Result of the First Year of the Environmental Management Action Plan 2017/2030

One year has passed since developing the NEC Group Environmental Management Action Plan 2017/2030 in June 2010. Activities have been kicked off from the three perspectives of "Low carbon," "Resource recycling and conservation," and "Ecosystem and biodiversity preservation."

[Low Carbon] "Entirely eco-friendly" has been expanded. The "Entirely eco-friendly office" has been implemented in our own office buildings.

NEC sets a goal of helping to reduce the CO₂ emissions of society as a whole through IT solutions. Specifically, NEC will enhance solutions that guide society as a whole towards becoming "entirely eco-friendly" with respect to work, mobility and lifestyle.
In FY 2011, solution sets for "Entirely eco-friendly Monozukuri" and "Entirely eco-friendly logistics" were announced, contributing to a reduction in the environmental impacts of customer business operations and entire communities.

"Entirely eco-friendly Monozukuri"

In "Entirely eco-friendly Monozukuri," environmental issues that manufacturing companies had to tackle to enhance the environmental performance of products and to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing were reviewed with a closer look. Solution sets to support the realization of these tasks were systematized as "Entirely eco-friendly Monozukuri."

"Entirely eco-friendly logistics"

"Entirely eco-friendly logistics" is a solution set to reduce CO₂ emitted by logistics and sales vehicles using ICT such as ITS (intelligent transport systems). Three measures, "Fuel consumption reduction," "Reduction in travel distance," and "Mitigation of traffic congestion," will be taken. In FY 2011, NEC started to supply a "Safety Eco-Navigation System 'See-T Navi'" to Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. The system simultaneously accomplishes the dual purposes of alerting by voice announcement of real time and of supporting safe driving and eco driving through the use of a "daily report for safe and energy-saving driving." CO₂ emissions by cargo collection and delivery vehicles are reduced by the spread of eco driving with voice warnings on rapid start and rapid acceleration and through the supply of fuel consumption and other information. The system was awarded a prize in the category of Development of Technology for a Reduction in the Distribution Environmental Impact of the 12th Environmental Grand Prize for Distribution.

Specific examples of CO₂ emission reductions are now starting to emerge in the "Entirely eco-friendly office" and the "Entirely eco-friendly data center" that have been provided by NEC.

"Entirely eco-friendly office"

In FY 2011, NEC supplied a power-saving thin-client system with 1,144 terminals, which is the largest scale for a national university, to Hiroshima University. The system saves at least 30,000 kWh in power consumption and cuts CO₂ emissions by about 67% per year. In the next five years, a reduction of about 40 tons of CO₂ emissions is forecasted. This reduction in CO₂ emissions is a result of a comprehensive proposal to supply NEC products featuring low power consumption from servers to terminals to meet a requirement of Hiroshima University calling for "Construction of an education system with a low environmental impact."

At NEC, energy-saving activities for its offices are actively undertaken. The NEC Tamagawa Solution Center, which has been built in premises of the NEC Tamagawa Plant, incorporates various eco measures as a venue for practicing the "Entirely eco-friendly office." A reduction in CO₂ emissions of more than 50% compared with before is forecasted by "visualizing" energy consumption and changing the work style of people working there in addition to building facilities and equipment that feature energy saving. Of this reduction of 50% or more, one third is achieved through the use of ICT.

"Entirely eco-friendly data center"

NEC is investing in upgrading and expanding its main data centers in ten locations throughout Japan as core facilities to provide cloud services. The Chubu Data Center newly built in the Chubu region not only houses environmentally sound ICT products. Consideration is also given to the environment of the entire data center including facilities such as air conditioners and power equipment for stable operation of its systems and to the construction and installation. The data center is designed with a focus on the environment aiming to achieve 1.5 or lower in power usage effectiveness (PUE) as an indicator of the energy efficiency of a data center. Solutions in the "Entirely eco-friendly data center" are used for operating and managing the data center and consideration to the environment is given by continuing the PDCA cycle from "visualization" to "planning of remedial measures" and to "implementation of remedial measures."

By providing various solutions that contribute to a reduction of CO₂ emissions as described above, NEC was able to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 2.12 million tons in FY 2011. In CO₂ emission reduction in the product use phase, product energy efficiency could be improved by 53% compared with FY 2006. NEC will continue in the future to actively undertake activities so that all of its products will become top-class energy-saving products to accomplish its milestone of "Improving the energy efficiency of products by 80% on a weighted average of all products in FY 2018" declared in the "NEC Group Environmental Management Action Plan 2017/2030."

[Resource Recycling and Conservation] Development of Bioplastic Using Inedible Raw Materials

NEC is independently developing bioplastic materials that can be used more easily and that have a low environmental impact. In FY 2011, NEC developed bioplastic as an inedible plant raw material using cellulose, which is a main component of plant stems and other parts, and cardanol, which is a main component of cashew nut shells. This bioplastic is first in the world that has achieved stable supply, a high plant component ratio in excess of 70%, and the durability needed for electronic equipment simultaneously. Using these technologies that are unique to it, NEC will apply them to its products and will accelerate activities to accomplish its milestone of "Applying bioplastics to all of its major products."

Bioplastics for Electronic Equipment

[Ecosystem and Biodiversity Preservation] Biodiversity Preservation Activity with Participation by Employees is Expanding

The entire NEC Group is active in accomplishing its milestone of doubling the number of its employees participating in social contribution activities toward ecosystem and biodiversity preservation till FY 2018 compared with FY 2010.
For example, the "Bring Yatsuda to Life Project" was kicked off in FY 2011, expanding the activity scope of the "NEC Rice Paddy Cultivation Project" started in 2004. In FY 2011, the "NEC Group Biodiversity Contribution Activities Guidelines" was mapped out and the activity was promoted in house. As a result, 6,211 people exceeding the initial goal of 6,000 people participated in the activity toward biodiversity preservation globally sponsored by the NEC Group. An activity for biodiversity preservation through the provisioning of IT solutions has also been kicked off.

Details of Activities toward Ecosystem and Biodiversity Preservation

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