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| Monday, 1 October 2012, 12:00 HKT/SGT | |
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Source: Panasonic | |
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SINGAPORE, Oct 1, 2012 - (ACN Newswire) - Panasonic Asia Pacific has been awarded the President's Award for the Environment, the highest accolade in Singapore for significant contributions to Singapore's efforts in achieving environmental sustainability. The award was received by Mr Yorihisa Shiokawa, Managing Director of Panasonic Asia Pacific, from the President of the Republic of Singapore, Dr Tony Tan, in a ceremony held at The Istana on 28 September.
Receiving the award Mr Shiokawa said, "At Panasonic, we believe that companies need to play a bigger role in saving the environment. We are committed to promoting sustainable business and reducing the environmental impact of our operations. In addition, we have implemented several activities to inculcate eco-habits among employees and the public, and to encourage them to take ownership of the world that we live in."
As part of Panasonic's quest to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry by its 100th Anniversary by 2018, the company has made 'environment' central to all business activities. This approach promotes eco-friendly products and solutions, as well as public eco-awareness programmes. It also leads innovations in green technology, while reducing the environmental impact of Panasonic's business operations. Green Indexes that measure four areas; "contribution in reducing CO2 emissions", "contribution in recycling resources", "size of energy systems business", and "sales ratio of No. 1 eco-conscious products" are set to benchmark the company's green efforts.
The annual 'eco ideas' Declaration maps the success of the sustainability initiatives of Panasonic and its commitment to contribute to a greener society. Panasonic has been able to reduce the environmental impact of its business operations through adopting environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and innovating in the development of its products.
For instance, carbon emissions have been cut by over half a million tonnes versus 'business-as-usual' level* at the end of FY2011 at Panasonic Asia Pacific's regional manufacturing bases. Panasonic has also tripled the ratio of the sales of its eco-friendly products over the last three years. 70% of Panasonic's sales in the region are now contributed by eco products.
Taking a leadership role in the environmental business, Panasonic also shares these green technologies and ideas with local companies at trade events such as the Singapore International Energy Week. More recently, its energy solutions have been adapted for the residential sector. It has started a test-bed project in Punggol Eco-Town, which utilises and integrates its energy creation, storage, saving and management solutions to realise a green lifestyle for local residents. At the World Cities Summit held in July this year, Panasonic marked the establishment of the Panasonic Energy Solutions Development Centre in Singapore to carry out research and development of the energy solutions for the local and regional markets.
Beyond just business, Panasonic Asia Pacific has a dedicated committee, with the support of management, driving the creation and implementation of environmental programmes both within and beyond the organisation. At the Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa Headquarters in Singapore, employees receive compulsory environmental training to inculcate a workplace culture of environmental awareness.
The employees are also actively involved in environmental public outreach activities. In June 2012 Panasonic and NParks embarked on the first-ever mangrove biodiversity monitoring initiative at Pasir Ris Park, carried out by the employees and their families.
In addition, Panasonic believes in the power of youth to effect change and places a strong emphasis on raising environmental awareness among youths. The company partnered the National Environment Agency to implement the Environment Champions (Schools) Industry Module, where primary and secondary school students visited Panasonic 'eco ideas' Factory (model factory) in Singapore to learn more about industrial practices such as waste metal recycling and wastewater treatment process. To further motivate youths, students were also encouraged to implement environmental outreach projects in their schools and community through the 'eco ideas' Challenge.
Mr Shiokawa added, "We hope to nurture more youths into environment champions who can take the lead in driving pro-environment initiatives, and groom future leaders who can promote economic development and environmental sustainability. Everyone can play a part in protecting our environment and no effort is considered small, so start doing your bit for the environment. Take the first step and put your ideas into actions."
* Level of CO2 emissions projected assuming no improvement is made since FY 2005
About Panasonic Asia Pacific
Panasonic Asia Pacific has expanded its operations across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region from January 2012. The company focuses on delivering comprehensive eco solutions as part of the group's global direction, with its operations spanning across 100 countries with a total of 115 companies. The region has 62 manufacturing sites, which hold as a key hub for Panasonic's global production activities supporting the consumer, solutions and components and devices business. Based in Singapore, Panasonic Asia Pacific headquarters promotes environmental conservation initiatives and encourages the adoption of environment-friendly products through public eco-awareness campaigns designed for each country in the region. Panasonic Asia Pacific also has specific goals to encourage green innovation and reduce its regional carbon dioxide emissions footprint in support of Panasonic's global eco initiatives.
Contact:
Panasonic Corporation
Global Public Relations Office
Tel: +81-3-3574-5664
Fax: +81-3-3574-5699
Adrienne Ser, GolinHarris
Tel: +65-8571-6855
Email: aser@golinharris.com
Shouvik Prasanna Mukherjee, GolinHarris
Tel: +65-9826-1424
Email: smukherjee@golinharris.com
Topic: Awards
Source: Panasonic
Sectors: Cloud & Enterprise, Environment, ESG
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From the Asia Corporate News Network
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