Third Party Opinion

Recently, a shortage of electricity is feared this summer due to the unprecedentedly strong earthquake and tsunami on March 11 and the very serious accident at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. Power consumption behaviors are being restricted not only in the service areas of the Tokyo and Tohoku electric power companies, but also in other areas. Energy saving and resource recycling and conservation measures that have been mapped out as part of environmental and resource measures such as anti-global warming measures have now become immediate power-saving measures.

Under the concept "Ecology through IT," NEC has always undertaken business activities aiming to merge the environment and economy. After the Environmental Management Action Plan 2017/2030 was set in June 2010, the NEC Group has been undertaking activities from three perspectives, "Low carbon," "Resource recycling and conservation," and "Ecosystem and biodiversity preservation" to accomplish the milestone of the action plan. In the wake of the new situation, the importance of the activities has further increased.

As activities in the areas of low carbon and the prevention of global warming in particular, the scope of "Entirely eco-friendly" set in 2009 has been expanded from offices and data centers to Monozukuri and logistics, indeed showing that IT will be able to achieve low carbon emissions of the entire society. Cloud technology is anticipated to demonstrate its effect toward efficient utilization of energy and to make a contribution to realizing a society oriented to energy saving. The start of actual operation of an EV-charging infrastructure, support for energy saving in offices in Asia, and other activities have been kicked off as activities to fulfill the responsibility as a global enterprise while aiming to integrate the environment and the economy. An active effort is being made further to tackle the global warming problem. Regarding global warming risks, the work of listing up risks in all phases of business activities including purchasing is being undertaken. Actual responses to address these risks will be made in the future. Natural disasters caused by global warming are frequently occurring recently and adaptations need to be undertaken steadfastly as a matter of urgency.

As activities in the area of resource recycling and conservation, unique activities have been started such as development of bioplastics that use inedible raw materials. Impacts on the ecosystem are feared in the use of raw biomaterials when the amount of raw materials consumed increases. Activities should take this aspect into full consideration. In the area of biodiversity preservation, focus was placed in the past on social contribution activities. However, NEC is having a closer look in undertaking its business activities in this area as well. Just as the supercomputer of NEC was very helpful in preventing global warming, it is hoped that the dual objectives of NEC-like business activities and social contribution will be accomplished for the preservation of biodiversity, too, by making good use of the IT technology and services of NEC.

In the current fiscal year, this opinion statement was wrapped up as a CSR review newly incorporating the perspective of ISO 26000. During the review, the scope of impacts of business activities, identification of supply sources of raw materials, and other topics were also discussed. The business activities of NEC are in fact very diverse and it will be difficult to identify supply sources or take responsive actions regarding them only by undertaking activities that are unique to NEC or promoted by the Environmental Management Division only. However, ever since NEC started to compile the environmental report in collaboration with us, "Japan Association of Environment and Society for the 21st Century," sustainability has always been discussed and we firmly believe that these issues are always recognized. It is hoped that NEC will continue more sustainable business activities as a global enterprise that has sincerely taken environmental measures from early on and as a leading IT company by continuing dialogue with NPOs like ourselves and with various other stakeholders.