Toshiba International Corporation values the communities in which it lives and serves. In the spirit of Corporate Social Responsibility, TIC has established programs which embody stewardship and sustainable systems. Below is a brief overview of the programs TIC has implemented and records of results from these efforts.

Prevention of Global Warming

Toshiba International Corporation Employees understand that a facet of our business is energy consumption. Manufacturing some of the world's finest motors, drives, and UPS systems consumes energy. Employees have energy saving initiatives such as "Lights Out When You're Out" which promotes the conservation of energy, by turning off lights and other electrical products, when they are not in use.

Efficiency through design is also another key element that TIC utilizes. As new systems are developed or old ones replaced, our teams work to evaluate the process and review the potential for more efficient designs.

Resource Conservation

On average each human being generates 7.5 pounds of waste per day. Unfortunately, the majority of this waste ends up in landfills. Stewardship begins with recognizing the impact each person or process has on the environment. TIC has acknowledged its contributions and has taken steps to reduce its paper waste. In collaboration with a local recycling vendor, TIC has initiated a white paper recycling program. Though completely voluntary, each employee has access to paper specific bins that are collected and captured for recycling. Annually this effort collects an average of 12 tons of paper.

TIC also handles a vast volume of cardboard in its product packaging and unpacking processes. Nearly 500,000 pounds of bulky cardboard is utilized annually. TIC compacts the card board to create less bulk and to also eliminate its contribution to the landfill. The cardboard is handled by a vendor who recycles the product for reuse.

As a manufacturer of industrial motors, TIC uses a significant amount of metals. Scrap metals are a resulting by-product the motor manufacturing processes. While generating over 7 million pounds of scrap metals annually, TIC recycles these scraps for a return on the cost investment. Outside the manufacturing processes, TIC employees recycle an average of 3,000 pounds of aluminum cans yearly. A portion of the proceeds from this effort generates funds that are used to support employee driven activities.

Electrical and electronic waste has become a hot concern for waste disposal in the past few years. TIC has begun a project that allows our EE waste to be dismantled for each and every valued component. EE waste is handled by an outside vendor who finds buyers for the valued elements of the waste and returns a portion of the earned proceeds back to Toshiba. The funds generated are then used to aid in support the expense of TIC's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Per annum, over 10,000 wooden pallets enter the gates of the TIC facility. In most cases these pallets would become waste materials discarded and sent off to landfill. TIC recognizes the importance of sustainability and has aggressively retained usable pallets for reuse. Pallets that become unusable are shredded on-site and provided to a vendor that repurposes the material into mulch.

Environmental Activities & Awareness

In order to help promulgate environmental awareness TIC has engaged in several campaigns from electronics recycling in the community to water savings at home. Annually TIC designates October as "Environmental Awareness Month". During the month speakers are brought onsite to help promote best environmental practices both at work and at home. Along with the environmental education, TIC has partnered with Trees for Houston in several reforestation projects throughout the local community. A “Safety Day” has been added to promote different products that can be used but also to encourage employees to think more about safety in the workplace and home.

Maintaining a Safe Workplace

Safety is a core value at TIC and we continuously look for ways to reduce risk and hazards. Safety Committee engagement where risks are identified and mitigated is one aspect we continue to refine. 5S events are held as teams compete to see who can implement these elements most effectively.