Canon aims to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions from its business activities by 2050. We will steadily reduce CO2 emissions by achieving the following targets.
Canon takes account of environmental impacts at each stage of the product lifecycle and works to reduce them. This applies not just to our own development,production and marketing activities but also includes the production of raw materials and components by suppliers, the transport of products to retail outlets, and even customer use, disposal and recycling.
To gauge our progress in reducing these impacts over the entire product lifecycle, we convert each type of environmental impact to CO2 equivalents, and, using these as benchmarks, we set an overall goal for our Medium-Term Environmental Targets of achieving an average 3% per year improvement in the index of lifecycle CO2 emissions per product unit.
We have broken down the overall target into product targets and operational site targets. We have established a product target of an average 3% improvement per year in the raw materials and usage CO2 emissions improvement index per product, and operational sites have unit improvement targets covering energy consumption, total waste generation, water usage, and emission of controlled chemical substances.
A 3% average yearly reduction in product lifecycle CO2 emissions, which is the overall target set in 2008, would, if sustained, mean a roughly 50% reduction from 2008 levels by the year 2030. We recognize this to be in line with the level of reduction called for by the Paris Agreement. We will continue to undertake target reviews as a way of checking our contribution to the realization of a low-carbon society.
We achieved our target of improving lifecycle CO2 emissions per product by an average 3% per year, recording an average improvement of 4.6% (2008–2020). The COVID-19 pandemic meant that the rate of improvement was less than in the previous year, but the target was nevertheless met thanks to ongoing initiatives affecting the whole product lifecycle, including energy-saving measures at operational sites and in product design. The cumulative reduction since 2008 amounts to 41.3%.
Total product lifecycle CO2 emissions in 2020 were approximately 7.72 million tons. Although we achieved a continued overall reduction in product lifecycle emissions in 2020, increased demand for industrial equipment resulted in higher figures for Scope 3 (Category 11). As a result, the decrease compared to 2019 was held to approximately 150,000 t-CO2.
*The chemical substances used in manufacturing processes include “controlled chemical substances” that are regulated for safety regarding their negative impact on human health, the environment, and flammable risk.
2019–2021 Medium-Term Environmental Targets | 2020 Achievements | 2021–2023 Medium-Term Environmental Targets | |
---|---|---|---|
Overall (Lifecycle) |
3%-per-year average improvement in lifecycle CO2 emissions improvement index per product | Avg. improvement: 4.6% p.a. (2008–2020) | 3%-per-year average improvement in lifecycle CO2 emissions improvement index per product |
Products | 3%-per-year average improvement in raw materials and use CO2 emissions improvement index per product | Avg. improvement: 2.8% p.a. (2008–2020) | 3%-per-year average improvement in raw materials and use CO2 emissions improvement index per product |
2020 Environmental Targets | 2020 Achievements | 2021 Environmental Targets | |
Operational Sites | Improve energy consumption per basic unit at operational sites* (excluding marketing sites) by 1.2% (compared to 2019) | 10.0% improvement over 2019 | Improve energy consumption per basic unit at operational sites* (excluding marketing sites) by 1.2% (compared to 2020) |
Improve total waste generation per basic unit at operational sites* (excluding marketing sites) by 1% (compared to 2019) | 7.0% improvement over 2019 | Improve total waste generation per basic unit at operational sites* (excluding marketing sites) by 1% (compared to 2020) | |
Improve water usage per basic unit in production* by 1% (compared to 2019) | 3.0% improvement over 2019 | Improve water usage per basic unit in production* (excluding marketing sites) by 1% (compared to 2020) | |
Improve emissions of controlled chemical substances per basic unit at operational sites* (excluding marketing sites) by 1% (compared to 2019) | 1.7% improvement over 2019 | Improve emissions of controlled chemical substances per basic unit at operational sites* (excluding marketing sites) by 1% (compared to 2019) |