Sustainability
Initiatives for a Circular Economy: Development of Environmental Contribution Products
Basic Approach
The Mitsuboshi Belting Group regards the value it can provide to society through products that help address environmental challenges and realize a decarbonized society as an important management issue.
In developing Environmental Contribution Products, the Group conducts evaluations based on its own standards from the following perspectives and promotes the creation and expansion of products that make a significant environmental contribution:
⦁ reducing environmental impact through improved energy efficiency and longer product life during the use phase;
⦁ enhancing environmental contribution through ingenuity in materials and manufacturing methods; and
⦁ product design that contributes to the realization of a circular society.
Status of Initiatives
Activities of the Environmental Contribution Products Development Working Group
Under its corporate philosophy, “To give attentive consideration to both humanity and nature,” the Company has launched a cross-departmental working group to strengthen value creation through Environmental Contribution Products.
The Company has established evaluation criteria by defining Environmental Contribution Products as products that contribute to preventing global warming and realizing a decarbonized society, promote a circular economy, protect biodiversity and the environment, or create social value that supports safe, secure, and comfortable living. The Company also shares the process from product planning through development and evaluation across the organization, brings together diverse technologies such as the use of sustainable materials, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced recyclability, and continues to develop products that address social issues and support business growth.
The Company also positions the development of Environmental Contribution Products as part of its management strategy. Management sets the direction of the initiative, including policies and evaluation criteria, and promotes it by monitoring the working group’s activities, confirming progress, and reviewing priority themes.
Types of Environmental Contribution Products
Contributing to the Prevention of Global Warming and the Realization of a Decarbonized Society
Through the development of Environmental Contribution Products that improve power transmission efficiency and extend product life, the Group helps reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. By providing highly efficient power transmission belts and products with enhanced energy-saving performance, the Group supports decarbonization throughout the product life cycle, including the use phase.
- Energy-saving V-belt e-POWER® NX
The energy-saving V-belt “e-POWER® NX” achieves highly efficient power transmission through its double-cog design and low-heat-generation rubber compound. Replacing a conventional belt with e-POWER® NX can reduce power consumption and CO₂ emissions. Its improved wear resistance and tension retention also reduce the frequency of maintenance and support more efficient equipment operation. In recognition of its energy-saving performance, e-POWER® NX received the Chairman’s Award in the FY2025 Energy Conservation Grand Prize.
- Rear-wheel Drive Timing Belt for Electric Motorcycles
The Company’s high-performance timing belt and driven pulley have been adopted for the rear-wheel drive system of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.’s first electric motorcycle, the WN7. The lightweight belt reduces drive loss and noise, requires neither lubrication nor tension adjustment, and improves energy efficiency while reducing environmental impact. It also reduces maintenance requirements and supports the adoption of sustainable mobility by providing a comfortable ride.
※For details, please refer to the news release.
- EPS Drive Timing Belt for Four-wheeled Vehicles
The Company’s timing belt for electric power steering (EPS) systems optimizes energy consumption by operating the motor only when steering assistance is required, thereby helping reduce power consumption. By taking advantage of the belt-drive system and suppressing resonance through proprietary vibration analysis and a vibration-control structure, the belt delivers excellent quietness. Its highly durable design also enables maintenance-free operation throughout the vehicle life cycle and helps reduce CO₂ emissions.
- Low Friction Loss Belt / Belt-in-Oil Timing Belt
The low-friction-loss belt and belt-in-oil timing belt developed for four-wheeled vehicles with internal combustion engines improve fuel efficiency. By providing highly efficient power transmission belts with low energy loss, the Group helps reduce exhaust emissions and CO₂ emissions.
- Low-modulus Automotive Belt Star Fit
The low-modulus automotive belt “Star Fit®” requires no tension adjustment and enables a weight reduction of approximately 1.5 kg by eliminating the tension pulley and bracket, thereby contributing to improved fuel efficiency.
- Pulley for Automotive Alternators Smastar
The alternator damper pulley Smastar® was developed to absorb belt tension fluctuations in engines where rotational fluctuations have increased due to fuel-efficiency technologies such as idling stop systems. It allows a lower belt tension setting, helping reduce belt noise, extend belt life, and further improve fuel efficiency.
- High-performance Timing Belt Super Torque G PLUS
The high-performance timing belt Super Torque G PLUS provides greater power transmission capacity than conventional products, enabling narrower belts and more compact equipment. High-hardness synthetic rubber delivers efficient power transmission and helps reduce equipment energy consumption. Because existing standard pulleys can be used, the belt is easy to introduce and helps reduce environmental impact by supporting lighter equipment and greater design flexibility.
Promoting a Circular Economy
The Group promotes the use of sustainable materials, including biomass-based and recycled materials, and develops products with high resource efficiency. By considering material selection, product life, disposal, and reuse throughout development, the Group contributes to a circular economy through effective resource use and waste reduction.
- Biomass Conveyor Belt
The biomass conveyor belt is an environmentally friendly resin conveyor belt that uses “biomass polyurethane,” produced using plant-derived raw materials, for the surface cover resin. Because there is no difference in physical properties compared with the polyurethane resin used in existing resin conveyor belts, customers can use the product with confidence.
- Plant-derived High-performance Nylon Material PA410
PA410 (EcoPaXX®) is a resin material that uses castor oil derived from “castor bean” for 70% of its raw materials, thereby reducing the ratio of petroleum-derived raw materials. Compared with other polyamides, it has a lower carbon footprint and is a product that can contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.
Protecting Biodiversity and the Environment
The Group has worked to prevent water pollution and conserve forest resources through waterproofing sheets in the construction materials field and belt products that use environmentally conscious natural rubber. By combining technologies cultivated in the civil engineering and construction fields with responsible raw material procurement, the Group provides products that support social infrastructure and industry while reducing impacts on the natural environment, and contributes to biodiversity conservation and the creation of a sustainable environment.
- Belts Using EUDR-compliant Natural Rubber
Belts using EUDR-compliant natural rubber promote sustainable resource use by thoroughly implementing responsible raw material procurement that takes deforestation into consideration and by ensuring traceability. Equipped with highly efficient and stable power transmission performance, they contribute to reducing impacts on the natural environment and conserving biodiversity while helping improve the reliability of industrial equipment.
- • Waterproofing Sheet for Final Waste Disposal Sites
The “waterproofing sheet” and installation services provided by the Construction Materials Headquarters prevent leachate leakage at final waste disposal sites and suppress contamination of public waters and groundwater. By reducing impacts on soil and water environments, they protect surrounding ecosystems and contribute to biodiversity conservation and the creation of a sustainable environment through waterproofing and water-shielding technologies cultivated over many years.
- • Waterproofing Sheet for Biotopes
Biotopes are increasingly used as learning environments by educational institutions across Japan. Water-shielding sheets provided by the Construction Materials Headquarters help create new habitats for plants and animals. To date, the Company has provided water-shielding sheets free of charge to more than 100 educational facilities in Kobe City and supported the creation of biotopes.
