New Group Company Joins Daikin's Efforts

To make sure that we reduce our environmental impact through greenhouse gas reduction and other measures, the Daikin Group is proceeding with the creation of a global environmental management system (EMS).

In Japan, the Group acquired integrated certification for the ISO 14001 environmental management system. As our business grows, we have been working overseas to get newly established subsidiaries certified. In 2006, we acquired O.Y.L. Industries, and we have began working with the O.Y.L. Group to unify environmental policies philosophies, and actions. We place a high priority on bringing our respective approaches into alignment on this topic.

The O.Y.L. Group has about 12,000 employees working at 94 subsidiaries, including the major U.S. air conditioner manufacturer McQuay International. The Daikin Group is working with companies in the O.Y.L. Group to create an EMS with the ultimate aim of fostering close technological exchanges among companies that will lead to the development of environmentally conscious products.

An example is the creation of an ISO 14001-compliant EMS that began in 2005 with plans to build a new Malaysia plant of O.Y.L. Manufacturing. The new plant was designed to be environmentally conscious. For example, it maximizes use of natural lighting to reduce the amount of electricity used. After the company became a Daikin Group member and received the support of Daikin's top executives, O.Y.L. earned ISO 14001 certification in December 2007. O.Y.L. now also has an environmental committee to oversee efforts in energy efficiency and waste reduction. The company also tries to raise environmental awareness among employees. During Environmental Month (June), employees planted trees around the factory, put up environmentally themed posters, and submitted ideas for a new environmental logo design.

An EMS should not just be maintained, it should be constantly improved with even more advanced environmental protection measures. That is why in 2006 we established an in-house standard called Green Heart Factories to assess the environmental performance of our plants. If a factory achieves performance targets, it is designated as a Green Heart Factory. This standard attaches significant weight to targets for the emission of greenhouse gases. By 2010, we aim to extend this designation to all our plants in Japan and principal plants overseas. Our ultimate goal is to have all our plants throughout the world designated as Green Heart Factories.

Global warming affects people all over the world and we must stop it. As a company doing business worldwide, the Daikin Group is responsible for stepping up actions such as these to combat global warming.