Home > About Toshiba > Social and Environmental Activities > Environmental Management > Greening of Products > Mitigation of Climate Change
Mitigation of Climate Change
CO2 emissions reductions by supplying eco products considering throughout their life cycles
In order to mitigate climate change, Toshiba Group is striving to develop environmentally conscious products which reduce environmental impact throughout their life cycle from the procurement of raw materials, manufacturing and distribution to the use and disposal stages.
Toshiba Group’s products cover a wide range of categories from consumer electronics to power generation plants, and CO2 emissions generated by these products in different stages of their life cycle vary from one product to another. For example, digital products like notebook PCs cause environmental impact mainly during the procurement of materials, while semiconductor products, such as SD memory cards, cause most of their environmental impact during manufacturing. Meanwhile, the CO2 emission from power consumption during the use of products accounts for the bulk of the impact caused by products that consume a large amount of energy and those that are used for a long period of time, which leads us to believe that the most effective way to reduce their environmental impact is to reduce the amount of power consumed when they are used.
For this reason, with a view to appropriately evaluating its diverse product portfolio, Toshiba Group calculates the annual reductions in CO2 emissions that would be achieved if products purchased in FY2000 were replaced by eco products not only during their use but also throughout their entire life cycle in order to achieve a greater reduction in CO2 emissions. To this end, we have added new indicators as the CO2 emission-reduction effect of eco-products to the Fourth Environmental Action Plan which have been in effect since FY2008.
In FY2008, we fell far short of achieving our goal as a result of rapid economic changes. Therefore, we formed a working group to promote measures to mitigate climate change through products and have been implementing group-wide activities to achieve the goal. In FY2010, we set eco-targets regarding the mitigation of climate change in order to develop products with the highest level of environmental performance. As a result, we were able to reduce CO2 emissions by 4 million tons per year by offering newly developed products throughout the world. Although we fell short of our annual goal, we achieved a reduction of 600,000 tons per year in CO2 emissions compared to the previous year, exceeding our plan of reducing emissions by 500,000 tons of CO2 per year, and we continue to make improvements.
Toshiba Group will continue to reduce CO2 emissions across all its products by identifying key factors that contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and by sharing advanced examples and core technologies among group companies. At the same time, we will expand our business in global markets for home appliances, such as digital products that use substantially less energy and LED light bulbs - especially in markets in emerging countries where there is a rapidly growing demand for products that can achieve great reductions in CO2 emissions.
We will create products with the highest level of energy-saving performance that can achieve greater reductions in CO2 emissions per product unit by promoting product design aimed at saving energy throughout the entire product life cycle and will work to maximize reductions in CO2 emissions by providing our products to as many customers as possible.
Annual Reductions in CO2 Emissions through eco products
Breakdown of Reductions in CO2 Emissions
Percentages of CO2 Emissions Generated in Different Stages of the Life Cycle of Toshiba Group’s Products
Reducing CO2 emissions worldwide through products with the highest level of energy-saving performance
Although about half of the reductions in CO2 emissions in FY2010 was achieved by products for Japanese markets, Toshiba Group’s products, such as LCD TVs, PCs and air conditioners, are contributing to reducing CO2 emissions in Europe and the United States as well.
Reductions in CO2 emissions achieved in emerging countries account for only about 10% of the total at present. However, now that there is a rapidly growing demand for home appliances and digital equipment in these countries, we need to support convenient and comfortable lifestyles while mitigating climate change by providing products with a high level of energy-saving performance throughout the world.
Environmental impact caused by the use of products varies depending on the type of energy supply available in different areas. Average CO2 emissions coefficients for electricity of the area are used to calculate estimated reductions in CO2 emissions in Japan, Europe, the United States, Asian countries and China. Global average values are used to calculate estimated reductions in other areas and reductions regarding products, including parts, that are manufactured for no specific areas.
In its global business development, Toshiba Group will continue to contribute to the mitigation of climate change through its energysaving products in areas around the world.
* The photo is for illustrative purposes only.
Case Study: Saving electricity easily with Toshiba’s Eco-chip for reducing standby power to zero* / Toshiba Digital Products & Services Company
Unplugging unused electrical appliances allows one to reduce total power consumption by reducing standby power to zero. However, doing so also creates problems, such as rendering it impossible to record TV programs by timer. To resolve this difficulty, Toshiba has developed a low power consumption Eco-chip that makes it possible to disconnect AC power during standby and to reduce electrical devices’ standby power consumption to zero without unplugging the device via a remote controller. The Eco-chip will contribute to reducing the power consumption of electrical devices that consume large amounts of electricity during standby, such as TVs and DVD recorders.
* Recharging the large-capacity capacitor takes about five minutes and consumes 0.13 W of power.
Measures for Environmentally Conscious Design Regulations in Europe
Although, as exemplified by the top-runner standards in the industry, products for which energy saving is demanded have been increasing in Japan, the ErP directive*, a new environmentally conscious design regulation in Europe, requires a design capable of meeting energy-saving and standby power standards for individual products. Since other regulations that mandate a rigorous energy-saving design, as exemplified by the ErP directive, are expected to increase in each country, we consider it our mission to create a series of industry-leading products, which comply with such regulations.
- *
- ErP (Energy-related Products) directive: It is the directive that instructs products related to energy consumption of electricity, fossil fuels, etc. to comply with requirements for energy-saving and eco design.
Case Studies in FY2009
Case Study: Initiative for the mitigation of climate change through semiconductors / Toshiba Semiconductor Company
Depending on what products they are used for, semiconductors vary in the balance between environmental impact during material procurement and manufacturing and environmental impact during their use. Toshiba Group is working to mitigate climate change through its measures for the greening of processes as well as products.
Balance of CO2 emissions generated by semiconductors
Example of a full-bridge driver for DC motors
We have improved circuit currents, output saturation voltage and on-resistance as compared with previous models, thereby greatly reducing power consumption. The new product model is contributing to reducing the amount of power consumed by various devices that use DC motors, such as ATMs and automatic vending machines.
Case Studies in FY2008
Case Study: Particular attention paid to making energy-saving air-conditioners / Toshiba Carrier Corporation
With the highest-level of energy-saving performance in the industry and its energy monitor (an industry first*), which shows power consumption in real time, the home-use room air-conditioner Daiseikai™ PDR Series achieves both “energy-saving at the time of use™ and “visible energysaving.™ Toshiba Carrier estimates that these efforts enable the airconditioners to reduce CO2 emissions by 22% during their entire life cycle.
Energy-saving at the time of use
By stopping the operation of one of the two cylinders in the compressor and letting only the other operate at the time of low load, the Daiseikai™ PDR Series can reduce the minimum power consumption to 45 W, comparable to that of electric fans. This keeps the room temperature stable, making users more comfortable.
PDR outdoor unit
Visible energy-saving
The energy monitor was developed in response to the needs of users who said, “Even if I buy an energy-saving air-conditioner, I don't know if it's really saving energy,” and “I want to know the electricity rates I am being charged when I use an energy-saving air-conditioner.”
The current power consumption is displayed on the front panel of the indoor unit, and the character mark and the eco mark are lit during energy-saving operation, an indication of the high energy-saving nature of the Daiseikai™ PDR Series (from the start of operation to the time when the room temperature becomes stable, the operation power level displays the amount of electric power consumed, and later, the current power consumption is displayed).
For example, if the set temperature is raised or curtains are closed, the amount of electric power consumed falls. Since users can look at the power consumption and what they are being charged during operation, they can feel that they have a direct connection with energy-saving efforts and easily participate in energy-saving efforts at home.
PDR indoor unit
- *
- As of September 22, 2008. The current power consumption is displayed on the main body of the air-conditioner, and the display is updated every 15 seconds.
Case Studies in FY2007
Within the large product range of the Toshiba Group, the largest amount of CO2 is emitted at the usage stage of all their life cycles, from design and manufacture to usage and disposal. For example, CO2 emissions account for about 60% of total emissions from digital products and about 80% of the same from household electric appliances and social infrastructure systems. With this in mind, the Toshiba Group has been tackling the reduction of energy consumption of products during their usage by setting different annual targets for each fiscal year since the launch of the Second Voluntary Plan in fiscal 1996.
For example, an increasing range of energy-saving measures have been taken year after year for 32-inch LCD TVs, as shown in the right hand figure (Case Study 1), maintaining leading industry levels of energy-saving efficiency.
Case Study 1: Digital Media Network Company
Case Study 2: Toshiba Home Appliances Corporation
Use conditions: Calculated based on the assumption of 600 washing operations/year and 300 drying operations/year.
Case Study 3: LED downlight Long-life downlight to replace incandescent luminaire
