Toshiba Corporation today announced that it would extend the time
frame and scope of its Fourth Voluntary Environment Plan, and define
new targets to support Toshiba Group in reducing environmental impacts
across its business activities.
The current plan was initially scheduled to run from FY2005 to
FY2010, but the company will now extend it to FY2012, to coincide with
the end of the First Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol. In
extending the plan, Toshiba will define new targets for enhancing the
effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction through the
introduction of eco-products, and revise up its targets for other
measures to mitigate global warming and environmental impacts.
The revised plan also introduces two new completely new measures:
targets for cutting water consumption; and enhance creating products
which apply standards for certifying standout environmentally
conscious products as "Excellent ECP."
An "Excellent ECP" mark will be introduced, and any product
carrying it will represent the highest level in product value and
reduced environmental impact, as calculated by Toshiba´s Factor T.
This fiscal year, two products were certified to this mark for the
first time, a notebook PC and a LED downlight, and Toshiba targets
creation of 15 "Excellent ECP" by FY2010, and 25 by FY2012.
The "Excellent ECP" program aims to stimulate the creation of high
value products offering exceptional environmental friendliness, and
Toshiba expects it to contribute to one of the core targets of the
extended environmental plan: major reductions in CO2 emissions from
products, equivalent of totaling 6.3 million tons in FY2010 and 7.3
million tons in FY2012.
In its business processes, Toshiba has revised up its FY2010
targets, as it is already far ahead of its interim targets for FY2007,
and set up new added goals for FY2012. The company has also added a
new category, reduction of water consumptions, as a further means to
decrease environmental impacts. The target figure by basic
manufacturing unit is a 9% reduction by FY2010 and a 10% reduction by
FY2012.
Toshiba Group defines the ideal world of 2050 as one of a
"fruitful lifestyle in harmony with the Earth," and believes that
there are three challenges to be met in achieving this goal:
responding to global population growth; decreasing environment impacts
from economic growth; and creation of rich value. Toshiba announced
the "Toshiba Group Environmental Vision 2050" in November, 2007, which
embraces the goal of 10 times improvement (Factor 10) in total
eco-efficiency against the benchmark year of FY2000, in the belief
that, as a global citizen of planet Earth, it has a responsibility to
take leadership in meeting these challenges. The fourth voluntary plan
represents a major milestone on Toshiba Group´s long-term roadmap to
achieving Vision 2050.
Toshiba Group´s continuing efforts to enhance environmental
activities are now being showcased at the company´s 17th Environmental
Exhibition, which runs March 6 and 7 at Toshiba´s Tokyo headquarters.
The exhibition features creation of environmentally friendly products
using Factor T, reduction of CO2 emissions in such business processes
as semiconductor manufacturing (introducing LNG and highly efficient
lighting, building super energy-saving clean room), and reductions of
waste.
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(1) Toshiba Group´s 4th Voluntary Environmental Plan defines
specific numeric targets for products and business processes
those will raise the overall company´s products eco-efficiency.
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(2) The eco-efficiency factor is a means of assessing and improving
eco-efficiency by comparing the eco-efficiency of a product
produced in a year subject to assessment against the eco-
efficiency of the equivalent product in a benchmark year.
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