Panasonic Asia Pacific announced on Tuesday it has exceeded its sustainability targets for 2009 and has set out a vision to be the “No.1 Green Innovation Company” in the electronics industry by 2018.
Under its “eco ideas” initiative, Panasonic said it increased the sales of eco-products from 24 per cent in March 2009 to 49 per cent in March 2010.
It also reduce its carbon emissions across 49 manufacturing sites in Asia Pacific by 37.2 per cent - exceeding its original target of 30.8 per cent over three fiscal years from April 2007 to March 2010.
The electronics giant has set up three model “eco ideas” factories that manufacture eco-friendly products with sustainable industry practices, and these factories are used in outreach activities to raise the level of eco consciousness in the community, it said.
Panasonic Asia Pacific managing director Ikuo Miyamoto said that Panasonic “exceeded our “eco ideas” declaration targets set in 2009 because we were able to make environmental management central to all our business activities, and adopt the mindset of driving results and accountability”.
“Building on this success and to stay true to our commitment of environmental management, we are now setting a broader and concrete action plan for the next three years from fiscal 2010,” he said.
The new action plan, which is part of Panasonic Group’s midterm business management plan, will see the company pursue environmental management in two areas – “eco ideas for Lifestyles” looks into promoting sustainable and comfortable green lifestyles.
And “eco ideas for Business-styles” aims to reduce the environmental impact of business operations to a maximum extent and spread technologies and ideas created through such reduction efforts.
Panasonic has pledged to develop a a Panasonic Global Eco Learning Programme, following the successful pilot of the Environment Champions (Schools) Industry Module (ECIM) in Singapore.
This will be launched in Malaysia and Thailand to enhance awareness of environmental issues among youth and encourage them to take eco action. As part of the ECIM, an Environment Champions Project Competition is being held in Singapore.
Seed funding of $20,000 has been handed out to 20 teams of students from primary and secondary schools for them to implement their own “eco ideas?. The winner of this programme will be awarded a five-day study trip to Japan.
The firm said it will further reduce carbon emissions by a third or 500,000 tonnes, the equivalent of having planted 28 million rain trees. It projects that its emissions from manufacturing bases in the region will hit 1.5 million tonnes by March 2013 if no additional measures are put in place after March 2006. It targets to bring this down to 1 million tonnes.
