Factory Energy Conservation

In order to ensure the reduction of CO₂ emissions at factories, it is important to visualize an amount of energy consumption by each equipment and reduction effect of each reduction measure.

In fiscal 2009, we promoted the introduction of measurement systems to establish management systems at all our manufacturing sites. In addition, we created a manual for the better use of meters and gauges based on the results of measures implemented at a model factory. In the future, we will identify the waste of energy and enhance measures to reduce such waste at our factories by utilizing these systems.

In order to help each of our manufacturing sites to identify the necessary energy conservation measures, we are promoting energy conservation diagnoses undertaken by internal experts. At our business domain companies, managers and skilled engineers who have expertise in manufacturing processes collaborate together to resolve problems.

Further, we have an expert team to provide technical support to our factories for energy conservation under the Corporate CO₂ Emissions Reduction Promoting committee, and this team is also conducting diagnosis activities to search for themes that can be applied group-widely. In fiscal 2009, the team made 350 proposals to 15 factories across the world, which leads to reduction of CO₂ emissions by 280,000 tons in total.

To achieve the CO₂ reduction targets, we are aggressively pursuing energy-conservation themes that were beyond the reach of conventional methodologies due to technological issues or quality assurance problems. Specifically, an inhouse research division, the Production Engineering Laboratory of the Corporate Manufacturing Innovation Division, is developing advanced energy conservation technologies including simulation technology to support business domain companies in production engineering aspects.

These efforts have resulted in a substantial reduction of CO₂ emissions in clean rooms of our semiconductor factories and in the supply of dry air in secondary batteries production processes, both of which consumes a great amount of energy. We also hold meetings to enable our factories to share their problems on CO₂ reduction, through which the factories should have an opportunity for human resource development.

In September 2008, we created a free keyword research system on the intranet with a database of CO₂ reduction examples, known as the BA Chart*. A total of 1,100 examples are registered in the database (as of June 2009) and we promote to use them across the company.

• * A material which describes comparison between before and after CO₂ reduction initiatives.

Greenhouse gases Panasonic emits other than CO₂ from energy use are mainly PFC and SF6 which are mainly used as etching and cleaning gases at its semiconductor factories. In order to reduce emissions of these gases, our semiconductor factories have been implementing the necessary measures, including substitution of the gases with those with low environmental impact and installation of greenhouse gas removal devices to recover the generated gases and render them harmless.

While the World Semiconductor Council aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10% from fiscal 1996 levels by fiscal 2011, Panasonic’s semiconductor department achieved an 18% reduction from the fiscal 1996 level in fiscal 2009.

• * Global Warming Potential: A factor to convert global warming influence of each green house gas into that of CO₂.

Panasonic has been implementing an energy conservation project at its plants in Malaysia since fiscal 2005. And it was approved as a CDM project by the United Nations and became the first CDM project to be implemented by a Japanese company for energy conservation in March 2007. We are now further promoting this project.

• * Clean Development Mechanism: A method authorized by the Kyoto Protocol, whereby industrialized nations undertake initiatives to reduce GHG emissions through rendering financial and technical assistance to developing countries.