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The problem of global warming is a common issue affecting all of humanity that we should address cooperatively. Nikon set the goal of efficiently using energy and saving energy as one of its most important management issues. Nikon organized a Global Warming Prevention Project Team in October 2007, focusing on the Kyoto Protocol. With the team, Nikon is strengthening efforts to prevent global warming.
In recent years, Nikon has widened its production overseas. Efforts to minimize CO2 emissions are required not only in plants in Japan, but also in manufacturing subsidiaries in Asia.
Nikon has set target levels for reducing CO2 emissions for plants in Japan and manufacturing subsidiaries in Asia, and is making efforts to achieve those levels. The Nikon Group is devoting all its effort to reduce global CO2 emissions.
Each subsidiary is promoting energy saving, by switching to more energy-efficient equipment and changing fuel.
Sendai Nikon has reconstructed the energy supply system. It introduced a cogeneration system and increased equipment efficiency to achieve energy savings.
The Kumagaya Plant has installed inverters for equipment to save energy. It has also opened an energy visualization web site. The web site is for internal use only, and shows them data as to how much energy is used, promoting energy saving.
Hikari Glass Co., Ltd. (an optical glass company in the Nikon group) has been gradually improving adiabatic materials used on melting furnaces. The improvement has saved radiated energy.
The Mito Plant has changed fuel for vacuum hot-water heaters (boiler) from heavy oil to liquefied petroleum gas since October 2008. The switching fuel will reduce CO2 emission by approx. 169 tons a year.
Kurobane Nikon is also aiming at energy saving. It has replaced oil heaters with electric power air conditioners for each room at the plant in Nasu since April 2008, and switched fuel for boilers from heavy oil to liquefied petroleum gas at the plant in Kurobane.
Cogeneration equipment that recovers & uses waste heat to supply electrical power during the daytime
High-efficiency turbo chiller that offers improved operating efficiency and reduced power consumption
High-efficiency boilers fuelled by town gas
The Yokohama Plant is cooperating with Yokohama City's wind-power project as a Yokohama Green Partner Company* to contribute toward the wider use of renewable natural energy sources.
Tochigi Nikon operates its lighting system using wind and solar power.
The Kumagaya Plant will adopt a solar panel system under cooperation with the New Energy and Industry Development Organization　(NEDO) to use natural solar energy in the second half of 2009. The new solar panels will generate solar power over 100,000 kWh a year. The amount of power generated will be displayed in real time on a monitor in the lobby. The generated electricity will be used for equipment operation. We expect that the solar panel system will reduce CO2 emission by approx. 50 tons a year.
Nikon is using inexhaustible natural energy sources to reduce CO2 emission.
Hama-Wing (Yokohama City wind-power plant)
Lighting system that uses wind & solar power
*Yokohama Green Partner Companies cooperate with Yokohama City's wind-power project. The Certificate of Green Power is awarded to a Yokohama Green Partner Company to be utilized in the company's environmental activities. The Certificate of Green Power attests that a certain amount of electricity is generated from renewable natural sources. A company holding The Certificate of Green Power is considered to indirectly use electricity generated from a renewable natural source.
Members making an "energy-saving diagnosis"
In February and August, which are designated "Energy-Saving Months" in Japan, domestic Nikon Group companies conduct energy-saving patrols at their sites. In the year ended March 31, 2009, members of the secretariat for the global warming prevention project made "energy-saving diagnoses" at the Nikon Group sites. Specifically, they visited the sites and checked for wasted energy and identified the points that could be improved to achieve higher energy conservation.
The results are fed back to the sites for further improvements.
Educational activity at Nikon Imaging (China) Co., Ltd.
Happa-chan stories in Chinese are posted on the bulletin board.
Happa-chan stories are published in serial form in company publications as an educational activity.
To achieve effective energy savings, it is important to heighten the awareness of individual Nikon Group employees, as well as activities at each subsidiary.
The Global Warming Prevention Project Team regularly reports on the achievements of each Nikon group company. It is continuously making efforts to achieve goals along with the PDCA Cycle. Led by the Nikon CSR Committee, Nikon sets up an annual schedule for various promotional activities to save energy, including seminars on the environment for Nikon Group companies and awareness campaigns using its intranet. Nikon also actively promotes the personal reduction of CO2 emissions by employees at their homes.
Energy saving promotion activities are also conducted at overseas subsidiaries. Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd. started a project to reduce CO2 emissions in June, 2008. Appropriately controlling air conditioning, applying highly efficient illumination, and other measures including a unique "30-minute lights out" project, have had positive results. A leader from the Thai energy saving project has visited Japan to exchange views with the Nikon Global Warming Prevention Project Team and is promoting Japanese ideas for saving energy in Thailand.
Nikon Imaging (China) Co., Ltd. is raising employees' consciousness by providing translation of Happa-chan stories. Happa-chan is a mascot for Nikon environmental-awareness activities. Happa-chan's stories explain the problem of global warming in ways easy understand and are being published in serial form in company publications.
Believing that patient, steady efforts are effective countermeasures against global warming, Nikon continues to promote the raising of individual awareness among Nikon Group staff and employees.
The Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) has goals to reduce CO2 emissions by improving the efficiency of computer and server power use. Nikon has been participating in CSCI as an affiliate member since October, 2008. According to the specified standards, Nikon has been actively purchasing power-efficient computers and setting power-management functions to reduce CO2 emissions.