Efforts at New Housing Construction Sites

Reducing the Generation of Industrial Waste at New Housing Construction Sites

In 2014, Sumitomo Forestry launched a working group composed of employees in charge of waste reduction at the product development, material procurement, production control, and environment departments. This working group has since been devising and implementing a range of measures to reduce waste at the company’s new construction sites.

We discovered that two-thirds of all our waste is made up of wood waste, gypsum boards and cardboards, based on the detailed data on the waste generation status gained through our officially certified wide-area industrial waste management system, which has been in operation since 2012. We have worked to reduce the generation of waste with a focus on these three primary waste items.

Promote Precutting of Construction Materials

In the Mid-Term Sustainability Targets Phase 2 (2025-2027), we set the target of reducing the amount of industrial waste generated at our new housing construction sites to 18.8 kg/m2 per building by fiscal 2027. In fiscal 2025, we reduced it to 18.9 kg/m2 and achieved the target for the fiscal year, which was mainly due to the precutting of construction materials as a regular practice.

Back in fiscal 2021, the precutting of Kizure panels and roof slates was started by our branch offices nationwide and was then spread and well established as a regular practice. In fiscal 2023, we expanded the scope of precut roof slates to include gable and eaves-down roof designs. The precutting of siding, which began in fiscal 2022, was expanded and adopted for over 900 buildings by fiscal 2025. It contributes to a reduction of approximately 80 kg of waste for Kizure panels, 170 kg of waste for roofing slates, and 550 kg of waste for siding per building, leading to a substantial reduction of industrial waste generated at our construction sites.

Moreover, in fiscal 2026, we started the precutting of underfloor insulation materials to reduce the generation of plastic waste by 50 kg per building.

Initiatives for Fiscal 2026

In addition to reducing the generation of industrial waste, we will transform such waste into products through material recycling for reuse at our construction sites in order to contribute to creating a circular economy. In fiscal 2026, we will examine recycling a range of items, starting with blue sheets, which are used in large amounts at our construction sites.

Initiative to Recycle Industrial Waste Generated at New Housing Construction Sites

Sumitomo Forestry meticulously sorts the waste generated at its new housing construction sites. We are helping on-site workers to more easily sort waste into 11 categories with a poster that provides specific examples of waste to be sorted into each category. We also engage in efforts to reuse rather than dispose of wooden blocks and packaging materials used for the transportation of precut structural materials and other purposes.

In fiscal 2025, we changed the transportation route of recovered industrial waste to recycling facilities. This enabled a recycling rate of 96.4% against a target of 96.3%.

Sumitomo Forestry Group has set a goal of achieving 96.8% waste recycling rate for its new housing construction sites by fiscal 2027 in the Mid-Term Sustainability Targets Phase 2 (2025-2027).

In fiscal 2026, we will reduce composite waste and improve the recycling rate by further encouraging the sorting of waste on site. We will also work to expand the use of new waste recycling facilities.

*Sumitomo Forestry’s Housing Division and Construction Business Sub-Division, Sumitomo Forestry Landscaping, and Sumitomo Forestry Home Engineering

Obtaining Certification for Wide-Area Industrial Waste Management from the Ministry of the Environment

Sumitomo Forestry’s wide-area industrial waste management system has obtained certification from the Ministry of the Environment. Under this system, companies other than industrial waste treatment operators can transport our industrial waste, enabling us to build our own industrial waste recovery system.

We rationalize the transportation of industrial waste generated at our new housing construction sites by using the trucks that deliver construction materials to the sites to transport the waste on their return trips. We also attach barcodes to the waste to manage it, which ensures its traceability and the collection of accurate data about the weight of the waste.

Operations at the Metropolitan Area Recycling Center

After obtaining certification for wide-area industrial waste management, Sumitomo Forestry established the Metropolitan Area Recycling Center in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture for advanced waste sorting and data collection. Waste generated at our new housing construction sites in six prefectures in the Kanto region (specifically, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma) is collected to the center for treatment.

At this center, we collect detailed data about the waste generation status of our new housing construction sites by housing specification, construction contractor and region, and share the data with the product development, material procurement and production management departments for use in their waste reduction initiatives.

We also expanded the coverage of our officially certified wide-area industrial waste management system to include regions other than the Tokyo metropolitan area, and all of our branches excluding those in the Sanin region are now covered by the system. Accordingly, we can collect data about the waste generation status across Japan, not only at the Metropolitan Area Recycling Center. The amount of waste generated and the breakdown of the generated waste differ by region, as the housing specifications and conditions differ by region. By making analysis based on obtained regional data, we can reduce the generation of waste at each of our new housing construction sites.

Industrial Waste Recovery Procedure under the Officially Certified Wide-Area Industrial Waste Management System

Breakdown of Waste Generated at New Housing Construction Sites* by Treatment Method (FY2025)

Breakdown of Waste Generated at New Housing Construction Sites （FY2025）

Efforts at Demolition Sites

Sumitomo Forestry has been promoting resource recycling since before the enforcement of the Construction Material Recycling Act in 2002 by ensuring that demolition waste is properly sorted for recycling prior to the construction of a new house. Since the enactment of the law in 2002, we have been recycling the items that should be recycled as resources under the law (wood waste, concrete, etc.), sorting them at the sites where the waste is generated. In recent years, demolition work of houses built using construction materials containing asbestos has increased, and the regulations on asbestos have accordingly been revised and implemented since 2020. In response, Sumitomo Forestry has been providing guidance on the removal of construction materials containing asbestos and ensuring the strict management of the substance.

The recycling rate for concrete was almost 100% in fiscal 2024, as in the previous year. We also maintain a high recycling rate for wood waste by removing foreign matters from it for easier recycling.

Waste Management in Demolition Work

Breakdown of Demolition Waste Generated (FY2025)

Launch of Industrial Waste Management Centers

Sumitomo Forestry opened three industrial waste management centers across Japan in fiscal 2021. We are working to eliminate industrial waste-related risks nationwide through standardized and highly accurate waste management by personnel specializing in industrial waste management operations. Our waste management operations include the registration of the electronic manifests of industrial waste generated across the country, ensuring the appropriate treatment of waste until final disposal and deadline management, which are obligations of waste generating companies, checking the details of the registered electronic manifests with the details of the outsourcing contracts, and managing the renewal of outsourcing contracts including checking the details.

Initiatives in the Renovation Business

We are working to reduce waste generated at our renovation sites by using reusable protective materials. Sumitomo Forestry Home Tech recycles wood waste materials generated at its renovation sites.
We are conducting activities to make effective use of wood waste generated in the Tokyo metropolitan area, such as an initiative to recycle waste into raw materials for particle boards, which we started in fiscal 2014. In addition, we will intensively give guidance and education to our bases with low recycling rates to encourage them to enhance waste sorting and outsource the related operations to treatment facilities with high recycling capacity.

Driven by on-site waste sorting and guidance for enhanced sorting at disposal sites, the recycling rate increased to 87.1% in fiscal 2025.

*Recycling rates at Sumitomo Forestry Home Tech’s renovation sites. Hard-to-recycle debris and asbestos are excluded from calculation.

Breakdown of Waste Generated in the Renovation Business* (FY2025)

*Sumitomo Forestry Home Tech

Collaboration with and Education of Contractors and Other Parties

Work with Construction Contractors

Sumitomo Forestry publishes a safety and environment improvement report on a monthly basis. This publication repeatedly informs our branches and construction contractors of industrial waste-related risks, thereby preventing their materialization. We also monitor the waste reduction efforts of each contractor and regularly meet with them to raise their awareness of the need for recycling measures.

Provision of Education to New Housing Construction Contractors and Demolition Contractors

Sumitomo Forestry provides education to construction contractors and then checks the level of their understanding by conducting tests on them. Also, we have our demolition contractors report about the industrial waste generated at our demolition sites to our relevant offices and branches during the period from the start of demolition work to its completion. The reports are made in the form of construction management records according to the procedures set in the relevant manual. Each of the offices and branches verifies these construction management records and provides guidance for corrective actions if any problems are identified.