Nipponkoa Insurance Raises its 2012 CO2 Reduction Target to 20%

Leading Japanese non-life insurance company Nipponkoa Insurance announced on September 17, 2009, an upward revision of its 2012 target to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, from 15 percent compared to its fiscal 2006 levels to 20 percent. This is because the company had already achieved its reduction target by the end of fiscal 2008.

The insurance business worldwide has increasingly been impacted by more frequent occurrences of natural disasters all around the world, due in part to abnormal weather likely caused by climate change. Under the belief that the insurance industry should take the initiative in combating global warming, in order to fulfill its mandate of providing stable insurance rates, the company released its carbon-neutral declaration in July 2008, with a pledge to substantially reduce its own CO2 emissions to zero by fiscal 2012, including the purchase of carbon emission credits.

The scope of its CO2 reduction efforts includes emissions stemming from the use of its various office utilities, sales activities, business trips, paper use and printing, logistics, waste management, commuting, and some activities outside the company. Its total CO2 emissions in fiscal 2008 amounted to 46,527 tons, while the amount per employee was 5.41 tons, and the total reduction from fiscal 2006 levels was 5,828 tons, or 11.1 percent.

With growing awareness of the need to conserve the global environment, the company supports the innovative volunteer CO2 reduction efforts of its employees, and its management team considers the revised target to be challenging but attainable.

Japan's Nipponkoa Insurance Commits to Go Carbon Neutral (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028668.html
Nipponkoa Insurance Co. official website
http://www.nipponkoa.co.jp/english/

Posted: 2009/12/26 06:00:15 AM

TAG Global warming , Non-manufacturing industry