Seeking to reduce the total volume of greenhouse gases emitted in our business activities, Murata has established new guidelines for the prevention of global warming, and the Group as a whole, centering on the Special Committee on Global Warming Prevention, is working to achieve our targets.
In fiscal 2009, greenhouse gas emissions of the Group business sites in Japan decreased by approximately 45,000 tons from the previous year. In addition to the results of our enhancement of energy conservation efforts by our newly established Special Committee on Global Warming Prevention, this can be attributed to a significant improvement in the emissions coefficients of the power companies that are our sources of electricity. Because of this, our fiscal 2009 results for greenhouse gas emissions per basic unit of production represented a significant improvement against fiscal 2008 results (a 37% reduction relative to the fiscal 1990 level), at 47% relative to the fiscal 1990 level.
About Emissions per Unit of Net Production
The emissions ratio is the value of CO2 emissions against real production, which is calculated by adjusting production (monetary value) for deflation using the domestic corporate goods price index (for electronic components and devices) announced by the Bank of Japan. This figure indicates the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted in the process of producing a given product quantity (monetary value).
What are the emissions coefficients of the power companies?
Emissions coefficients per unit of electric power for each of the nation's electric power companies, published by the Ministry of the Environment in accordance with the national Calculation, Reporting and Publication System for Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
The Special Committee on Global Warming Prevention is made up of representatives of production plants, Business Departments, Development Departments, and Headquarters staff, and works to conserve energy and prevent global warming via a company-wide system. For example, the committee is making CO2 emissions in production processes “visible,” and is pushing ahead with a variety of activities including the identification of important factors in energy conservation and efforts involving taking up improvements to high-emission processes as development themes.
Diagnosis of processes by committee Chairperson
In fiscal 2009, Murata achieved a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. To ensure that these reductions are ongoing, we will continue to push ahead with efforts centering on our Special Committee on Global Warming Prevention, and will fundamentally reexamine the conditions for our production facilities that have clean rooms and heat source facilities and our production processes, working to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions.
CO2 Emissions
CO2 emissions by Area (including plants and offices)
Office CO2 emissions
At Murata, we are developing production equipment able to function using as little energy as possible and in as small an area as possible. Using former equipment as a benchmark and comparing energy consumption per unit of production, all equipment introduced by Murata since FY2004 has realized energy and space savings. In fiscal 2009, we developed 11 new types of equipment, installing 40 new energy-saving machines in our plants. This resulted in a reduction of approximately 350 tons in CO2 emissions. We also conducted energy-saving production equipment design training at two top-ranking plants among Murata’s domestic plants in terms of CO2 emissions performance. From FY2010 onwards as well, we are moving ahead with the development of energy-saving equipment, focusing on five targets: (1) increased baking furnace efficiency; (2) major restructuring of key product production equipment (laminators; 75% energy savings over current equipment) ; (3) use of waste heat for drying equipment (50% energy savings over current equipment) ; (4) an enhanced system of energy savings checks during equipment design audits; and (5) energy-saving design training at domestic plants.
Energy Conservation Performance
Benchmark ratio for consumed energy
(comparison of consumed energy per unit with existing benchmark machines)
