Honda Motors Limited is a Japanese conglomerate with 415 group companies in and outside of Japan. Since its founding in 1948, Honda has continuously worked to provide value to help people and create a better society through our technologies, ideas and designs.
1. Message from the President and CEO on Sustainability at Honda
Toshihiro Mibe, Director, President and Representative Executive Officer Chief Executive Officer, in its latest sustainability report has said –
In light of changes happening to our society, we believe that working in pursuit of the “elimination of our environmental impact” and “realization of safety protecting precious human lives” are the two sets of value Honda should provide in the future. Based on this belief, we will work comprehensively to address these challenges in the areas of the environment and safety.
To be more specific, concerning the environment, we will strive to realize carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities Honda is involved in by 2050. In the area of safety, we will aim for zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050.
Honda will aim to achieve these environmental and safety goals while at the same time making all-out efforts to lead advancements in the areas of mobility, power units, energy and robotics.
By offering such value to our customers and society and by becoming the “power” that supports people taking their own initiative, including those who are trying to make changes to the society they live in and others who seek to enhance the quality of people’s daily lives, we will help people reach out to achieve their potential. We describe this initiative by the phrase “Powered by Honda.”
To have a firm footing in working toward our environmental and safety goals with such strong determination, we must ensure that our goal to solidify our existing businesses is achieved. To this end, we will continue to work on the optimization of production capacity and the improvement of efficiency of our Monozukuri (manufacturing) mainly in the automobile business, in order to reap the positive results of our ongoing effort to strengthen our business structure.
Honda will strive for zero environmental impact of not only our products but the entire product lifecycle including our corporate activities, focusing on the three pillars of “carbon neutrality,” “clean energy” and “resource circulation.”
In addition to the electrification of our motorcycles and automobiles, we will enhance the range of easier-to-use electrified products with our Honda Mobile Power Pack swappable batteries and expand utilization of renewable energy by enabling infrastructure-linked smart power operations for recharging. For the further expansion of the use of renewable energy, we will be proactive in promoting the utilization of hydrogen.
Honda will pursue research on material recycling, including more effective ways to reuse and recycle batteries, and take on the challenge of developing products made from 100% sustainable materials.
We will also continue to work on the concept of Honda eMaaS through which Honda will contribute to the freedom of mobility and expanded use of renewable energy by connecting electrified mobility products and energy services. Honda eMaaS will be steadily pursued with a focus on the three core areas of “expansion of the utilization of Mobile Power Packs,” “utilization of large-capacity batteries for electrified vehicles” and “application and implementation of fuel cell systems.”
In the long run, we will aim to realize a multi-pathway of energy, including carbon-neutral fuels, for aircraft and other products for which electrification is difficult.
He added, “Currently, Honda R&D Co., Ltd. is focusing on the research of advanced technologies aimed at realizing a zero environmental impact society and a collision-free society. Also, we are making progress with research on technologies which will expand mobility into the 3rd and 4th dimensions, into the skies, the ocean, outer space and the area of robotics. I believe that the unique characteristics of Honda are represented by the value we derive by thinking through the very essence of things and our originality. We value people’s dreams and continue taking on challenges toward ambitious targets. In doing so, we want to be a company that will always pursue the very essence of things and originality.”
2. Honda’s Sustainability
The Honda Philosophy forms the values shared by all Honda Group companies and all of their associates. It is the basis for Honda’s corporate activities and the associates’ behavior and decision-making.
To achieve both the creation of growth opportunities for the Company and a sustainable society, Honda has set striving to be “a company that society wants to exist” as its direction for the 21st century. It is also advancing initiatives known as “Creating the Joys,” “Expanding the Joys” and “Ensuring the Joys for the Next Generation.”
2.1 Roadmap for Sustainable Growth
There are numerous social issues that have been much discussed, including poverty and refugee problems, human rights issues, climate change, energy issues, improvement of occupational health and safety, and the aging of society. Within this context, for Honda, which undertakes a diverse range of businesses globally, understanding its opportunities and responsibilities in the value chain will also be essential for identifying priority issues in management. In addition, to swiftly respond to and accommodate rapid changes in the business environment, it is important to set forth Honda’s future direction in the form of a vision.
2.2 2030 Vision
The 2030 Vision formulated by Honda is expressed in the statement, “Serve people worldwide with the ‘joy of expanding their life’s potential’— Lead the advancement of mobility and enable people everywhere in the world to improve their daily lives—.” To embody this Vision, the Company set the direction of its specific initiatives from three perspectives as action guidelines for the 21st century: “Creating the Joys,” “Expanding the Joys” and “Ensuring the Joys for the Next Generation.”
From the first perspective of “Creating the Joys,” Honda will work on “creating value for ‘mobility’ and ‘daily lives’.” The Company will focus on three areas, namely mobility, robotics and energy, as it seeks to provide people with the “joy and freedom of mobility” and “joy of making their lives better.”
From the second perspective of “Expanding the Joys,” Honda will strive to “accommodate the different characteristics of people and society.” In this area, the Company will seek to further expand joy by offering products and services that are optimized for all people reflecting different cultures and values and diverse societies, irrespective of whether they are in developed or developing nations.
From the third perspective of “Ensuring the Joys for the Next Generation,” the Company will make progress “toward a clean and safe/ secure society.” Striving to become No.1 in the areas of the environment and safety, Honda will invest more resources in these areas and will strive to become a company that leads efforts to realize a carbon-free and collision-free mobile society.
In this Vision, Honda has returned to its universal passion and made a major shift in its direction from quantity to quality. This is how the Company has set its corporate attitude to realize “growth through the pursuit of quality.” The Company will aim to expand the circle of joy and let the Honda brand shine even brighter through the steadfast pursuit of the “quality of value Honda provides” and “quality of its initiatives.”
2.3 Honda’s Initiatives to meet SDGs
In order to share joys with stakeholders, Honda seeks to contribute to the advancement of a mobile society with its original and useful technologies that anticipate the needs of the times.
This approach aligns with the United Nations’ SDGs, specifically, Goal 9 “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation,” Goal 12 “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns” and Goal 17 “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development,” and aligns with Honda’s overall corporate activities.
Honda also believes that creating value for society while pursuing economic value will lead to sustainable corporate management and ultimately contribute to the sustainability of society.
3. Global Environmental Management Promotion Structure by Honda
Honda recognizes that environmental issues such as climate change and energy/resource issues, which require global responses, are material issues that impact Honda’s business operations. Based on this recognition, the Environmental Committee was established in 1991, chaired by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and comprised of members of company management. In 1995, the Committee became the World Environmental Committee and assumed responsibility for discussing and formulating plans for environmental protection activities worldwide. Since then, it had continued to meet every year as the World Environment and Safety Strategy Committee.
Chaired by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), this re-established Committee deliberates on the PDCA cycle of each region as well as risks and opportunities concerning climate change, energy and resources. It also explores Honda’s short-, medium- and long-term environmental strategies based on these risks and opportunities
To facilitate efficient environmental management, Honda tabulates the cost reduction and profit attributable to its environmental protection activities, thus working to keep abreast of their economic impact. Going forward, Honda is committed to continuing the improvement of the accuracy of this data, which it sees as an indicator of corporate value and as a tool for making environment-related management decisions.
4. CSR Initiatives of Honda
4.1 Asia and Oceania
To address the severe shortage of medical equipment in Thailand, Honda Khiang Khang Thai Fund cooperated with Vajira Hospital to use Honda’s technologies and knowledge in manufacturing 100 negative pressure mobile beds, which were then donated to medical institutions.
By improving the pressure adjustment system, filter and oxygen tank storage space, the mobile bed is capable of more efficient pressure adjustment, air filtration and oxygen tank storage. Tests by medical professionals also yielded satisfactory results. The improved beds are donated to more than 90 hospitals across Thailand.
Honda Foundation, Inc. has received the Outstanding Humanitarian Award for Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) given to organizations that contributed significantly in terms of providing relief assistance toward disasters and other calamities. During the spread of COVID-19, HFI conducted the ONE DREAM campaign to use Honda’s motorcycles for saving lives and supporting agencies such as PRC and donated 104 motorcycles. The award this time was in recognition of active efforts in supporting local communities. The donated motorcycles are being used by PRC volunteers and staff in its 104 Chapters within the Philippines.
4.2 China
Honda Motor (China) Technology Co., Ltd. donated 3,500 vehicle-use ionic air purifiers to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China. The donation was made based on the aspiration of associates to ensure the safety and security of vehicle interior space as a show of appreciation toward frontline healthcare professionals risking their lives to save COVID-19 patients. Honda dealers and parts distributors worked together to quickly donate air purifiers to hospitals within Wuhan as soon as its lockdown order was lifted. Additionally, Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd. and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. donated a total of 10 million yuan to the Hubei branch of the Red Cross Society of China. Honda Group companies in China also donated face masks and electric motorcycles to medical institutions and undertook activities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Since 2008, Honda Group companies in China have been involved in afforestation activities in Inner Mongolia as part of a long-term environmental conservation project. In FY2021, afforestation of about 950,000 square meters of land was carried out, thereby successfully afforesting a total of 12.5 million square meters with about 1.8 million trees over 13 years. With the average survival rate surpassing 95%, the project has been making a steady contribution to an improvement in the local ecology.
Conclusion
Honda has reaffirmed the importance of cooperation and harmony as members of society through its sustainable and social responsibility initiatives. It has become more conscious of making a contribution to society based on its own initiative. The company visualises encouraging transition towards a society where people are more conscious about coexisting with the Earth.
