Resource Recycling

Raw Materials

SUBARU reuses remnant materials and scrap generated during the production of automobiles as well as end-of-life products that have been collected and other reusables as resources for materials, such as iron, aluminum, and plastics, which account for a large proportion of materials used in making an automobile. Through these efforts, we are promoting closed-loop recycling^*1 to reduce natural resource consumption and waste generation.

*1

A method by which waste and scrap generated during production along with end-of-life products are recycled as materials for parts of the same quality and then reused to make products of the same kind.

Recycling of aluminum chips

Zero Emissions of Waste from Production

Waste emissions in FYE March 2022 decreased by 9,050 tons year on year due to factors including a decrease in automobile production. As waste is also an important resource, we have maintained zero emissions^*2 of waste since FYE March 2015 through maximum recovery and recycling and proper treatment of waste generated. As part of its measures to deal with waste plastic, SUBARU has begun exploring waste plastic material recycling, including the reuse in automotive parts and other applications of reject bumpers from the manufacturing process.

*2

A system in which waste and by-products generated in one industry are utilized as resources by other industries, resulting in no waste discharge. This concept was proposed by the United Nations University in 1994.

Primary waste products and their recycled products

Waste Generation

Scope:

SUBARU:

Gunma Plant, Tokyo Office, Utsunomiya Plant, Handa Plant, Handa West Plant

Group companies in Japan:

Yusoki Kogyo K.K., Fuji Machinery Co., Ltd., Ichitan Co., Ltd., Kiryu Industrial Co., Ltd., Subaru Logistics Co., Ltd.

Overseas Group companies:

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Canada, Inc., Subaru Research & Development, Inc.

Amount of Waste Generated and Processed

Based on aggregation of data from Gunma Plant, Tokyo Office, Utsunomiya Plant

*

Waste is not disposed of in a landfill after external intermediate processing.

Reuse of Packaging Materials

Subaru Logistics Co., Ltd., which handles packaging and transport for complete knockdown (CKD) parts of SUBARU automobiles, has been actively working on reducing its environmental impact, focusing on the reuse of packaging materials.
In FYE March 2022, the amount of packaging materials reused increased due to the adoption of a reusable material for the aluminum wheel packaging on the Outback Wilderness model. The amount reused in FYE March 2022 increased year on year by 19.0% to 786 tons, an intensity per vehicle of 2.7 kg.

Reduction of Wrapping Materials on Bumpers for U.S. Market

At Subaru of America, Inc., non-colored bumpers imported from Japan are re-wrapped for protection during transport within the U.S. In FYE March 2021, we launched an initiative to remove the need for re-wrapping in the U.S. by applying high-strength wrapping material with high shape stability before export from Japan. This initiative targets high-demand parts and thereby also promotes transport efficiency. In FYE March 2022, rollout to 60% of all parts was completed. The company will progress with the initiative to contribute to reducing the amount of plastic material used in wrapping.

Promoting Environmentally Friendly Packaging Materials

The company’s Parts Logistics Center is progressing with environmentally friendly initiatives on packaging materials and began exploring a range of measures in FYE March 2022, namely switching from cardboard to paper packaging for improved transport efficiency, use of packaging materials with 10% content of biomass plastic material, and switching from resin to cardboard pallets.

Zero Emissions of Waste from SUBARU Dealers in Japan

Dealers in Japan are committed to the proper management of waste generated from their business activities and to recycling to achieve zero emissions in Japan. In FYE March 2022, these initiatives resulted in the collection of 24,218 used bumpers, 143,311 lead batteries (containing 1,921 tons of lead material), 5,312 kL of oil, and 145,742 tires.
Zero emission initiatives led by dealers, which work most closely with customers, are activities that will contribute more directly to environmental conservation in local communities. The initiatives are expected to help promote proper processing, recycling, and the effective use of resources.

Recycling of used bumpers

Recycling of Waste Oil

Waste oil generated at SUBARU dealers in Japan during oil changes is recycled as recycled fuel oil through SUBARU’s zero waste emissions scheme. Flower farmers in Yamagata Prefecture grow beautiful poinsettia and cyclamen every year using this recycled fuel oil to heat their greenhouses.

Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles

Under the Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles of Japan, car manufacturers are required to fully recover and properly recycle automotive shredder residue (ASR), airbags, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from their end-of-life vehicles.
SUBARU has been promoting the smooth, proper, and efficient recycling of ASR by establishing, together with 12 other automakers and other companies, the Automobile shredder residue Recycling Promotion Team (ART).^*3 We also ensure proper processing of airbags and CFCs through operations of Japan Auto Recycling Partnership Ltd., established jointly with Japanese automakers and importers.

*3

A team to promote the recycling of ASR, organized by 13 automobile manufacturers in December 2003. The team plans the smooth, proper, and efficient recycling of ASR, a waste product that is classified as one of the Parts Specified for Recycling as defined by the Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles and required to be recycled under the law.

Proper Processing of End-of-life Vehicles

SUBARU is participating and collaborating actively in the building of an automotive recycling system to reduce the environmental impact of end-of-life vehicles. SUBARU is also focusing on promoting the development of easy-to-recycle vehicles, and collaborates with its dealers nationwide by jointly operating an automotive recycling system aimed at promoting the proper processing and raising the recycling rate of ASR, airbags, and CFCs.
In FYE March 2022, the ASR recycling rate was 96.6%, achieving the legal target of 70% for FYE March 2016 and thereafter. The airbag recycling rate was 95.4%, exceeding the legal target of 85%, and all CFCs recovered were processed properly.
Detailed information on the level of progress with these recycling initiatives and SUBARU’s other activities based on the Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles is disclosed separately on the web page indicated below.

• About the Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles (Japanese version only)
• Automobile shredder residue Recycling Promotion Team (ART) (Japanese version only)

Automobile Recycling Process

Use of Rebuilt Items

Toward realizing a recycling-oriented society, the SUBARU Group in the U.S. is promoting a way to reduce the environmental impact of replacing engines, transmissions, and other large parts that also eases the cost burden on customers. This is the use of rebuilt items,^*4 made by salvaging reusable parts.

*4

Repair parts such as engines, etc., for which consumable parts are replaced and usable parts are reused in accordance with inspection standards.

Distribution Centers

Subaru of America, Inc.’s regional distribution centers use returnable containers to reduce the amount of cardboard and wood used when transporting parts. Distribution centers in New Jersey and neighboring areas achieved 100% use of returnable packaging materials in 2021.

Collaboration with TerraCycle®
(Subaru of America, Inc.)

Since 2018, Subaru of America, Inc. has partnered with U.S. recycling firm TerraCycle® to enable recycling in products where it is normally difficult, such as park benches and vases. The program is part of the SUBARU Loves the Earth” initiative aimed at improving waste recycling rates.
Under the TerraCycle® Zero Waste Box™ program, which promotes the recycling of a wide range of waste products, TerraCycle® Zero Waste Boxes™ have been distributed to SUBARU dealers in the U.S. to collect recyclables. Customers, employees, and community partner organizations are encouraged to deposit snack packages, used paper cups, and plastic containers.
In FYE March 2022, the program also began the recycling of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks through Zero Waste Boxes™, and since the launch of this initiative a cumulative total of more than 6 million items of waste have been diverted from landfill sites.

Zero Landfill Waste Joint Initiative in U.S. National Parks
(Subaru of America, Inc.)

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA), SUBARU’s production base in the U.S., has achieved and maintains zero landfill waste status. Subaru of America, Inc. has been leveraging SIA’s expertise to advance a joint initiative with suppliers, the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Park Service, and others since 2015 to reduce landfill waste generated from three national parks: Yosemite National Park (California), Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska), and Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming). Subaru of America, Inc. received the Silver Halo Award and the Corporate Stewardship Award in 2020 in recognition of zero landfill initiatives in national parks. In FYE March 2022, these activities achieved environmental impact reductions that included the reuse of more than 90,000 pounds of food waste from the Yosemite National Park, the saving of a year’s worth of landfill space through cardboard recycling at the Denali National Park and Preserve, and a saving of more than 132,000 gallons of water at the Grand Teton National Park.
On another positive note, we became the official vehicle sponsor of 2021 garbage cleanup events in green spaces and parks. These events are co-sponsored by the Yosemite Climbing Association and The North Face®.
In 2021, the U.S. subsidiary participated in three further initiatives in partnership with the National Park Foundation: Outdoor Exploration, Parks of the Future, and Resilience and Sustainability.

Subaru Park Zero Landfill (Subaru of America, Inc.)

Since 2020, Subaru of America, Inc. has operated a partnership with Philadelphia Union, a team participating in Major League Soccer in the U.S. The team’s stadium, named Subaru Park, has set the target of becoming the first in Major League Soccer to achieve zero landfill waste. It plans to meet the target in 2022 to coincide with its reopening after a makeover. In one of the related sustainability initiatives, more than 70 volunteers participated in the Subaru Park Garden for Good organic cultivation program at the stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. In 2021, the program donated around 2,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables, equivalent to 8,000 servings, to local foodbanks.

Cafeteria Waste Reduction
(Subaru of America, Inc.)

Subaru of America, Inc. is engaged in initiatives to minimize the cost and environmental impact of food waste by reducing the amount of food waste generated and operating collection and recycling programs. This program has recycled more than 100,000 pounds of food waste and cut CO₂ emissions by around 25,000 tons.

Employees Education about Waste Separation
(Subaru of China Ltd.)

In October 2021, Subaru of China, Ltd.’s labor union facilitated a donation program to collect unused clothing and send it to people living in economically disadvantaged regions. A total of 674 items were collected.

Subaru of Mississauga (SOMI) Towards Zero Landfill (Subaru Canada, Inc.)

Subaru Canada, Inc. is engaged in an initiative aimed at zero landfill in collaboration with local business U-PAK DISPOSALS. Between January 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, 35,000 tons of waste destined for landfill treatment was instead collected and recycled.