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Improving Working Environments While Reducing Environmental Impact

Development of a new spot cooler with no heat exhaust

The Paris Agreement is a new framework for combating global warming and sets the common global goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Companies are required to both reduce carbon dioxide emissions and respond to intense heat caused by global warming. Brother faced this challenge by developing a new spot cooler sold through Brother Enterprise, our group company.

Related SDGs

Environmental impact and heat exhaustion were problems in the past.

Spot coolers create a comfortable workspace by sending cool air to only the area around people working in extremely hot weather, which are useful in environments such as factories and warehouses, where the areas with people are few in relation to the total space. Until now, however, spot coolers have generally used environmentally hazardous refrigerants such as HFC substitutes and large amounts of electricity to run their compressors. They also generate a high level of heat exhaust while creating a cool breeze, placing a heavy burden on the environment and raises the temperature around the people working.

Utilizing the heat vaporization of water

Brother developed a new spot cooler to solve this problem. We focused on the heat vaporization phenomenon which removes heat from the surrounding environment when a liquid becomes a gas. By using water to cool the air through a two-step vaporization cooling mechanism, Brother succeeded in creating a cool breeze, without generating heat exhaust, while consuming only about a quarter of the power of ordinary spot coolers. Additionally, the strong airflow ensures a lower sensory temperature than ordinary spot coolers.

Works even in environments without a power supply

Another product feature is portable battery operation. This allows it to be placed anywhere and create comfortable spaces in a wide range of areas, including indoor facilities and outdoor event venues without a power supply.

SDGs POINT

SDGs goal 8 addresses “decent work and economic growth”, including target 8.4 which sets out to "improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production," while promoting sustainable economic growth and full and productive employment. Additionally, SDGs goal 9 “build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation” including target 9.4 “upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable.” Furthermore, SDGs goal 12 aims to create "responsible consumption and production" including target 12.2 which aims to "achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources” to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. SDGs goal 13, ”Climate Action” calls for "taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts." Brother's water-based spot coolers contribute to the realization of the SDGs by improving the working environment while considering energy efficiency and resource conservation and being environmentally friendly.

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