Panasonic says the company as a whole produces nearly 1% of the world’s carbon emissions from electricity consumption, a number it takes responsibility for, and plans to make changes by creating new clean energy, efficient technology and add zero carbon factories.
The company says it will reduce emissions across its entire value chain, including through the products its customers use, under a plan it calls the Panasonic Green Impact. The electronics company outlined those goals at the Consumer Electronics Show.
The company says its factories use nearly 5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity a year, which amounts to 2.2 million tons of carbon emissions annually. Additionally, Panasonic says more than 1 billion people worldwide use its products, which produces nearly 86 million tons of carbon emissions. The company says that is about 40 times the amount emitted from factories.
Overall, Panasonic says its carbon emissions output throughout its value chain is around 110 million tons.
“First, we commit to reduce the CO2 emissions of all operating companies to net zero by 2030,” Panasonic Group CEO Yuki Kusumi says. “But as we have seen, we have a far greater emission in the form of electricity consumption by our products. So, we will reduce this by developing new technologies and solutions to increase their efficiency”
Tech and electronics companies take up a lot of space in energy usage and emissions. Samsung and Amazon are two of the world’s top Scope 1 emissions producers and the tech and computing industries are expected to make up as much as 20% of global energy demand by 2030, according to a report by Bloomberg.
These companies have pledged to make changes, such as Amazon continuing to add renewable energy to its operations. That is one element where Panasonic also plans to focus its efforts.
Panasonic also plans to increase its use and adaptation of clean energy, such as using solar and hydrogen-based power generation with a goal of using 100% renewable energy throughout its operations. That includes reducing Scope 3 emissions by improving efficiency in the use of its products and throughout its supply chain.
To help make changes Panasonic will also increase the number of no-carbon factories it operates. The company’s first zero carbon factories came online in 2018 and Panasonic currently has six such facilities in Japan, Brazil, Costa Rica and China.
It also plans to introduce energy efficient technology in its products, such as better cooling systems for refrigerators and air conditioners as well as introducing efficient lighting systems for buildings, an area Panasonic has been highly involved. The company says it will also expand and improve technology for lithium-ion batteries for increased adaptation of electric vehicles.
“Yes, we do have great impact,” Kusumi says. “But we aim to have an even greater, positive impact.”