Leadership Perspectives – Bob Townsend on EcoVision 2025

By 2050, our population will reach an estimated 9 billion. At that rate, the amount of CO₂ and human waste is predicted to rise to 4 times the Earth’s natural ability to self-clean. Earth will become uninhabitable.

DENSO is committed to improving Earth’s health. EcoVision 2025 is our 10-year environmental policy and action plan to help resolve environmental and energy issues and conduct business in harmony with nature.

Bob Townsend, DENSO’s vice president of External Affairs, shares more about our vision to help preserve our planet.

Why did DENSO create EcoVision 2025?

Concern for our environment is not new. DENSO originated in rural Japan, and it was there we learned important lessons about our environmental impact. Early in the company, we accidentally released drainage into farmland, destroying crops. After that, we made a commitment that such an accident would never happen again.

We launched the first EcoVision policy in 1997, so this initiative has been in place for more than 20 years.

How does DENSO’s plan help create sustainable communities?

As a member of the automotive industry, we have two potentially negative impacts on society. Traffic accidents, and a lot of our efforts are focused on improving safety, and the environment. As a company, we want to reduce that impact on the planet.

To achieve this, our products, factories, associates and management all play a critical role in our 10-step action plan, which targets three primary areas: Energy, Clean and Green.

What are the main objectives for EcoVision 2050?

The 10-step action plan is designed to help us achieve three primary objectives:

• Reduce CO₂ emissions by half with technologies that resolve global warming, energy, and resource issues.
• Promote continuous improvements with the aim of reducing the impact of environmentally hazardous substances, emissions, and waste by half.
• Conduct corporate activities that align with nature through the promotion of biofuel research, agricultural support, and other environment-related new businesses.

How will we make our products cleaner?

Within product development, DENSO will contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions from vehicles through the development of new technologies and products that improve fuel consumption and are compatible with a variety of fuels. As we develop new product lines, we’ll develop smaller and more efficient equipment to shrink our impact.

How can we make our plants greener?

We will promote reductions in waste and resource usage within logistics and at factories. One thing to keep in mind – if your plant is doing something successful, share it! We can learn from each other.

For example, our plant in Tennessee uses a small ice machine on-site to make ice at night. In the morning, the ice is used to cool equipment, reducing hazardous waste and overall energy use. And in Guelph, our factory recently replaced all its florescent lights with LED equivalents, generating 240 tons in CO₂ savings.

How can associates make an impact?

We try to raise environmental awareness among our employees and their communities. We’ve been organizing events that promote improved employee awareness and engagement. Environmental education is critical to ensure that we’re all engaging in activities that preserve the environment and create sustainable societies.

At DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee, we established a community EcoPark. The 11.5 acres draws local students and families to relax and enjoy nature, and provides opportunities to learn about recycling, composting, pollution prevention and much more.

In addition, I would encourage all our associates to consider low-carbon transportation, educate themselves about how to be more consciousness about the choices that impact the Earth, and volunteer their time toward environmental protection activities.

Anything else to add?

I love talking about EcoVision. It’s part of who we are, it’s the right thing to do, it shows our associates and future workers how we’re contributing to the environment and society overall. Transportation and mobility is changing quickly, and so are people’s expectations of the companies they work for and partner with. DENSO plans to stay at the forefront of both.