Climate Change Countermeasures
Reducing CO₂ Emissions from Our Business Activity
Basic stance
As a global business entity, the Nidec Group has been engaging in CO₂ emissions reduction during business activities (Scopes 1 and 2) since FY2004. At present, with a FY2025 sales target of 4 trillion yen, we need to reduce our CO₂ emissions while expanding business. If our renewable energy introduction – Nidec’s major CO₂ emissions reduction effort – fails to go as planned, costs may increase as a result of the launch of a carbon tax. Further, after failing to respond to our customers’ and investors’ demands for climate change actions and information disclosure, we may be subject to business suspension and a decline in reputation.
Target
In July 2021, Nidec announced Vision 2025, which aims to achieve: a net-zero status in CO₂ emissions in Scopes 1 and 2 by FY2040; and the renewable energy introduction ratio of 40% in FY 2025, and 80% in FY2030. Then, in March 2024, we set a new mid-term plan on CO₂ emissions reduction. Nidec aims to reduce, by FY2030, its CO₂ emissions based on Scopes 1 and 2 by 42% from the level of FY2022.
In August 2024, these aforementioned reduction targets were recognized as evidence-based to achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5ºC target, and given an SBT certificate by the SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative), an international climate change initiative.
To achieve the targets, Nidec promotes actions and initiatives by making the improvement of its consolidated renewable energy introduction rate to 40% by FY2025 part of our materiality-related efforts.
Materiality
In addition, as part of the business-based environmental load reduction efforts based on its mid-term environmental conservation plan, Nidec has set targets in electricity usage reduction, renewable energy introduction, etc., constantly engaging in CO₂ emissions reduction.
Please click here for Nidec’s midterm environmental conservation action plan.
Achievements
For fiscal year 2023, Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ were 1,060,000 t-CO₂, which represents a 2% reduction from the previous fiscal year. This decrease is attributed to energy-saving initiatives achieved through the optimization of operating conditions for production equipment and air conditioning systems, as well as an increase in the adoption of renewable energy sources and new implementations at nine locations. These initiatives contributed to an increase in the renewable energy introduction ratio from 7.8% in the previous fiscal year to 12.5%.
Actions
To reduce CO₂ emissions as part of its climate change measures, Nidec implements actions to improve its businesses’ energy efficiency and those to introduce renewable energies. With more than 300 business bases around the world, we accumulate information on our various actions, and share the information globally to contribute to mitigating climate change.
Improving our internal energy efficiency
To reduce our electricity consumption, we at Nidec promote energy-saving activities, and actually implemented:
- ・Visualizing individual facilities’ electricity usage
- ・Having enery saving diagnosis
- ・Reducing existing facilities’ electricity usage
Energy saving diagnosis
Nidec conducts energy saving diagnosis to visualize its business bases’ energy usage. In this program, the Nidec Group’s energy-saving experts visit our business bases to check their energy-saving activities. We are planning to spread this program to more and more Nidec Group entities going forward.
Reducing existing facilities’ electricity usage
Nidec Vietnam Corporation places heat-insulating covers over their injection molding machines to reduce their overall electricity usage by 15 – 20%. In addition, heat insulation at equipment’s thermal sources, guiding heat for discharging, transferring cool air from air-conditioning units, and an efficient discharge of warm air staying above enable a 20% reduction of air-conditioning units’ electricity usage. These measures will likely help us reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 800t per year.
Introducing renewable energies
In another activity, Nidec is replacing conventional energies with renewable ones to reduce its electricity usage and CO₂ emissions. In particular, Nidec is active in:
- ・Installing photovoltainc facilities
- ・Revising the contents of its electricity contracts to procure renewable energies
- ・Gaining experiences in such installation, and promote renewable energies’ introduction at other business bases
Installing photovoltaic facilities
Nidec Precision Components (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. utilized an onsite PPA to introduce a 1621kW photovoltaic electricity generation system. This action will enable Nidec Precision Components (Zhejiang) to reduce its annual CO₂ emissions by 830 tons. We will introduce such an action to other business bases to contribute to further reduction of CO₂ emissions.
Revising the contents of electricity contracts to procure renewable energies
The following seven factories executed renewable energy-based electricity contracts, generating electricity entirely with renewable energies.