Honda Environmental Annual Report 2008 > Striving to reduce environmental impact

Honda has been implementing proactive measures to help resolve environmental challenges since the 1960s, when concerns about air pollution began to grow. In 1966, soon after expanding into automobile production, we established a department to research air pollution measures. In 1972, under the theme “Blue Skies for Our Children,” we introduced the CVCC engine, becoming the world’s first company to comply with the U.S. Clean Air Act without the use of a catalytic converter—a challenge thought by many to be nearly insurmountable. Believing that problems caused by technology should be solved by technology, we’ve continued to confront environmental challenges. In the 1990s we strengthened our organizational structure to reflect our commitment to the environment and published the Honda Environment Statement to define our approach. We’ve continued to strengthen our initiatives in accordance with this statement. In 1999 we defined specific environmental targets, primarily for cleaner exhaust emissions and higher fuel efficiency, and implemented the measures necessary to achieve them by the end of FY2006. A leader in environmental conservation, we’re expanding our focus on reducing CO₂ emissions, shifting it from the regional to the global level. We’ve defined reduction targets for both our products and production operations, and our worldwide business units are working together to attain them.

Recognizing the importance of reducing the environmental impact of its corporate activities on a regional basis, Honda set new targets for the reduction of its environmental impact in Japan in FY2008. We have defined targets for reducing CO₂ emitted during transportation, reducing the use of substances of concern, increasing operations-related recycling and more—for a total of eight environmental impact reduction targets for FY2011. The company announced targets for reducing environmental impact from all products and production operations by FY2011 as part of an overall strategy for the reduction of CO₂ emissions worldwide announced in May 2006 (8 items). We are intensifying our efforts to attain these targets.