Mitsubishi 2002 Annual Report Download - page 29

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27
by using recycled plastics (derived from items such as
PET bottles and food containers) in the manufacture of
various components, including air-cleaner casings and
engine covers.
Reduction of environmental impact
MMC actively tries to avoid using substances that have
a harmful impact on the environment through the devel-
opment of novel eco-friendly materials and their use in
components. Previously, the use in vehicle manufac-
ture of metals such as lead, mercury, hexavalent chro-
mium, and cadmium was common in the auto industry,
and the recycling of components containing such sub-
stances posed many problems. MMC set a target date
of March 2006 to achieve a reduction in the amount of
lead used in all new vehicles sold of two-thirds relative
to the year ended March 1997. The company achieved
this target in the year ended March 2002—four years
ahead of schedule. MMC has eliminated the use of com-
ponents containing lead in radiators and fuel tanks, and
has also introduced models fitted with newly developed
lead-free valve sheets. Since March 2001, all new mod-
els launched by MMC have been virtually free of other
toxic heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium.
Waste reduction
By March 2002, MMC had already eliminated the disposal
of any waste to landfill at all its manufacturing sites in Japan.
The company is now focusing on maintaining this zero-
emissions policy while working to further reduce waste vol-
umes.
Global warming prevention
Prior to the agreement of the Kyoto Protocol in Japan in
June 2002, in March 2002 the Japanese government
announced a major initiative to prevent global warming.
This set collective targets for corporate and individual
citizens in line with the goals set out in the Kyoto Proto-
col. MMC will take the following actions according to
the Protocol.
Improvements in vehicle fuel economy
MMC is responding actively to higher demand for more
fuel-efficient vehicles by developing passenger cars, trucks
and buses with improved fuel economy. In September
1999, MMC became the first Japanese automaker to sig-
nify its determination to make all its gasoline-powered ve-
hicles conform to new Japanese fuel-efficiency regulations
by March 2006 (the legal deadline for conformity is 2010).