Sponsored by
CLIMATE ACTION
The UK introduced regulations regarding the responsible recycling of electrical products in 2006, and began operating under this law from July 2007. Under the above laws in the UK, producers of electrical equipment are required to collect and recycle their share of products when the consumer discards them.
In 2004, a group of
responsible manufacturers of electrical and electronic goods, including Panasonic, set up REPIC to ensure that at the end-of-life products were being recycled responsibly. This was even before the law which required them to do this was introduced.
The site also shows end users where their nearest recycling centre is.
In 2010, Panasonic set out its Green Procurement Standards and formed a ‘Green Plan 2018’, which states the company’s preference to procure from suppliers who are proactive in reducing their environmental impacts.
In collaboration and to accelerate green initiatives with their various stakeholders, including suppliers and logistics partners, Panasonic is addressing global environmental issues across the boundaries of the company, including CO2
emissions
reduction, resource recycling, water and biodiversity conservation, and mitigation of the effect of chemical substances on human beings and the environment.
Some of the key benefits of being a sustainable manufacturer include: Being more efficient, competitive and profitable – in a recent study conducted by NAM, it was revealed that 58% of consumers are now considering environmental impact
25
before purchasing
Improvement of brand image and attracting new customers
Taking advantage of tax incentives and a variety of tax credit rebates
The fact that many government and public-sector contracts consider environmental impacts
Increased workforce morale and innovations – tasking engineers to be more sustainable and efficient can lead to innovative solutions
The success and management philosophy of Panasonic is based on the beliefs of its founder, Konosuke Matsushita, who argued that since a company runs its business by borrowing people, things, money, land, and so forth from society, a company is, therefore, “a public entity of society.”
He also said that the role of a company, as a public entity of society, is to contribute to the
society. Therefore, if the company’s activities destroy nature and take away people’s happiness, it would be “like putting the cart before the horse”.
With manufacturers consuming more than 30% of the worlds energy and society taking note, manufacturers need to play a lead role in helping to reduce harmful emissions.
Over the next few years, we will see increased pressure on manufacturers to be innovative in their processes.
Technological developments are already taking place to ensure energy efficiency and cost savings, such as smart monitoring. In addition, more advanced and innovative solutions are using natural materials in products and their processes, while there has been a significant push for changes in the creation of more sustainable packaging of products.
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