Japanese manufacturers in the automobile industry are proactively coping with environmental issues, according to the 10th Nikkei Environmental Management Survey conducted by Nihon Keizai Shinbun Inc. (Nikkei), a major Japanese business daily. In its report of December 1, 2006, Nikkei says that the automobile industry, faced with global energy and resource issues and tighter environmental regulations, is now actively engaged in environmentally conscious management as a challenge that directly affects competitiveness.

In the overall ranking of manufacturers, Toyota Motor Corp. topped the list for the first time (up from eighth in the previous survey), surpassing former top-ranking companies in the electronic and information industry. Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. were also among the top 20 manufacturers. In addition, auto parts suppliers made great strides: Denso Corp. jumped from 15th to fifth place; Yokohama Rubber Co. from 82nd to 10th; and Aisin Seiki Co. from 51st to 12th. This indicates that environmental management is spreading to parts suppliers from end-product manufacturers that have adopted it in response to growing awareness among consumers, the report says.

Receiving 967 valid responses (out of 4,110) from major Japanese businesses, the survey evaluated the companies' efforts to integrate environmental measures with their business management. A set of seven criteria was used for the manufacturing sector (five for non-manufacturing sectors): management system, long-term objectives, pollution control, resource recycling, eco-friendly products, measures to cope with global warming, and environmental measures at offices. The rating was determined by calculating the overall scores for each company based on survey data. Toyota scored highly in all areas, particularly in the "eco-friendly products" category because of its leading position in the hybrid vehicle market.

The survey also revealed the manufacturers' positive attitudes toward renewable energy. More than 40 percent of manufacturers in the survey were using or developing some type of renewable energy technology, such as fuel cells, solar cells or biofuels.

http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/

Posted: 2007/02/26 03:31:25 PM
Japanese version

TAG Manufacturing industry , Non-manufacturing industry , Other