Initiatives in the Printing Field: Specific efforts

Reducing environmental burden through technological innovation

Fujifilm has been involved for many years in the development, manufacture and sales of a broad array of printing materials and equipment, including graphic arts film, PS and CTP plates for offset printing, plate setters, and various prepress software. We are particularly reinforcing our production and sales system to meet rising demand for CTP plates toward boosting our worldwide market share to 40%.
Vast quantities of lithographic film had previously been consumed in the prepress process for offset printing. The advent of the DTP system enabled the processing of digitized text and images on the computer to produce the completed data. With this system, efficiency was improved, and the only film we needed to develop was the final film. This procedure is called Computer-to-Film (CTF). More recently, the development of CTF technology, which facilitates the direct output of digital data to prepress film, has opened the way for the common application of Computer-to-Plate (CTP) methods for directly outputting data to a printing plate without requiring lithographic film at all. This technological advance reduced CO₂ emissions by about two-thirds from a quarter century ago when massive quantities of films and photographic papers were used (refer to diagram below).
Fujifilm took the next step in filmless CTP with the creation of a CTP plate that does not require development processing at all, eliminating the developer effluent and CO₂ emissions associated with this stage of the printing process. Looking ahead, we will focus on improving the quality of processless CTP and encourage its widespread application as part of our efforts to address environmental concerns and reduce the risks and workload associated with handling chemicals. In addition, we will continue to pursue further technological innovation in the field of printing to contribute to society by reducing the associated environmental burdens.
This report itself was produced using the state-of-the-art processless CTP systems.

Aluminum recycling is generally believed to have reached an advanced stage. However, the substrata of PS and CTP plates for offset printing require high-purity aluminum for sophisticated printability, and as a result recycled aluminum cannot be used. Therefore, the Fujifilm Yoshida-Minami Factory had implemented “cascade recycling” in which several hundred tons of waste aluminum generated every month were used for applications that did not require high purity.
However aluminum refining consumes massive amounts of electricity. Fujifilm, believing the cyclical use of aluminum—long considered to be impossible—could lead to substantial reductions in CO₂ emissions, conducted years of research into closed-loop recycling technologies, in which waste aluminum is recycled into a level of purity suitable for producing high-quality PS and CTP plates. The technology reached commercial viability in October 2007.
The challenge is that once aluminum has been mixed with trace metals into a low-purity alloy, it cannot be restored to highpurity by removing the trace metals. Consequently, continued cascade recycling ultimately leads to a flood of low-purity aluminum that cannot be re-used.
At the same time, aluminum, like other metals, is also becoming the focus of a battle for resources in the wake of rising demand in emerging countries. Therefore, this business is even more important as a means to conserve the limited supply of high-purity aluminum resources for the sustainable development of the printing industry as a vital component of everyday life. Fujifilm will continue to seize the initiative by taking the next steps for protecting the environment and safeguarding the sustainable development of society.