Eco-Manufacturing
Preventing Global Warming
Target and Achievements for Our Domestic Production Sites (Including Research Labs)
Mitsubishi Electric has established a voluntary target of reducing its CO2 emissions per unit of real sales by 60% or more at domestic production sites (including research labs) by fiscal 2011.
To achieve this goal, we are aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 33,000 tons between fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2011. Under our 5th Environmental Plan, spanning fiscal years 2007 to 2009, we have committed to lowering our CO2 emissions at production sites (including research labs) by 2% per unit of real sales.
To achieve our voluntary targets, we formulated our energy conservation action plan in fiscal 2005, and are introducing high-efficiency equipment, undertaking energy-loss minimization (EM) activities*, and moving ahead with fuel conversion.
In investing in high-efficiency equipment, we are purchasing high-efficiency equipment and other energy-saving devices and facilities with a spending target of 0.1% of annual production facility output. In fiscal 2008, we invested a total of ¥2.91 billion in energy-saving devices and facilities for three production sites, and ¥460 million in productivity improvement activities, producing a total CO2 reduction of 13,000 tons.
By fiscal 2007, Mitsubishi Electric had already achieved its fiscal 2011 target of reducing its CO2 emissions per unit of real sales by 60% or more, and, in fiscal 2008, we further reduced our CO2 emissions by 2.9% compared to the previous fiscal year (reducing emissions to 65.6% of the level for fiscal 1991).
Based on these results, we committed to the year 2021 target of lowering our production-related CO2 emissions to 30% of the level for fiscal 1991 in our Environmental Vision 2021, announced in October 2007. To achieve this target, Mitsubishi Electric, the parent company, will reduce its CO2 emissions by 210,000 tons during the same time frame.
To achieve this target, we continue to implement measures based on our energy conservation action plan.
- *
- The objective of Energy Loss Minimization (EM) activities is to make energy usage visible at the production site, production process, or facility level and reduce losses.
Energy Conservation Action Plan
| Action Plan | FY2011 Reduction Target (tons-CO2) | FY2006 | FY2007 | FY2008 | |||
| Result | Result | Result | |||||
| Reduction | Investment | Reduction | Investment | Reduction | Investment | ||
| (tons-CO2) | (Millions of yen) | (tons-CO2) | (Millions of yen) | (tons-CO2) | (Millions of yen) | ||
| Install high efficiency equipment | 34,800 | 5,910 | 1,468 | 8,842 | 2,481 | 7,514 | 2,753 |
| Energy-loss minimization (EM) activities | 8,000 | 266 | 76 | 890 | 156 | 454 | 153 |
| Shift to alternative fuels | 3,200 | 334 | 49 | 320 | 25 | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 46,000 | 6,510 | 1,593 | 10,052 | 2,662 | 7,972 | 2,908 |
| Cumulative | - | 12,694 | 3,125 | 22,746 | 5,787 | 30,718 | 8,695 |
Mitsubishi Electric is pursuing Energy-Saving Interactive Diagnosis Activities in which personnel responsible for energy at production sites inspect the energy-related activities at other Mitsubishi Electric production sites. These activities have three purposes. The first is to identify opportunities to save energy and point out potential improvements, the second is to accumulate technologies and know-how that are beneficial to the environment, and the third is to promote the replication of outstanding activities throughout the company.
Energy-Saving Interactive Diagnosis Activities have taken place at multiple sites each year since fiscal 2003, and results have been used to reduce waste by, for example, eliminating standby power usage and using fewer lighting fixtures. Improvement measures like facility burden standardization and controlling the number of facilities and operation have been implemented to achieve significant energy savings.
In fiscal 2008, Energy-Saving Interactive Diagnosis Activities were implemented at five sites, including research labs and affiliates. Nearly all Mitsubishi Electric (parent company) production sites were included. In addition, self-diagnosis manuals were completed for each site and uploaded to the intranet.
In the future, internal production sites will undergo second inspections and be pursued to a greater extent among affiliates.
Energy-Saving Diagnosis Flow
Award presentation ceremony
The City of Nagoya certifies commercial facilities that voluntarily and actively pursue environmentally conscious activities as "Eco Commercial Facilities." In 2008, it began presenting awards to those commercial facilities that are particularly outstanding and models for other companies.
In this first year of the award, Mitsubishi Electric's Nagoya Works was presented with the "Nagoya City Outstanding Eco Commercial Facility Award" in the environmental management systems category.
In presenting the award, the City of Nagoya praised the Nagoya Works for actively introducing high-efficiency transformers, inverter power sources, and other high-efficiency devices to make its production facility more energy efficient, and for actively disseminating information by working with local government to hold factory tours for the public.
Targets and Achievements for Domestic Affiliates and Overseas Affiliates
Mitsubishi Electric Group affiliates, both domestic and overseas, established the goals of reducing emissions per unit of real sales by 1% per year by fiscal 2009.
Domestic affiliates undertook efforts like updating boilers and air-conditioning equipment, and limiting air conditioner usage, but fiscal 2008 emissions per unit of real sales remained unchanged from the prior year, with total CO2 emissions at 214,000 tons. The reduction in emissions per unit of real sales came to 5.8%.
Overseas affiliates replaced lighting fixtures with energy-efficient alternatives, relocated ceiling vents, and undertook other actions as EM (energy-loss minimization) activities. As a result, they lowered their fiscal 2008 emissions per unit of real sales by 1.5%. Total CO2 emissions came to 263,000 tons.
Moving ahead, to achieve the year 2021 target of lowering our production-related CO2 emissions to 30% of the level for fiscal 1991 in our Environmental Vision 2021 (For domestic production affiliates, a 110,000 ton reduction relative to fiscal 2001, and for overseas production affiliates, a 200,000 ton reduction relative to fiscal 2006), we will begin preparing specific reduction scenarios in the current fiscal year.
Breakdown of Energy Usage
Targets and Achievements for Offices
In pursuit of energy savings activities in office environments, Mitsubishi Electric head and branch offices established the goal of reducing emissions per unit of floor space by 1% per year by fiscal 2009.
To meet that goal, they undertook initiatives like setting thermostats at 20˚C in the winter and 28˚C in the summer to reduce electricity consumed for heating and air-conditioning, turned off lights during lunch hours, and turned off computers when away from desks for long periods.
In addition, Mitsubishi Electric is supporting a campaign to reduce CO2 emissions by 1 kilogram per person per day, encouraging employees and their families to participate in the "CO2 Reduction Challenge," and taking other steps to increase awareness of energy-saving activities.
As a result of these initiatives, the head and branch offices cut their fiscal 2008 CO2 emissions 2% per unit of floor space compared to the prior year, despite an overall increase due to higher sales.
With Environmental Vision 2021, we have committed to reducing our total CO2 emissions and will examine scenarios for reducing total emissions even in non-production sites.
Fostering a Culture that Encourages Employees to Exercise Initiative in Energy-Saving Activities
Kyushu Branch Office Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Environmental Talk
To help employees develop a more personal sense of environmental problems, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's Kyushu branch sponsored environmental talks in November 2007, focusing on global warming prevention activities that employees and their families can undertake.
Corporate Environmental Sustainability Group personnel participating as speakers explained energy-saving activities for the home and workplace and discussed topics including the Mitsubishi Electric Outdoor Classroom. Participating employees indicated that they had gained a new appreciation for what companies should do to prevent global warming and that they had come to understand the significance of Mitsubishi Electric's efforts to increase environmental awareness. It is hoped that these efforts by the Kyushu branch office will encourage individual employees to initiate energy-saving activities in their immediate environments both inside and outside the workplace.
Reducing CO2 Emissions without the Kyoto Mechanisms*
The Kyoto Protocol's coming into effect in February 2005 attached international recognition to the Kyoto Mechanisms enabling the use of international collaboration to reduce CO2 emissions.
Mitsubishi Electric, however, is committed to achieving voluntary targets through its own efforts by investing in energy efficiency at production sites and promoting energy-saving initiatives.
Under Environmental Vision 2021, we have established new targets, which we are aiming to achieve through our own efforts. At this time, we have no plans to use the Kyoto Mechanisms.
Note:
There are three Kyoto Mechanisms:
- 1)
- The Clean Development Mechanism enables developed countries and developing countries to jointly implement a project and the country supplying the investment (developed country) to apply the amount of emissions reduced to its own reduction targets.
- 2)
- Joint Implementation enables developed countries to jointly implement a project and the country supplying the investment to apply the amount of emissions reduced to its own reduction targets.
- 3)
- Emissions Trading enables developed countries to buy and sell emissions in order to meet reduction targets.
Reducing Emissions of Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases
Non-CO2 greenhouse gases Mitsubishi Electric emits through its business activities include hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), a refrigerant used in air conditioners and refrigerators; perfluorocarbon (PFC), an etching gas used in making products like semiconductors and liquid crystals; and SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride), an electrical insulating gas used in gas insulated switchgears.
In fiscal 2008, production increased in most of our businesses, resulting in greater emissions of these three greenhouse gases, compared to the prior fiscal year. Atmospheric emissions of SF6, in particular, increased significantly due to the approximate doubling of the production of switchgears, all of which undergo insulation testing prior to shipment. In addition, switchgears produced overseas undergo insulation testing in Japan, and greater demand driven by factors like the economic expansion of other countries (especially China) increased testing volume and, therefore, SF6 atmospheric emissions.
To reduce emissions of these gases, we are presently examining measures like changing the test gas pathways and improving the performance of gas recovery devices (upgrading pumps and others).
