Environmental Risk Management

Product Recalls

As necessary, Honda conducts product recalls in accordance with the guidelines of our Quality Committee. In FY2007 no environment-related product recalls were required.

Emergency Protocols

Compliance with Laws and Regulations

All Honda facilities strive for improved environmental conservation based on the Honda Environment Statement, introducing environmental management systems throughout the organization. Further, Honda abides by its own voluntary standards, which are more stringent than national or regional laws and regulations.

In April 2003, as part of the effort to strengthen its corporate governance system, Honda established the Honda Conduct Guidelines. In the guidelines, compliance is defined as "compliance with laws, company rules and social norms," and environmental conservation is defined as the "proper processing of waste and pollutants," "efficient use of natural resources and recycling," and "legally required measurements, recording, and reporting." Upon the introduction of the guidelines, a director was nominated as compliance officer, and we have continued to work to strengthen compliance and risk management frameworks under the supervision of the director in charge of each part of the organization.

In FY2007 in Japan, several laws relating to the prevention of illness related to asbestos were revised (Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law, Air Pollution Control Law, Building Standards Law). Further, the Law for Compensation of Victims of Asbestos-Related Illness was introduced. In accordance with these laws, Honda policy is to comply with the financial responsibilities mandated under tax regulations and to abide by all relevant laws. Beyond these legal requirements, Honda is making every effort to prevent asbestos-related illness.

There were no environment-related lawsuits filed against Honda in FY2007. We did receive 12 complaints or requests concerning traffic conditions in the vicinities of our dealers. We responded promptly and reminded all personnel concerned of their responsibility to be proactive in resolving such issues and preventing their recurrence.

Further, an accident at the Suzuka Factory during water pipe work led to a pipe breaking and discharge into the local water supply. We responded promptly, conferring with Suzuka City water authorities and taking all appropriate measures.

In the future, we plan to prepare even more carefully for such work, reviewing the positioning of valves connected to the public water supply and taking all due care to prevent any recurrence.

Continuing our review of the issue concerning traffic conditions in the vicinity of the Automobile R&D Center (Tochigi), we proceeded under the guidance of local authorities to confirm the efficacy of test measures in place to mitigate congestion, and testing is to be complete this year. We also erected an overhead pedestrian bridge near the truck entrance/exit at the Saitama Factory, among other new initiatives undertaken to improve the environment around our facilities and ensure respect for local laws.

Other Issues

Seeking to coexist harmoniously with societies everywhere, Honda is currently promoting its Green Factory initiative. We have always been proactive in environmental conservation. We seek to earn the ever-greater trust of communities that host our facilities. In addition to continuing our monitoring of soil and groundwater, we have increased the number of observation wells at our factory sites. We were able to confirm that substances of concern used at the factories have been contained within our premises. We will continue to monitor groundwater at our facilities and publish the results in our environmental annual reports and on our website.