Energy-saving Activities

Panasonic is contributing to the prevention of global warming by introducing projects that help to reduce global CO2 emissions through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM*) authorized by the Kyoto Protocol. Our plants in Malaysia have invested in 26 separate projects to upgrade compressors, boilers and other items of capital equipment to more energy-efficient technology, achieving a total annual reduction of around 8,000 tons in CO2 emissions terms. Applications for CDM accreditation were made to the Japanese and Malaysian governments in February and July 2006, respectively. The project gained official UN accreditation under the CDM in March 2007, making Panasonic the first company in Japan to receive such accreditation for energy conserving projects.

*CDM:Allows developed countries to receive offsetting emission credits by jointly organizing local GHG emission reduction projects with developing nations.

Panasonic has been proactive in trying to cut GHG emissions at operations in China. Under a three-year plan ended in fiscal 2007, efforts included the development of energy management systems and investments in acquiring local expertise in energy conservation assessment. In fiscal 2007, Panasonic Corporation of China led efforts to cut emissions further through an internal competition that spurred 213 improvement projects across 35 local subsidiaries. Parallel development based on the best examples taken from this competition enabled a total reduction in CO2 emissions of 53,000 tons in fiscal 2007 compared with the previous year.