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In a recent move to help the environment, Panasonic Corporation issued its Eco Ideas Report 2009, a summary of the company's environmental sustainability management activities in the business year from April 2008 to March 2009 (FY 2009).

Panasonic has put together an annual report on its progress of initiatives in environmental management since 2005, as the company seeks 'coexistence with the global environment' as one of its business visions. The report, which was previously called Environmental Data Book, was renamed Eco Ideas Report this year to reflect the company's commitment to environmental activities which was announced in 2007 and has been implemented in practice since. To make it easily readable, the report has become thinner and is restructured with a special opening report followed by its endeavors in carrying out the three Eco Ideas for Products, Manufacturing and Everybody, Everywhere.

Panasonic opened Eco Ideas House in April 2009 in Tokyo. Envisioning a green lifestyle with virtually zero CO2 emissions in three to five years from now (in the year 201X), Panasonic integrates the latest technologies enabling to save, create and store energy and Japanese architectural wisdom to build a comfortable house with the help of nature such as sunlight and wind. Panasonic will work to effectively combine these advanced energy technologies shown in the house with its Home Energy Management System (HEMS) as part of its initiatives to expand its strategic business, Energy Business.

Panasonic has been promoting the development of products with the industry-leading energy-efficiency performance in their respective product categories. In FY2009, a total of 233 products throughout the world - well in excess of the target of 150 - were certified as such products. Among Panasonic's green products (GP), the DMR-BW950 Blu-ray Disc recorder obtained Super GP certification this year as a trend-setting product toward a sustainable society with significant progress in environmental performance. Its stand-by energy consumption was lowered to 0.1W by approximately 70% reduction in comparison to the previous year's model.

As a symbolic achievement in FY 2009, Panasonic drastically increased the number of products with industry-leading energy-efficiency performance outside Japan. In March 2009, Panasonic introduced its refrigerators and washing machines in Europe. Notably, the refrigerators are rated A++, the highest level of energy-efficiency under the EU Energy Label.

Panasonic will continue to make its endeavors to increase the number of Panasonic products that are ranked as number one in the Energy Conservation Performance Catalog published by the Energy Conservation Center, Japan (ECCJ), while eliminating those with low energy-efficiency.
Panasonic has been working hard to reduce CO2 emissions in its production activities, aiming to cut by 300,000 tons on a global basis by FY 2010, in comparison to the FY 2007 level. The company already reduced total CO2 emissions by 510,000 tons by the end of FY 2009. Although production cuts due to demand contraction partly helped, the reduction was achieved mainly through its efforts in increasing production efficiency in the manufacturing process.

One example of such efforts is Energy Company's plant in Wakayama Prefecture, in central Japan, which reduced CO2 emissions per basic unit of production output by as much as 46% with an improvement on equipments in the production lines.

Another example of Panasonic's efforts in the Eco Ideas for Manufacturing is its Superior Clean Factory (Super CF) recognition. Panasonic certifies factories which have achieved top-class performance in the reduction of environmental impact in each country as Superior CFs. In FY 2009, the company certified a total of 17 factories, including Semiconductor Company's plant in Tonami City, Japan, as Superior CFs.

Panasonic carried out the Eco Relay campaign in October 2008 with the aim of making the employees' eco-friendly activities visible and expanding them globally. The campaign involved 342 Panasonic offices and factories in 39 countries and engaged the employees to participate in eco activities such as tree planting and clean-ups and awareness-raising activities. The Eco Relay started from a Panasonic employee's suggestion that won the group-wide Eco Ideas Contest.

The company also held environmental exhibitions in six cities in Japan, showing its Eco Ideas World, an ideal eco-town in a gigantic diorama. The last leg of the exhibition was held at the New Chitose Airport Terminal last July, coinciding with the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit.

In other parts of the world, Panasonic companies are promoting Eco Ideas, carrying out activities tailored to each region. The following are some examples:

(1) Europe: Panasonic launched its European Eco Project in April 2008 and issued Panasonic Eco Ideas Declaration for Europe in October. The company introduced energy-efficient white goods and designated the plasma television plant in Plzen, Czech Republic as an Eco Ideas Factory in June 2009.

(2) China: Panasonic held Panasonic China Environmental Forum 2009 in Beijing in May 2009, in partnership with the Japan-China Friendship Association. The company was able to widely publicize its various environmental technologies and energy-saving know-how in manufacturing, and declared that it would aim to be a model company in terms of environmental protection.

(3) Asia: Panasonic announced Eco Ideas Declaration for Asia Pacific in June 2009. The declaration involved setting up its goal for reducing CO2 emissions in the region and designating Eco Ideas Factories in 3 Asian countries to implement Panasonic's Eco Ideas.

In October 2008, Panasonic announced to support WWF International's Arctic Program as one of the first corporate sponsors. This program is the second activity designed to protect biodiversity that Panasonic got involved following the Yellow Sea Eco Region Support Project in FY 2008.