Over 50% Less Packaging and Lower CO₂ Emissions — Murata's 'Narrow Pitch Taping' Offers a Greener Alternative Solution

Murata's sustainability initiatives are firmly rooted in the concept of resource circulation — maximizing the lifespan of finite resources while minimizing waste.
This principle informs every stage of our operations, from product design to procurement, logistics, and end-of-life management.
In 1994, Murata declared that it "not to make products that waste resources and energy".
By 2003, we had achieved zero emissions (zero waste to landfill) at our domestic manufacturing sites.
Today, we continue to set ambitious and measurable targets, including raising our sustainable resource utilization rate and our circulated resource recycling rate, with the ultimate goal of reaching 100% for both by 2050.

Our commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in our company philosophy, Shaze, which emphasizes applying a scientific approach to continuously improve our operations and contributing to the development of society.
Natural disasters caused by climate change are occurring with increasing frequency worldwide, making corporate environmental action an urgent priority for us.
Murata has positioned the reduction of environmental impact as a central challenge in its business activities, promoting effective measures such as the RE100 declaration, renewable energy sourcing, and carbon pricing schemes.

What is Narrow-Pitch Taping?

Narrow-Pitch Taping, also known as Half-pitch taping, is a technique that reduces the space between components on a reel: the "pitch".
By minimizing the pitch, we can fit twice the number of components onto a single reel without increasing the packaging size or weight.
This simple yet effective change means that we can use less packaging material while maintaining the same product quantity, significantly reducing waste and storage space.

By applying narrow-pitch taping we can expect to see many benefits such as:

Implementing narrow-pitch taping was a team effort.
It required close collaboration with our customers and partners to ensure seamless integration of this adapted packaging standard.
Transitioning to narrow-pitch taping may involve updating some production parameters, but our team is fully prepared to provide the technical support and information needed for a seamless implementation.
Through extensive dialogue and strong partnerships, we have already successfully implemented this packaging method with several customers.

This collaborative process has strengthened our shared commitment to sustainability as well as deepening our cooperation and mutual trust.

For one of our partners, managing production efficiency had become a daily challenge.
Many reels were needed for certain items, taking up valuable warehouse space and slowing down the process.

After discussions with Murata, they decided to switch from 180 mm standard pitch reels to 330 mm narrow pitch reels.
The change was quickly felt on the production floor.
They were pleasantly surprised the number of reel changes dropped, and embraced the improvement.
The switch not only made the work faster and smoother, but it also freed up space in the warehouse and cut down the amount of plastic waste being generated.
Reduced environmental taxes were an added benefit which was a win for both efficiency and sustainability.

Another partner shared a different goal: reducing CO₂ emissions.
They welcomed Murata's close collaboration on practical and innovative solutions such as narrow-pitch taping.
Equipped with the information and the new reel options, they began making tangible steps towards a zero-emissions future.

Today, many of our customers are incorporating narrow-pitch reels into their sustainability initiatives which is positive proof that small changes on the production line can lead to big impacts in the journey toward a greener future.