The Moto Honda da Amazonia Ltda. (HDA) factory in Manaus, the capital of Brazil’s Amazonas State, produces about 1.7 million motorcycles annually, and ships all of them via ships traveling on the Amazon River. To improve transport efficiency, the firm has developed what it calls a “Swimming Warehouse” cargo ship with a capacity of 4,600 motorcycles, about twice the capacity of conventional ships. By introducing nine of these ships, the company reduced CO2 emissions during transport by 7,600 metric tons in fiscal 2012.

Honda Automóveis do Brasil Ltda. (HAB) earned gold certification under Brazil’s national GHG Protocol program, which promotes voluntary GHG management and accounting at the organizational level. The firm created an emission inventory* report covering all GHG emissions, including direct emissions from its own business activities, indirect emissions from energy use, and indirect emissions from outside business activities, making it the first in Brazil’s automotive sector to obtain this certification. The GHG emission inventory for 2011 is currently being prepared and validated, and is to be officially announced by the GHG Protocol program in August 2012.

*

GHG emission inventory: An accounting or database of all greenhouse gases emitted and sequestered within a given geographical area and time frame, typically on a national and annual basis.