To address global warming due to climate change in the field of manufacturing, DENSO (1) promotes technological development in production processes; (2) ensures thorough employee participation in energy conservation, from departments that supply energy to those that use it; and (3) utilizes renewable energy. By working proactively to reduce CO₂ in these ways, we aim to halve our energy use by fiscal 2026 (halving CO₂ emissions per unit compared with fiscal 2013), while promoting energy conservation activities with a view to achieving carbon neutrality by fiscal 2036.

The “DENSO Global Initiative for Monozukuri Carbon Neutrality” was established in April 2021 by the Safety, Health＆ Environment Division, the Monozukuri Group, and the Environment Neutral Systems Development Division. The “DENSO Global Initiative for Monozukuri Carbon Neutrality” works with senior management to formulate Companywide guidelines, lead and motivate the promotion of said guidelines, promote the achievement of carbon neutrality by fiscal 2036, and further the establishment and commercialization of manufacturing technologies that will make this goal possible.

The DENSO Global Initiative for Monozukuri Carbon Neutrality is focusing its efforts on the three key themes of promoting energy conservation, verifying energy creation, and procuring renewable energy. With regard to promoting energy conservation, we will continue to carry out straightforward energy-saving activities while forging ahead with the development of energy-saving technologies. Through these measures, we strive to realize even more drastic changes in materials and processes and promote their widespread use throughout the DENSO Group, with a view to achieving complete carbon neutrality in the future.

Based on the idea that “energy for production is not fixed infrastructure but another component to be controlled,” DENSO is working to establish a system for the utilization and supply of just the right amount of energy at the necessary time through energy JIT activities.
In fiscal 2010, emissions per unit worsened as a result of the plunge in production we experienced due to the global financial crisis. To address this situation, we have worked to create an energy-saving manufacturing structure that is resilient in the face of variations in production. We now include energy conservation as a basic tenet of our facility design and production activities.
From 2020 to 2022, emissions per unit temporarily worsened due to the decline in production brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the semiconductor shortage. However, by the end of the fiscal year, emissions per unit improved 22% compared with fiscal 2020, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a result of strengthening such measures as comprehensive JIT inspections of energy supply divisions and the consolidation and idle stoppage of production lines as well as implementing thorough, organization-wide energy-saving activities that covered everything from energy supply to use.

As part of its factory improvement efforts, DENSO has successfully rolled out energy-conserving efforts across its factories. Accordingly, we enthusiastically apply for the Energy Conservation Grand Prize Awards, sponsored by the Energy Conservation Center, Japan, with cases of improvements implemented at our factories that are highly effective in saving energy and have the potential for horizontal deployment. Since fiscal 2010, we have won prizes at the Energy Conservation Grand Prize Awards, for a run of 13 consecutive years.

We support introduction activities to encourage the proliferation of Energy JIT throughout the DENSO Group.
Specifically, in fiscal 2021, we renewed the Perfect Energy Factory (PEF), a collection of case studies of generic and highly economical energy-saving improvements on the supply and production sides, including Energy JIT activities, and are promoting activities to re-examine them at Group companies in Japan and overseas.

With a view to achieving carbon neutrality in its manufacturing activities, DENSO is systematically introducing measures such as purchasing electricity and gas derived from renewable energy sources, installing solar panels and other private power generation equipment, and utilizing voluntary carbon credits. The Company considers progress made toward achieving targets and economic rationality when implementing such measures.
We achieved carbon neutrality at the Anjo Plant in fiscal 2022, and at the Nishio Plant, Hirose Plant, and DENSO FUKUSHIMA CORPORATION, as well as at all of our European sites, in fiscal 2023.

Amid the recent acceleration of the global shift toward decarbonization, we are working to establish technologies for capturing, recycling, storing, and reusing CO₂.
For example, we have developed a CO₂ circulation plant,*1 a facility designed to capture and circulate CO₂, using technologies we have refined through development in the mobility domain, and have begun demonstration tests at the Anjo Plant in Aichi Prefecture. We have also started to demonstrate new technologies such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) using hydrogen, gases, and other natural resources at the Hirose Plant, the Nishio Plant, and DENSO FUKUSHIMA CORPORATION, our model plants in Japan.
In the future, we will work on further technological developments for the CO₂ recycling plants geared toward their social implementation, thus contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality throughout the entire Company.

*1 Technology developed in collaboration with TOYOTA CENTRAL R&D LABS., INC.