Japanese car maker steps up efforts to reduce carbon footprint

There are more ways than just making enviro cars to be environmentally friendly....
By Abigail L. Ho
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Recognizing that vehicles are big contributors to pollution, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. is stepping up efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint by implementing various environment-saving measures in its Sta. Rosa, Laguna manufacturing facility.

In a speech during the celebration of the company's 20th anniversary, Honda Philippines president and general manager Hiroshi Shimizu said that from 2006, the car manufacturer had slashed carbon emissions from its production activities by as much as 20 percent.

This was achieved through the implementation of energy demand side management activities, as well as energy efficiency and conservation measures, including the conduct of energy audits
and the installation of energy-efficient equipment and lighting systems.

Shimizu related that the company has also embarked on a waste reduction program that aimed to eliminate manufacturing-related wastes by next year.

Efforts directed at achieving this goal included the reduction and segregation of various waste products, the use of recyclable packaging for the parts that it exports, and the treatment of its hazardous waste materials through cement kiln technology.

Honda Motor Co., the car maker's Japanese parent, is constantly conducting research on automotive technologies that will reduce carbon emissions.

Michio Shinohara, general manager of Honda's environment and safety planning office, said the company was working hard to accelerate the rollout of vehicle models using electromotive technologies.

"The shift to electromotive technologies is one of the most effective ways to reduce carbon emissions,'' he said.

Honda earlier in the year launched a real-world demonstration program of its electric motorcycles and automobiles, in cooperation with Japan's Kumamoto and Saitama prefectures.

These personal mobility products, powered by electromotive technology, were used in a mainstream urban setting to determine the effectiveness of such vehicles under normal driving conditions and to study how the future urban transportation system should be designed to provide the most improvement to overall quality of life.

Honda also sells hybrid vehicles in other markets, but is not inclined to do so until after 2013, when the tariff on such vehicles go down to zero under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.

Source;
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20101024-299535/Japanese-car-maker-steps-up-efforts-to-reduce-carbon-footprint

Honda's Environmental Technology Milestones

Developing cleaner products is not a new mandate for Honda. Coupled with world-class quality and technology, Honda has routinely incorporated environmentally-focused features into its products for more than 40 years. A few examples include:

* Since 1964 Honda has manufactured only four-stroke outboard motors. Cleaner, more fuel-efficient and quieter than traditional two-stroke outboards, four-stroke motors also do not release oil directly into the water;

* In 1972 Honda introduced the Controlled Vortex Combustion Chamber (CVCC) engine. The CVCC was the first automobile engine capable of meeting the 1970 Clean Air Act without the weight, cost, and complexity of a catalytic converter;

* In 1997 Honda entered the handheld power-equipment market with a noticeably quiet and fuel-efficient trimmer/brush cutter powered by the world’s first 360-degree inclinable mini-four-stroke engine;

* In 1998 Honda became the first company to introduce an entire line of high-performance outboard motors that met the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) year 2006 emission standards;

* In 2000 Honda became the first auto company to receive the EPA’s Climate Protection Award for development of the Honda Insight, the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle sold in the United States;

* In 2002 Honda became the first automaker in the world to market a fuel cell vehicle certified by the U.S. EPA and the state of California. The 2005 Honda FCX also features its own fuel cell stack capable of cold weather operation;

* In 2003 Honda introduced the HRX lawnmower, the first to enable simultaneous distribution of grass clippings to both the bag and the ground with no additional equipment. Whether the user chooses to mulch, compost or dispose of the bagged clippings, all of the options provided by the HRX are better for the environment than conventional clipping disposal.

The Honda Environment Statement
As a responsible member of society determined to help preserve the global environment, Honda makes concerted efforts to contribute to human health and preservation of the global environment in each phase of its corporate activities and to stay at the forefront of such endeavors.

Source;
http://corporate.honda.com/press/article.aspx?id=1068