Environmentally Conscious Products

Since 2014 the Kawasaki Group has implemented its Kawasaki Ecological Frontiers system (formerly Kawasaki-brand Green Products system), an internal system for certifying environmentally friendly products, as a means of reducing the environmental burden of the Group's products and services throughout their life cycles. Under the system, superior products—in terms of whether the products themselves evidence improved environmental performance and whether the associated manufacturing processes demonstrate a reduced environmental impact—are certified and registered.

The Group evaluates its products and their manufacturing processes for conformity with its own internal standards and disseminates the results of its evaluations outside the company in accordance with international standard ISO14021. Specifically, our standards are geared to improving the environmental performance of our products and reducing the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes from three emissions-reduction standpoints: CO₂ FREE (reduction of CO₂ emissions), Waste FREE (reduction of industrial waste), and Harm FREE (reduction in the release of harmful chemical substances).
　As a result of these evaluations, the products that satisfy the standards are registered as shown below in accordance with the level of the standard satisfied.

S Class:

Product evaluated as corresponding to the highest classes in the industry when it comes to environmental consciousness

A Class:

Product evaluated as exceeding industry standard class or our previous model when it comes to environmental consciousness

　We keep registration current by reevaluating registered products every three years.
　As of the end of August 2023, the Group had registered 68 products in total, including 19 new registrations during the three years prior (9 in 2021, 5 in 2022, and 5 in 2023) and 49 renewed registrations of products originally certified in 2014–2020.

The CO₂ emissions reduction effects^*1 of Group environmentally friendly products, including those registered under the Kawasaki Ecological Frontiers system, are 24,370 kt-CO₂^*2 annually. The certified and registered products are contributing in many ways to reducing annual CO₂ emissions and other environmental burdens. Examples include gas-turbine and gas-engine electric power generation equipment that has achieved world-class efficiency, motorcycles manufactured with more than 90 percent recycled materials, and energy-saving rolling stock made possible by weight reduction.

^*1 Reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to earlier products (refer to the calculation rules below.)

^*2 To put this figure into perspective, a passenger car with a gas mileage of 15 km/l that is driven 10,000 km per year emits about 1.5 t-CO₂.

　Hence, in terms of passenger cars with a gas mileage of 15 km/l that are driven 10,000 km per year, our reduction contribution is equivalent to the CO₂ emissions of approximately 16.25 million cars.
　Additionally, the sales ratio for environmentally conscious products including Kawasaki Ecological Frontiers products in fiscal 2022 was 18%.
(The ratio to total net sales of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing, and Kawasaki Motors)

In 2021, the system name was changed from Kawasaki Green Products to Kawasaki Ecological Frontiers. In addition to the pre-existing idea of Kawasaki Green Products, the new name includes the sense that, for the “frontier”—i.e., the social issues of a new age—we will offer answers from a unique perspective and create a hopeful future not only with products but also be providing new solutions and creating systems. Throughout the entire life cycle of our products and the supply chain, we are working to realize a carbon-neutral society (CO₂ FREE), a recycling-oriented society (Waste FREE), and a society coexisting with nature (Harm FREE).

The program logo embodies the Group's commitment to environmental sustainability through products and manufacturing. The Kawasaki Group's primary business areas—land, sea, and air transport systems, energy and environmental engineering, and industrial equipment—each with innovative and advanced technological capabilities, form three solid pillars that together support the global environment.

The Kawasaki Group ordinarily awards the Kawasaki Ecology Prize in special recognition of a Kawasaki Ecological Frontiers system registered product that is held in high esteem outside the company for benefiting the environment and has also contributed substantially to the Group's business operations in the evaluation period.

　In 2022, however, no product was selected for the award.

* Registered products are reviewed every three years to get their registrations renewed.
For those products that have been registered before 2020, those products whose registration was renewed include "Year of initial registration" under the product name on the product label.