Mazda roots for a greener planet on World Environment Day

World Environment Day is commemorated each year on June 5. On this day environmental awareness and issues takes its due centrestage and enhances political attention and action.

Motor vehicles are often pointed out as one of the biggest reason in increasing environmental hazards. But not so when you're driving a Mazda. Whether dealing with cars in production, on the road, or at the end of their life, Mazda constantly monitors the environmental impact of each facet of its operations and carries on a continued effort at keeping the planet green.

Mazda places a high emphasis on reducing the environmental burden of the entire vehicle lifecycle. Mazda manufactures clean-energy vehicles employing production technologies that have little or no environmental impact. They were the first motor company to develop the first hydrogen-fueled rotary engine and use it commercially in 2006 in the RX8 Hydrogen RE. This kind of engine functions by combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce required electricity. This engine only emits water as exhaust with no generation of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. What makes this even more incredible is that Mazda managed to achieve this result without sacrifices in torque, acceleration and exhaust tail note experience compared with an internal combustion engine.

Once again Mazda created a breakthrough in environmental consciousness when they became the debutant introducers of the unique Three Layer Wet Paint System, the first technology in the world to reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and carbon

This system of painting is a one-step baking and drying coating method that applies three layers in succession—primer coat, base coat and clear coat—while still wet, without drying in between. By eliminating the drying process the CO2 emissions are reduced by 15%. Moreover, a new low solvent content paint jointly developed with paint manufacturers, applied with high-precision coating equipment enables gains in coating efficiency leading to reductions of 50% in VOC emissions.

Mazda engages in continuous research and analysis to develop and manufacture vehicles that can conserve energy, reduce waste, eliminate air and water pollution and trim down noxious chemical emissions. While enforcing efficient use of resources and reduction of hazardous wastes, Mazda employs an effective and systematic operation system. Their Environmental Accounting System to be able to find out costs and benefits incurred by its environmental protection activities.

In all, it's a systematic process that Mazda has put in place to ensure that its environmental goals are smoothly achieved. To ensure this, Mazda trains their employees to raise environmental awareness and even encourages their staff to gain public qualifications related to environment. Mazda Corporation has environment education programmes specific to various job profiles as well.

Mazda's efforts in environmental consciousness has been duly recognized by the Californian research firm J D Power and Associates. Mazda3 and MX5 have been listed in their Automotive Environmental Index (AEI) study of 2006, among the most environmental friendly cars.

"Mazda is renowned as a socially conscious company that goes out of its way to maintain its social responsibilities, be it consideration for human rights or for the essential need of making a greener planet. Mazda Group aims to promote environmental protection as a prime corporate social responsibility and diligently maintains harmony with nature in every business activities all over the world," says S Kasthurirengan, General Manager, Towell Auto Centre, Oman.