We are improving manufacturing processes for raw material use and waste reduction, and promoting the recycling of all waste generated at production sites. In FYE2023, we raised overall recycling rates from 49.6% in the previous year to 84.0% at our Aguascalientes plant in Mexico by recycling gypsum molds used to manufacture sanitaryware. At our Santa Clara plant in Mexico, we also achieved a 54.9% overall recycling rate compared to 16.6% in the previous year by recycling sludge among other materials.

At our LIXIL Housing Technology (LHT) factory in Vietnam, we are working to reduce sludge generated in our manufacturing. With the aim to utilize all the sludge generated as a raw material through internal recycling, we have obtained detoxification certification. In FYE2024, we achieved a 99.4% recycling rate for waste generated at the plant including sludge, and a significant improvement from 63.3% when we started implementing initiatives in FYE2022.

Having obtained certification as a biomass business operator and by advocating for our timber suppliers to join forest certification organizations, our Nabari Plant in Mie Prefecture, Japan, succeeded in selling all of its previously discarded wood shavings as biomass fuel to achieve zero wood waste.

Our Value Chain

Minimizing New Resource Use

• Valorization of By-products Generated in the Aluminum Manufacturing Process
Among the oxides generated during the melting of aluminum that was not reprocessed and disposed of as industrial waste, is aluminum dross. LIXIL is increasing its use of recycled aluminum, which generates more aluminum dross.
When in contact with moisture, aluminum dross releases heat and gas. Due to this volatile nature, waste disposal companies for aluminum dross are limited, making safe and sustained disposal treatment a challenge for LIXIL. To use what was previously disposed of as industrial waste, LIXIL has established a technology to precipitate high-purity aluminum hydroxide from aluminum dross and confirmed that it can be used as a raw material for LIXIL’s Ecocarat tiles.
Additionally, LIXIL has collaborated with other companies and developed a system to valorize aluminum sludge generated in the aluminum surface treatment process. Previously treated as industrial waste, aluminum sludge is mixed with slaked lime to remove and neutralize harmful substances generated during waste incineration. Multiple municipalities are utilizing this mixture to remove and neutralize harmful substances generated during waste incineration.

• Reducing single-use plastic packaging
We are working to reduce the amount of plastic packaging discarded by end users and is transitioning to environmentally friendly alternatives. LIXIL’s GROHE brand has been making the switch from plastic to sustainable alternative materials for product packaging since 2018 with its Less Plastic Initiative. GROHE eliminated plastic from packaging materials in FYE2023. In Japan, instruction manuals for kitchen and bathroom products purchased by end users now come packaged in marine--biodegradable bioplastics.

Expanding Our Supply of Resource-Efficient Products

Creating a Circular Product-to-Product Recycling System

We are building an ecosystem that covers everything from procurement to production, sales, construction, and recovery. In partnership with stakeholders such as governments, municipalities, industry associations, and business partners, we are working to create a circular production system to recover used products back into the same products again.

Expanding Our Impact

LIXIL is working to develop circular materials that make effective use of waste plastics to reduce the amount of waste plastics that are difficult to recycle.

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