Sustainability Files :
Contributing to Communities in Southeast Asia and Pacific Region
Panasonic launched the Global Eco Project in fiscal 2008 to enhance concrete activities in line with the actual situations in respective regions in the world, with a focus on the global promotion of environmental sustainability management. Each region publicly announced its environmental targets and commitments, and has made active efforts based on its own set of strategies. Below are some of our ongoing initiatives in Southeast Asia and Pacific Region.
Regional Eco Declaration with the Commitment to Power Eco Lifestyles with Technology
Panasonic Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (PA), the regional headquarters located in Singapore, has simultaneously pursued business growth and environmental contributions since its announcement of the ‘eco ideas’ Declaration in June 2009. In 2010, it established three-year medium-term environmental goals, and had surpassed the targets set. The achievements were: increase in sales ratio of eco-conscious products to 80% from 49%, 638,000 tons contribution to reducing CO2 emissions* through manufacturing activities, and outreaching to 278,000 youths through environmental education programmes.
On June 20, 2014, the company made its Southeast Asia & Pacific Eco Declaration, committing itself to the enhancement of environmental sustainability management leading to the expansion of key businesses such as BtoB solutions, consumer electronics and housing as well as its contribution to regional communities through products and solutions based on a core of eco-conscious technologies.
PA’s Managing Director Junichiro Kitagawa announced the new targets in this mid-term (till fiscal 2016) with the commitment to “Power Eco Lifestyles with Technology”. He presented the following targets and commitments:
Products and Solutions: 8 million tons contribution to reducing CO2 emissions*
Provide a suite of eco products with enhanced energy efficiency and green technology that will help our consumers and the community lower CO2 emissions by 8 million tons throughout the product lifespan. This is equivalent to saving 15 billion kWh of electricity (approximately 1.3% of Southeast Asia residential energy requirements in a year). We will expand the sales of ECONAVI and other energy-saving and energy-creating products and promote the development of a low-carbon Smart City such as Iskandar, Malaysia.
Manufacturing: 700,000 tons contribution to reducing CO2 emissions*
Carry out steady energy-saving efforts at manufacturing sites within the region. Bolster efforts to reduce our environmental impact by utilizing recycled resources through recycling-oriented manufacturing and ensuring the non-use of chemical substances specified in the EU RoHS Directive.
Environmental education: Promote eco education and outreach to another 200,000 members of the community.
Target promotion of eco technology for products and green manufacturing through eco education and outreach programmes such as visits to eco model factories.
* The size of contribution in reducing CO2 emissions is defined as the amount achieved by deducting the actual emissions from the amount that would have been emitted without the improvements achieved by the energy-saving performance of our products and productivity from fiscal 2006. This amount is combined with the reduction in emissions resulting from power generation by energy-creating products such as solar modules.
A senior official from the Singaporean government’s National Environment Agency (NEA) attended the Eco Declaration event. In his keynote speech, he commended our CO2 emission reduction efforts in Southeast Asia and Pacific. During the event, eco-conscious products and solutions, including ECONAVI products, photovoltaic power generation systems and solar lanterns, along with the Green Room, our energy solution for hotel rooms were showcased. The wide range of Panasonic’s eco-conscious products, technologies and solutions displayed received favorable views from the representatives of administrative bodies and business partners who attended the event.
PA and other companies within the region are extending diverse initiatives aiming for “Power Eco Lifestyles with Technology”, the policy announced in the Eco Declaration. In addition, PA will accelerate environmental initiatives in Myanmar, Cambodia and other emerging countries to achieve the challenging targets of our Eco Declaration and our commitment of “Power Eco Lifestyles with Technology” in the region.
Malaysia: Promoting the Appeal of Smart and Sustainable Housing and Town Construction
Panasonic Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (PM) and PanaHome Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. participated in the International Greentech & Eco Product Exhibition & Conference (IGEM), the largest environmental exhibition in Southeast Asia, held in Kuala Lumpur from October 16 to 19, 2014, where they displayed eco-conscious products and technologies as well as the solutions required for smart and sustainable housing and town construction.
At the Panasonic booth, a Smart House was built, equipped with a photovoltaic power generation system, Home Energy Management System (HEMS), energy-saving home appliances, and an electric vehicle (EV) charging outlet. The companies also showcased housing equipment including modular kitchen systems, PURE TECH air control technology and KIRATECH photocatalytic tile exterior walls. Wall-type precast concrete (W-PC) construction, which demonstrates excellent heat insulation, ventilation and waterproof performance was also presented for constructing link houses, where a lot of middle-class people live in. Our booth also included a diorama of the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town, currently being developed in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa, and the Smart City that Panasonic is constructing in Kuantan, Malaysia. Systems that not only save energy within each house but also within the entire town attracted visitors’ attention. The two companies will continue to recommend lifestyles that balance eco-friendliness with comfort by utilizing the state-of-the-art technologies exhibited at IGEM.
Vietnam: Education Program for Conserving World Heritage Sites and the Global Environment
In June 2011, Panasonic concluded a strategic partnership agreement with the UNESCO World Heritage Center, aiming to conserve World Heritage Sites and promote sustainable growth through environmental education for the next generation. As part of the joint initiatives, Panasonic Vietnam Co., Ltd. (PV) and the UNESCO Hanoi Office launched the Discover Wonder of World Heritage event on October 18, 2014, a photo exhibition on the world heritage sites worldwide to promote the conservation of these sites. The event, first held at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, will be held at all eight Vietnamese World Heritage sites.
On October 18, the first day of the exhibition, environmental education programmes were also held at Thang Long Imperial Citadel for over 200 elementary and junior high school students. They learned about the site’s history through a tour and participated in the Eco Learning session to discuss the conservation of World Heritage sites and the global environment. They also learned about energy creation and storage through eco technology workshops on solar hybrid car, wind craft car and dry battery.
The event was not only popular among the participants but also received high praise from the officials of UNESCO and Vietnamese government bodies, who recognized its significance for conservation of World Heritage sites and the global environment. PV will continue to plan a wide range of education programs as part of the partnership between Panasonic and UNESCO.
