CO2 Emissions per Real Production Output from Japan's Electrical and Electronics Industry Improved 48% from 1990 Levels

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The Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA) announced on December 29, 2013, that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per real production output from the electrical and electronics industry in Japan improved 48 percent from 1990 levels for the five-year average from 2008 to 2012. The industry achieved the 35 percent reduction target stated in its voluntary action plan for global warming mitigation.

During the earlier part of this period, the industry mainly promoted the installation of high-efficiency equipment, followed by continued efforts in high-efficiency production, which included improvement of production processes and optimization of energy use through both measurement and management of energy use and rigorous control of energy demand. Thus the industry far surpassed its initial target for CO2 emissions reduction on a per-production-unit basis.

The Japanese electrical and electronics industry contributed to domestic economic growth and achieved a phenomenal 2.4-fold increase in real production output from 2008 to 2012. Although CO2 emissions on a per-production-unit basis increased during the same period due to the suspended operation of domestic nuclear power plants and the increased dependency on thermal power generation after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the industry managed to limit the increase to 43 percent with its efforts in high-efficiency production.