GREEN 21 Activities

GREEN 21 (Version 3) Activities Begin Analysis of Fiscal 2006 Results

To ensure continual improvements and raise the level of environmental activities, we use the GREEN 21 evaluation system in every business group and affiliate. We assess the way these activities have been structured to achieve goals in a given year, the specifics of the goals, and the degree to which they are achieved. Version 2, used from 2002 to 2005, has been upgraded to Version 3, and was implemented in fiscal 2006.
The results of GREEN 21 assessments, reflected in evaluations of the Group's business performance, are used as an incentive to raise the level of environmental activities to improve both CSR and profitability. Top management in each group uses GREEN 21 assessments to check levels of achievement, and to further improve and inject new energy into activities. In fiscal 2006, a Group average score of 845 GPs was achieved, exceeding the target of 768 by 77 points. Improvements over the previous year were made in these categories: Eco-Mind, Eco-Products, Next-generation Product/Service Strategy, Resource Recycling, and Worldwide Environmental Partnerships.

GREEN 21 Awards

The GREEN 21 Award program—focusing on advanced environmental activities, products, and services—was established to energize environmental activities and apply successful examples to the entire Group. Items eligible for awards include top environmentally friendly products and technologies, as well as facilities with groundbreaking energy and resource savings and recycling. Prize winners are judged on overall performance, using GP scores from GREEN 21 assessments. Six activities earned a GREEN 21 Award in fiscal 2006.

GREEN 21 Award Winner: ESCO Projects

Gold medal winner in the fiscal 2006 ESCO Excellence Awards (for equipment supplied to Nitto Denko Corporation) The Urban Planning and Development Systems Group won a GREEN 21 Award for CO2 emission reductions for its energy solution service business (ESCO projects). For energy conservation, the projects introduced equipment that balances electric and thermal energy at a wide range of sites, including factories, hospitals, and local government offices. As a result, between 2000 and 2006 it achieved an aggregate reduction of about 160,000 tons per year of CO2 emissions, contributing to the reduction of global warming. The projects won a 2006 Minister of the Environment Award for global warming prevention and a gold medal for the second year at the Second ESCO Excellence Awards in Japan.

Mechanism for GREEN 21 Assessments

To rate an activity, the GREEN 21 system evaluates 56 items in 8 Sustainability Compass categories from fiscal 2006 to 2010. Activities are rated on a scale from 0 to 5, with 2 being average, 4 showing that the goal was achieved, and 5 that the target was exceeded. The ratings are then multiplied by a weighting coefficient, with a maximum of 200 GPs in each category, giving a maximum possible rating of 1,600 GPs for all 8 categories. An adjustment is made if a category does not apply because of the type of business.

Green Point Average: Results and Targets