Medium- and Long-Term Environmental Conservation Targets and Results
As extreme weather events and other impacts of climate change continue to materialize, the global movement aimed at reducing greenhouse gases is growing increasingly active. Global environmental issues pose a significant threat to “ensuring food security,” as well as “ensuring a safe and secure water supply.”
In order to promote environmental management in light of various recent social developments, such as SDGs and the Paris Agreement, as a sustainable company, the Kubota Group has challenged itself to achieve zero environmental impact in its Environmental Vision for 2050. Moreover, to promote systematic reduction of environmental impacts, we have been promoting environmental activities by formulating our medium- and long-term targets for environmental conservation. We formulated the Long-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2030 in 2016, and Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2025 in 2020. Now, we have revised the Long-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2030, expanding the boundary of our initiatives and increasing the target values. Toward achieving these targets, the Group is advancing systematic initiatives in both the production and product development stages.
- Long-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2030 and Results
- Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2025 and Results
Long-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2030 and Results
1. Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change
The shift to a decarbonized society has been accelerated, with each country declaring substantially zero emissions of CO2 and carbon neutrality. In its Environmental Vision, the Kubota Group announced its commitment to take up the challenge of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Based on these global trends and the image for the company expected by society in the future, in our Long-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2030, we have expanded the scope of our CO2 reduction targets from the Kubota Group in Japan to a global scope, and revised our targets. We will continue energy-saving activities to reduce energy consumption at our sites, reduce CO2 emissions through fuel conversion by adopting electric furnaces and so forth, and by expanding our use of renewable energies, we will promote initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality.
2030Targets | Reduce CO2 emissions from the Kubota Group* by 50% compared to the base year FY2014. |
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Result | In FY2021, CO2 emissions of the Kubota Group* were reduced by 16.5% compared to the base year FY2014. |
- CO2 emissions refer to Scope 1 and 2 emissions from all Kubota Group sites (100%) and include greenhouse gases from non-energy sources
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Trends in CO2 Emissions of the Kubota Group in Japan
- CO2 emissions of companies that have been acquired or sold have been adjusted retroactively to before the acquisition or sale. CO2 emissions that have not been adjusted are 714 kilotons CO2e in 2014, 674 kilotons CO2e in 2015, and 647 kilotons CO2e in 2016, 645 kilotons CO2e in 2017.
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Revision of Targets (2022)
Before revision | After revision | |
Target sites | Group sites in Japan | Global group sites |
Target value | 30% reduction | 50% reduction |
Base FY | 2014 | 2014 |
Target CO2 emissions volume | Scopes 1, 2 534 kilotons CO2e |
Scopes 1, 2 734 kilotons CO2e |
Coverage ratio | 72.8% | 100% |
2. Efforts to Develop Environment-friendly Products
Goal | Increase the sales ratio of Eco-Products* to 80% by 2030. Aim to put all new products which are certified as Eco-Products in the market in 2030 and later. |
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Result | The sales ratio of Eco-Products* was 68.0% in FY2021. |
- The sales ratio of products that have fulfilled the internal requirements in our own Eco-Products Certification System
Sales ratio of Eco-Products (%) = Sales of Eco-Products / Sales of products (excluding construction work, services, software, parts and accessories) × 100
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Trends in Sales Ratio of Eco-Products
Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2025 and Results
Since FY2021, the Group has been working to achieve the Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2025. In addition to the indicators set out in our Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2020, we have added the target of increasing the renewable energy usage ratio towards realizing a carbon-free society. Furthermore, in view of the growing global issue of ocean pollution by disposable plastics, we have added a qualitative target of improving resource efficiency. We have also set a qualitative target for systematically advancing efforts on wastewater management and conserving biodiversity. In the product segment, we set a new target relating to displaying the materials of new parts with a view to promoting recycling, along with new targets for responding to regulations on vehicle exhaust gas emissions aimed at complying with exhaust gas regulations. Our results for FY2021 are shown in the following table.
Reporting Boundary |
Issue | Action item | Management indicator*3 | Base FY | Target for FY2025*9 |
Result of FY2021 |
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Global Production Sites |
Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change |
Reduce CO2*1 | CO2 emissions per unit of production (Scopes 1, 2) |
2014 | ▲25% | ▲30.0% |
Ratio of renewable energy usage*4 | — | 1% or more | 1.5% | |||
Save energy | Energy consumption per unit of production |
2014 | ▲18% | ▲27.2% | ||
Working towards a Recycling-based Society |
Reduce waste | Waste discharge per unit of production |
2014 | ▲33% | ▲32.6% | |
Hazardous waste discharge per unit of production*5 |
2019 | ▲3% | ▲8.5% | |||
Recycling ratio (Japan)*6 | — | Maintain 99.5% or more |
99.6% | |||
Recycling ratio (Overseas)*6 | — | Maintain 90.0% or more |
91.6% | |||
Conserving Water Resources |
Conserve water resources |
Water consumption per unit of production |
2014 | ▲23% | ▲31.2% | |
Controlling Chemical Substances |
Reduce VOCs*2 | VOC emissions per unit of production |
2014 | ▲42% | ▲41.8% | |
Products | Improving Products' Environmental Performance |
Expand Eco-Products | Sales ratio of Eco-Products*7 | — | 70% or more | 68.0% |
Promote recycling | Usage ratio of recycled materials*8 | — | Maintain 70% or more |
71.0% |
2. Targets for Products
Reporting Boundary |
Issue | Action item | Management indicator | Reference Kubota Group ESG Report 2022 |
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Global Production Sites |
Working towards a Recycling-based Society |
Improve resource efficiency |
• Reduce disposable plastics at business sites | See p.51 |
• Work with suppliers to conserve packaging materials and make them returnable | ||||
• Implement paperless operation | ||||
Conserving Water Resources |
Control wastewater | • Manage wastewater appropriately in accordance with the standards of the water discharge by operating wastewater treatment facilities and water recycling facilities, etc. | See p.53 | |
Conserving Biodiversity |
Conserve biodiversity at business sites |
• Promote the protection of the natural environment by greening our establishments and creating biotopes | See p.60 | |
Promote social contribution activities | • Promote conservation of the local natural environment and biodiversity as social contribution activities | See p.61 | ||
Products | Improving Products' Environmental Performance |
Promote recycling | • Display the material of new parts and provide material information*10 | Currently in progress*12 |
Develop vehicles compliant with exhaust gas regulations |
• Development of industrial diesel engines that comply with the latest emissions regulations (Stage V), and launch onto the market of products with such engines*11 • Launch the vehicles that comply with the latest emissions regulations onto the market |
See p.32 |
- *1.CO2 emissions indicate 90.3% of base-year Scope 1 and 2 emissions and include greenhouse gases from non-energy sources. We use the emissions coefficient for electric power of the base year in our calculation of CO2 emissions from energy sources.
- *2.VOCs (volatile organic compounds) comprise the six substances that are most prevalent in emissions from the Kubota Group: xylene, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, 1, 2, 4-trimethylbenzene, and 1, 3, 5-trimethylbenzene.
- *3.The figures per unit of production represent the intensity of the environmental load per unit of money amount of production. The exchange rate of the base year is used when translating the money amount of production of overseas sites into Japanese yen.
- *4.The applicable boundary is global sites.
- *5.In Japan, specially controlled industrial waste as defined in the Waste Management and Public Cleaning Law; Overseas, waste that is defined as hazardous in each country or region.
- *6.Recycling ratio (%) = (Sales amount of valuable resources + External recycling amount) / (Sales amount of valuable resources + External recycling amount + Landfill disposal) × 100. Heat recovery is included in the external recycling amount.
- *7.The sales ratio of products that have fulfilled the internal requirements in our own Eco-Products Certification System Sales ratio of Eco-Products (%) = Sales of Eco-Products / Sales of products (excluding construction work, services, software, parts and accessories) × 100
- *8.Usage ratio of recycled materials (%) in the cast metal products and parts manufactured by the Kubota Group (ductile iron pipes, fittings, machine cast products (engine crankcase, etc.))
- *9.▲ indicates a negative figure.
- *10.In accordance with internal standards, we provide information on materials through material labeling and specification sheets for plastic components.
- *11.Targeting tractors and combine harvesters (output range: 56 kW ≤ P < 560 kW) equipped with engines compliant with the European emissions regulations (Europe Stages IV and V) level, shipped to Europe, North America, Japan, and Korea
- *12.Some internal standards regarding the method of providing material information are still being developed due to the reorganization or new establishment of businesses.
■ The Results for Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2025 for Global Production Sites
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Trends in Reduction Ratio of CO2 Emissions per Unit of Production*1
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Trends in Reduction Ratio of Energy Use per Unit of Production*1
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Trends in Reduction Ratio of Waste Discharge per Unit of Production*1
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Trends in Waste Recycling Ratio*1
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Trends in Reduction Ratio of Water Consumption per Unit of Production*1
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Trends in Reduction Ratio of VOC Emissions per Unit of Production*1
- *1.The environmental loads and production amount of the acquired company are added retroactively to the base year (FY2014), and the same data of the sold company is deducted retroactively to FY2014.
- *2.The values for FY2018 and FY2019 were corrected to improve accuracy.
■ Results for Medium-Term Environmental Conservation Targets 2025 in the Product Sector
Target for FY2025 | • Development of industrial diesel engines that comply with the latest emissions regulations (Stage V), and launch onto the market of products with such engines • Launch the vehicles that comply with the latest emissions regulations onto the market |
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Result | Kubota launched the following products equipped with the engines that comply with the emissions regulations. Examples of Products Launched onto Markets in 2021
Agri Robo Combine Harvester WRH1200A2 • Conforming to Japan Regulations on Emissions from Non-Road Special Motor Vehicles (75 kW and above, lower than 130 kW, Regulation 2014)
Tractor M6002 series M6-142 (Europe)• Conforming to European Union Regulations (56 kW and above, lower than 130 kW, Stage V)
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