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About Panasonic

Green Products - Environmentally-Conscious Products

Our concept of Green Products

Panasonic has been utilizing an environmental assessment system for its products since fiscal 1992. Under this system, we assess the environmental impact of our products right from their planning and design stages. In fiscal 2007, we published the sixth version of our manual for assessing the environmental impact of our products, in which market benchmarking of product performance was added to the procedures for setting numerical targets. We assess products based on criteria set for the following three aspects: global warming prevention, effective utilization of resources, and chemical substances management. Based on the assessment results, we accredit products and services with higher environmental performance as Green Products (GPs).

Green Product assessment system

Based on the Panasonic product assessment consisting of items comprising product, production process, packaging, handling instructions and comprehensive evaluation, we quantitatively evaluate the effects on the environment at each stage from the planning stage to the design stage, the design to the experimental stage and the experimental to the production stage. We authorize Green products in consideration of the following three aspects: prevention of global warming, effective utilization of resources and nonuse of vinyl chloride resins.

  • *1 Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
  • *2 A method of quantitatively assessing the environmental impact of products at each lifecycle stage

Concentrating on efforts for energy-products

Measurement of CO2 emissions associated with the use of our products over the entire life cycle indicates that CO2 emissions from product-use stage are the highest. We estimate that in Japan, 20.57 million tons of CO2 (converted from power consumption) was emitted through the use of our products in fiscal 2007. This amount accounts for 12% of the CO2 emissions from the Japanese household sector. In contrast, CO2 emitted during the manufacturing and distribution stages of our products accounts for 0.4% of the CO2 emissions from the industrial sector and 0.2% of those from the freight sector in Japan, respectively. Thus we place particular priority on improving product energy efficiency, and we are now striving to develop and promote products with higher energy efficiency.

Panasonic's CO2 emissions in Japan (fiscal 2007)

From manufacturing 2.06 milion tons,open bracket,0.4percent of total co2 emissions from the industrial sector in japan,note3,close bracket,from transportation 170000 tons,note1,open bracket,0.1percent of total co2 emissions from transportation sector in japan,note3,close bracket,20.57 milion tons,note2,12percent of total co2 emissions from househole sector in japan,note3

  • *1 Result in fiscal 2006
  • *2 Calculated for 30 major products that consume a large amount of resources and energy (including products from manufacturing sites outside Japan)
  • *3 Calculated based on the Ministry of the Environment's preliminary reports for fiscal 2006 (data of fiscal 2005 for emissions from transportation activities)

Breakdown of CO2 emission reductions*1 from 30 major products*2

Air conditioners,17percent,LCD TVs,17percent,washer/dryers,13percent,DVD recorders,12percent,natural refrigerant heat-pump,8percent,rice cookers,8percent,plasma TVs,7percent,others,18percent

  • *1 Comparison to fiscal 2006. Amount of increased emission is 110,000 tons
  • *2 30 major products: new products released in fiscal 2007, which comprise plasma TVs, LCD TVs, CRT TVs, DVD recorders, SD stereo systems, personal fax machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens, IH cooking heaters, washer/dryers, fully-automatic washing machines, laundry dryers, rice cookers, dish washer/dryers, natural refrigerant (CO2) heat pump water heaters, electric thermos pots, electric carpets, vacuum cleaners, heated toilet seats with warm water sprays, electric irons, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, ventilators, air purifiers, bathroom ventilators & dryers, range hoods, fluorescent lamps (no new products in fiscal 2007, only resource factor), lighting equipment, and hair dryers.

[Related Data File]

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