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FY2007 Initiative Case Studies |
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| Minimizing the environmental impact of production facilities worldwide |
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| Natural gas cogeneration system (Kumamoto Factory) |
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Honda strives to produce the world’s cleanest and most efficient products from the world’s cleanest and most efficient factories. We are intensifying efforts at our production facilities to reduce CO2 emissions and counter global warming. In addition to the four natural gas cogeneration systems already installed at the Saitama and Suzuka factories, a fi fth system that began operations at Kumamoto Factory in July 2006 is providing electrical generation efficiency of 44%, an increase of approximately 10%. In addition, the steam and hot water produced are used in the factory’s motorcycle painting operations, resulting in a reduction of approximately 1,039 tons of CO2 emissions in FY2007.
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| Zengcheng Factory, Guangzhou Honda |
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| Water-based painting lines |
At Tochigi Factory we completed the process of replacing kerosene and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) with natural gas (CNG) and reduced CO2 emissions by 1,870 tons in FY2007. This completes the shift to natural gas at all our factories in Japan. Further, motorcycle production will soon be shifted from Hamamatsu to Kumamoto, consolidating production as part of our move to improve efficiency and further reduce CO2 emissions.
At the new automobile factory in Yorii, Saitama Prefecture scheduled to begin production in 2010 and the new automobile engine factory scheduled to begin production in 2009 in neighboring Ogawa, world-leading levels of recycling and energy efficiency are to be achieved, with per-unit CO2 emissions 20% lower than FY2001 levels. Taking the Green Factory initiative to the next level, the new plants will be designed for maximum resource conservation and recycling.
In international operations, Guangzhou Honda’s second auto plant, Zengcheng Factory, which began production in September 2006, features an industry first: 100% recycling of water. Achieving zero emissions of wastewater, the facility has saved an estimated 170,000 tons of water.
The new US automobile plant in Greensburg, Indiana, scheduled to open in late 2008, will feature advanced, highly efficient manufacturing systems. It will aim to eliminate landfill waste and minimize the use of VOCs through water-based painting, among other measures. The state-of-the-art facility is expected to achieve the lowest environmental impact of any Honda automobile factory in North America.
Honda will continue to improve environmental efficiency at all of its manufacturing facilities worldwide, striving for the lowest possible environmental impact. |
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Entering the solar power industry—
next-generation thin-film solar panels go into production |
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| Honda Soltec Co., Ltd. |
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Honda has developed its own solar panels—devices that produce electricity without producing any CO2. Made from CIGS—a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium—Honda’s next-generation solar cells feature superior solar energy conversion and manufacturing efficiency. Their manufacturerequires only about half the energy of conventional crystallized silicon-based cells, reducing the CO2 emissions associated with production.
With the FY2007 installation of the solar panels at the Suzuka and Tochigi factories, a total of 14 installations in Japan and three overseas have been so equipped.
Established in December 2006 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Honda Soltec Co., Ltd. will begin full-scale production of the integrated thin-film solar panels in late 2007. The new Honda subsidiary’s plant, located on the premises of the Honda Motor Kumamoto Factory, will have an annual production capacity of 27.5MW. |
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