Hitachi's business operations will respond to the issues by working with our customers and society to help build a society that uses water and other resources efficiently. We have set a fiscal 2050 target of improving the usage efficiency of water and other resources by 50% compared to fiscal 2010 levels. We will create higher economic value using less water and other resources and pursue production activities with a low environmental burden.
As a resource, water is unevenly distributed across the world, and wide gaps between supply and demand are sometimes found even in the same region or country. In addressing water problems, therefore, region-specific risk measures must be developed that take the respective water stress* levels into account.
We examined water risks at each of our major manufacturing sites around the world, of which there are approximately 200, by using our Environmental Data Collection System (Eco-DS) and such globally recognized tools for water risk assessment as the Aqueduct, developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI); the Water Risk Filter, developed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and the German development finance institution DEG; and the Flood Hazard Map of the World produced by the European Commission.
The results of the analysis and evaluation will be used to promote Group-wide activities to improve water use efficiency and to strengthen measures specific to the water risks of each manufacturing site.
Hitachi is also addressing water shortages at the society level through its global business operations by creating new sources of water supply. We provide customers in and outside Japan with a wide range of water-related products and services, such as wastewater recycling systems and seawater desalination systems. We also provide machinery, electrical equipment, and services for water infrastructure. To date, we have installed approximately 700 water purification plants and 900 sewage treatment plants in Japan, as well as over 200 plants in some 40 countries and regions around the world. In addition, we offer comprehensive digital solutions for water and sewage treatment operators by drawing on our experience and know-how of Operational Technology (OT), IT, and products that have been cultivated over the course of many years as a comprehensive water service provider.
Going forward, we will continue to help build a society that uses water efficiently by supporting the effective maintenance and management of social infrastructure, the optimum utilization of finite resources, and the provision of water environment solutions to enhance people's quality of life.
To help build a recycling-oriented society, Hitachi is advancing measures at its business sites to improve resource use efficiency by 50% compared to fiscal 2010 by fiscal 2050. We are contributing to the solution of resource-related problems by promoting the utilization of recycled materials, manufacturing that is oriented to resource saving and long product life, reduction and recycling of factory waste, refurbishing*1 and remanufacturing,*2 and recycling of end-of-life products. These are advanced at each stage of the value chain, namely, procurement, development and design, production, distribution and sales, use, and disposal. Our Environmental Action Plan contains detailed three-year activity targets for improvements in the waste and valuables generation per unit and the achievement of zero waste to landfill. We have established indicators to measure our progress and are promoting activities throughout the Group to achieve these goals. In recent years, we have also been addressing the global problem of plastic waste, such as by finding efficient uses for the plastic waste generated in our business activities and by replacing one-way (disposable) plastic containers and packaging with paper. We will further strengthen our efforts to reduce our plastic waste.
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"Achieving a Resource Efficient Society" Hitachi Sustainability Report 2020 (PDF format, 114 Kbytes)
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