NGK Spark Plugs has set itself the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. But how is it going about this? PMF finds out more.
Following the lead of the United Nations’ ‘Sustainable Development Goals’, NGK Spark Plugs has established ‘Eco Vision 2030’, a policy which sets milestones for where the company wants to be by the end of this decade, as well as the vision which will be pursued in the following ten years leading up to 2040.
This bold new environmental policy will see the company promoting environmental conservation activities. These are linked with corporate management maintaining a good balance with corporate growth – based on the participation of all company employees – in order to contribute to the construction of a sustainable society.
For ‘Eco Vision 2030’, the impacts which the company’s day-to-day operations and products have on both society and the business were analysed, with 13 issues ultimately identified.
From these, four main issues, considered to have a greater impact, were selected and given numerical goals. These were ‘Responding to Climate Change’, ‘Expanding Environmentally Friendly Products’, ‘Conserving Water Resources’, and ‘Waste Management’. Through the practice of ‘Eco Vision 2030’, all employees at NGK will work together to contribute to the realisation of global carbon neutrality and zero emissions.
“We are undergoing unprecedented change at our company,” said NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Managing Director Marko Wowczyna.
“Although confronting the issue of climate change provides us with many challenges, it also offers many opportunities which we are keen to take advantage of. With our long term management plan, ‘Nittoku BX’, we have already begun the process of transforming into an environmentally sustainable company fit for the future. Our new ‘Eco Vision 2030’, along with our venture labs and our investment in a $100 million Corporate Venture Capital Fund, clearly demonstrate the path we’re on.”
In the category of ‘Responding to Climate Change’, the company is aiming to achieve a 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to 2018 figures by 2030. To do this, business activities that contribute to a decarbonised society are being given precedence. Indeed, the company has already made significant headway on this front, as evidenced by the progress it is making in the development of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. This will provide even further benefits in the future, when carbon-free hydrogen can be used as fuel.
In order to be successful in ‘Expanding Environmentally Friendly Products’, the company has established a certification system for environmentally friendly products, which assesses the environmental impact in the supply chain, including in-house production processes. Products that satisfy the certification standards will be announced annually, under the title of ‘Nittoku Green Products’. This certification system will ultimately accelerate the creation of environmentally friendly products.
Along with ‘Conserving Water Resources’, which sets the target of keeping water consumption intensity below the 2018 fiscal year level through the implementation of sustainable business operations, the company is also placing a greater emphasis on ‘Waste Management’. This policy will see NGK strive to achieve an effective utilisation rate of over 95% in terms of waste. The ‘3Rs’ (reduce, reuse, recycle) will be even further prioritised, and a reduction of at least 1% of waste intensity compared to the 2018 fiscal year will be targeted.
