Kawasaki Eco-Town Initiative and Zero-Emission Industrial Park - June 1999

Kawasaki Eco-Town Initiative and Zero-Emission Industrial Park - June 1999

Kawasaki City is the center of the Keihin Industrial Zone, and while it has a concentration of chemical, steel, and heavy industry, the city has suffered from serious pollution problems and hollowing out due to relocation of factories. In order to overcome this situation, the city has set forth the "Kawasaki New Era 2010 Plan" and is promoting the "Kawasaki Eco-Town Concept," which aims to balance the environment and the economy. Of these, the development of zero-emission industrial parks is particularly noteworthy. This is an industrial cluster that aims to achieve zero waste by using waste from the region as raw materials for other companies, and is operated mainly by a business cooperative established in January 1999.

For example, JFE Steel in Kawasaki City has established a system to recycle waste by supplying blast furnace slag and dust generated in the steelmaking process to the cement industry. Fujitsu also collects waste circuit boards generated in the electronics manufacturing process and works with metal recyclers to turn them into resources. Furthermore, small and medium-sized companies in the industrial park are using each other's waste as a resource, for example, by manufacturing new plastic products from used plastic.

The goal of zero emissions is to reduce waste emissions by 20% per year, and a 10% reduction was achieved by 1999. The Kawasaki waterfront area is also unusual in that it has a well-developed waste distribution network and efficient resource recycling. In particular, the Kawasaki City Clean Center, an industrial waste treatment facility, has developed a recycling facility for waste plastics, and 100,000 tons of waste plastics are reused annually.

Furthermore, Kawasaki City is also making efforts to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Another unique feature of the city is its promotion of sustainable energy use, including the introduction of energy-efficient air conditioning systems that use geothermal and solar heat, and an energy-efficient power generation system developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Kawasaki's Eco-Town concept is more than just environmental protection; it is an effort to revitalize the local economy through waste reuse and inter-industry collaboration, and its achievements have been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad.