Sumitomo Shoji Machinex Co., Ltd. and Sumisho Building Management recently took part in the Real Estate Solutions Fair, held at Tokyo Big Sight on November 26 and 27. The event, targeted at property owners and the like, contained exhibitions and proposals about real estate management, e.g. facility construction, services and financing. In line with one of the themes of this year's fair--the environment--Sumitomo Shoji Machinex and Sumisho Building Management both exhibited eco-friendly products.

Sumitomo Shoji Machinex exhibited a recyclable cleaning system for filters of industrial air conditioners, emphasizing the lower costs and 75% waste reduction achieved. The system, jointly developed with Sumitomo Corporation's Construction & Real Estate Division, conducts a comprehensively eco-friendly cleaning process by employing ultrasound technology and enabling the repeated use of medium performance filters, which previously had to be disposed of after a single use. At the end of their life, these filters are recycled into other materials such as solid fuel. "With the know-how accumulated through the development of the first recycling system in the industry, we'd like to promote this system broadly across the market," says a company representative.

Sumisho Building Management exhibited a room greening system it calls "Uplight green." Visitors to the booth watched with interest as the system, taking advantage of the principle of capillary action(*1), carried water from the tank at its back to a plant hanging on the wall without the use of electricity. Indoor plants have been shown to both have a soothing effect on people and provide much-needed moisture for the skin.

Another display in the same booth featured the blind system "Solar guide," which controls the amount of sunlight let into a room, achieving sufficient brightness to eliminate the need for artificial lighting and thereby reducing power consumption during the day. Sumisho Building Management is currently conducting a demonstration experiment inside Harumi Toriton Square with Green Technology Integration, the company that developed the system.

(*1)Capillary action is a phenomenon whereby liquid permeates small tube-like spaces, allowing its movement to be directed irrespective of gravity.