 |
Corporate June
12, 2002 |
|
| Honda Implements the Honda LCA Environmental Management System |
Tokyo, June 12, 2002 --- Honda Motor
Co., Ltd.'s newly implemented Honda LCA System is designed to provide a quantitative
assessment of the environmental impact created by all areas of company activity.
The system will aid Honda in its pursuit of the world's highest level of environmental
management, by providing quantitative information on environmental impact over
the entire product lifecycle, from manufacture to disposal. This will aid in establishing
specific goals for environmental impact reduction, resulting in less environmental
burden due to Honda's products and corporate activities and a better environment
for all.
The Honda LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) System is composed of two subsystems: the
Honda LCA Data System and the Honda LCA Management System. A single, unified system
is applied to all of Honda's two-wheeled, four-wheeled, and power products. Since
the system is used by the departments actually involved in environmental impact
data collection, they are able to act directly to reduce environmental impact,
and derive quantitative results in a timely fashion.
In the past, Honda's environmental impact reduction activities have been carried
out separately with respect to each area of concern: Green Factories for production;
Green Dealerships for sales activities; Green Offices for the headquarters and
regional buildings; Green Purchasing for purchasing activities; and Green Logistics
for distribution. The LCA Project was launched in order to unify these independent
activities to obtain a clear grasp of the overall environmental impact of each
individual product, and to use this information as a basis for reducing that impact.
Honda views LCA* as a vital tool for environmental impact assessment. In addition
to applying the lessons learned through these assessment activities in its corporate
and product development activities, the company also publishes the "Honda Environmental
Annual Report."
| * |
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a method of comprehensively evaluating the
environmental impact of a product throughout its lifecycle, from the procurement
of raw resources through to manufacture, delivery, use (consumption) and disposal,
in terms of resource and energy consumption, waste generation, and other factors. |
Features of the Honda LCA System
Honda LCA Data System
Inventory data on all environmental impact factors (primary/secondary resource
and energy consumption, quantities of materials disposed of, quantities recycled,
etc.) are stored in a host computer under centralized management for retrieval
as needed. A Web application is used so that the data can be shared throughout
the company. In the future, the system will be accessible by Honda's business
partners and offices around the world.
Honda LCA Management System
In this system, target values for the activities of each department involved in
environmental impact reduction are determined at an in-house environmental conference,
and a PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Action) plan is implemented. The system promotes
the use of common target values throughout Honda's diverse operations.
Examples of LCA System activities
Determining gross output of corporate activities (the total environmental impact
produced by all of Honda's corporate activities).
Benefits:
 |
Able to ascertain changes in environmental impact from year to year |
| |
Able to forecast the effects of environmental impact reduction programs for
each individual department |
Determining running gross output (the annual environmental impact of Honda products
owned and used in Japan).
Benefits:
| |
Able to ascertain the annual environmental impact of vehicles sold |
| |
Able to forecast the contribution to future reduction in environmental impact
of new products under development |
|
Honda LCA System
|
 |
|
|
|
Printer Friendly