Panasonic onboard with 'green' solutions for World Environmental Day

World Environment Day takes place each year on June 5, it is one of the United Nations' main initiatives to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action.

This year's World Environment Day is themed: CO2; Kick the Habit - Towards a Low Carbon Economy.

In October 2007, Panasonic announced the "eco ideas" strategy to accelerate its activities to realize one of the twin business visions, "Coexistence with the global environment", and promised to promote three 'eco ideas' initiatives.

Panasonic Deputy General Manager, Corporate Communication, Taeko Danno says that World Environmental Day is the perfect time to highlight the three main aspects covered in Panasonic's Eco Ideas philosophy: the products themselves; their manufacture and the society i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

"One of our dedications is to produce energy efficient products which will reduce household energy consumption and lead to CO2 emissions reduction," she says. "We not only develop energy-efficient products, but make it widely known that our products reduce energy consumption and the emission of CO2. Our Viera range of plasma screens is a case in point."

Lead makes TV screen looks sharper and clearer. Panasonic's competitors use 70g of lead on their plasma TVs, whereas Panasonic is the only manufacturer which produces lead-free plasma screens.

Through the Eco-Ideas philosophy, Panasonic aims to reduce 300 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide globally by 2010.

"In our manufacturing practices, we work to reduce global CO2 emissions through improved productivity in all of our manufacturing processes," Danno says. "We aim to reduce total emissions to 2001 levels by 2011."

Panasonic have pledged to lower carbon emissions and are actively helping and encouraging communities to do the same through their various CSR programmes which are spread around the globe.

Panasonic was recently named in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, which is a list of the top companies based on their performance in social, environmental and strategic governance issues.